Photo Sondra LozierIn this informal setting, a lariat sets the Old West tone for a raised planter containing dianthus. Catmint is the ground cover.

Sondra Lozier of rural Enterprise has been a gardener all her life, learning at her mother’s knee as a child.

A decade or so ago, she went above and beyond the average green-thumb by joining a group of other local plant and garden enthusiasts to become Master Gardeners through Oregon State University’s Master Gardener Course.

Among the other Master Gardeners in the county are Lynne Nielson Price, who contracts to maintain the Joseph Main Street flower project in the summer months; Charleen Worden of Hurricane Creek Landscape; and Judy Taylor of Wallowa’s Cup of Blessing tea garden.

Lozier, with some of the others, drove to La Grande for two to three months, since the class isn’t available any longer through the Wallowa County OSU Extension Office.

The course is now available online – though practicum work through the Extension Service is also necessary to get the Master Gardener badge. Call Union County Extension Service, 541-963-1010, for information.

In the Master Gardener course, students learn basic botany and entomology, integrated pest management, soils, fertilizers and composing, ornamental and herbaceous plants, vegetable and container gardening, sustainable landscaping and plant pathology.

Lozier, a busy businesswoman and civic leader, considers her large flower garden as part of about an acre of landscaped yard as one of life’s biggest pleasures – as well as a lot of work.

Following are some of Lozier’s tips for the local gardener. Her specialty is flowering plants, but many recommendations are transferable for the vegetable garden.

Plant cold-hardy and deer-resistant flowers

For Wallowa County, you have to make sure they will survive cold winters – and deer proof or at least deer resistant. Some plants deer don’t eat – peonies, for example, are 100 percent deer proof, she said.

Lozier plants mostly hardy perennials – those that return every year. “I fill in with a lot of containers with annuals,” she said. For early spring flowers, she plants mainly daffodil bulbs “because deer will eat tulips.”

In addition to perennials, the Master Gardener loves flowering shrubs and trees, such as lilac (“They smell so good”) and dogwood (“They are very, very hardy”).

Maintenance is important

The wonder of gardens is things are always growing, which means they need ongoing care: Pruning in spring and fall, thinning of perennials that re-seed themselves and volunteer back, and “deadheading” – removing fading blooms to encourage new ones rather than going to seed. And, of course, there’s always weeding.

“It’s very rewarding,” Lozier said. “You start with little plants and things always grow too big.”

They can also spread like crazy unless you keep them under control. She started with six-packs of marguerite daisies 10 years ago, and she’s still inviting folks over to get starts from her garden.

One tip from Master Gardener Judy Taylor is to control the amount of water you use by utilizing soaker hoses, to prevent overwatering and evaporation. When you use a soaker hose water goes directly to the roots; overhead watering can cause more disease.

Test and supplement soil

“A good soil is important. The success of your garden depends on your soil,” said Lozier, who recommends that gardeners get their soil tested. (For information about soil testing: (http://extension.ore gonstate.edu/catalog/html/ec/ec628).

Lozier said local soil, especially in the valley, is alkaline and to balance the pH, or add acidity, she uses seasoned manure (decomposed for at least a year); her favorite in the past has been llama manure.

Seaweed and organic matter also help supplement the soil, and Lozier said that she has also had top soil hauled in to augment the existing soil.

Have fun with your gardenAdding such garden accessories as bird feeders, bird baths and ornamental containers for annuals makes gardening more fun and personal. Lozier enjoys using such flower pots as an antique cream separator and milk buckets.

Judy Taylor agrees with the fun aspect of gardening, and suggests personalizing with a theme: she uses tea pots as planters to reflect her tea party business.