Roxanne, what inspired you to become a Master Gardener?

I knew about the San Joaquin County Master Gardener Program because my mother has lived in Stockton for many years, and I enjoyed reading the articles from the program in the local newspaper (back when we still received home delivery!) Learning about the program and how much its volunteers did for the community inspired me. When the UC Cooperative Extension office announced the program was available in Stanislaus County in 2018, I immediately applied! I graduated as one of the first members and am part of the class of 2019.

Do you have a specialty or area of gardening that you’re particularly passionate about?

The area of gardening that I am particularly passionate about is plant propagation. I love to propagate new plants using different methods including cuttings, dividing, layering, budding, grafting, and seed germination. I also use pollination, when possible, to come up with certain color flowers.

Now that you are a UC Master Gardener, what would you have done differently when you first started your current garden?

Now that I am a Master Gardener, what I may have done differently when I first started my current garden would be to use soil solarization to prepare the soil prior to planting. I have a bad Bermudagrass invasion!

What is your favorite plant (I know it’s hard to pick one) and why?

My favorite plant is my Bougainvillea spectabilis because it is a spectacle in spring when its bright pink bracts light up my garden.