I think a list of plants that grow best in the region you are in would be nice-i.e. favorite blues, best pinks etc. Maybe even a list by bloom time(early, mid, late)or by height.

Oh you'll do fine. Just get up there and smile and say something funny to start, if you can, then ask a few questions of the audience like who is from the West? the South? any Red Hat members here? and anything along those lines that you can think of to get the audience involved in your talk. Tell them what you are going to talk about then talk about it. The absolute worst mistake I see, even from excellent speakers, is when a speaker just fades out at the end. Avoid trailing off. When you are through, smile again and announce "That concludes my talk, do we have time for questions?" one last bit of good advice: Never, never, ever run overtime. If someone wants to drag the questions on say that you will continue the discussion with them in the lobby after the program. Don't forget to smile.

Tillable, Terri's idea is excellent. A list of plants that do well in your zone. Add to that list the phonetical pronunciation of the botanical name plus the common name. Don't forget to enphasize knowing the botanical name. Do you have access to what the new "hot" plants will be for the season. Does your group plant a gardeners select garden? If so you may want to let the new master gardener class know about how we help select new plants for growers by participating in "trial" gardens for the growing season. Billie

That perennials often die--they aren't "perennial".

That planting zones can be experimented with - microclimates can give you a whole extra zone.

That perennials like cranesbill geranium 'Rozanne' and shasta 'Becky' are almost as long blooming as annuals. Give them a list of long-blooming perennials--they will be forever grateful. (e-mail me if you would like such a list for Z5)

That annuals are as important as perennials - and that tender perennials treated as annuals ("temperennials") open up this area of the garden plant world tremendously. Especially in terms of the exotic, the unusual, wonderful shapes, textures, and scents.

That perennials and annuals need to be considered for more than their flowers/blooms: for height, texture, scent, contrast to shrubs and trees, winter interest, food source for people and animals (edible landscaping and wildlife plantings), medicinal/herbals, the value of native/wild plantings, and so on.

In short, try to widen their understanding and knowledge of annuals/perennials away from the flower focus and into the myriad of other attributes of these plants. As Master Gardeners who will be working with the public, we need to be able to tout more than the blossoms of these plants.

Eddie's presentation advice is invaluable. Its often not what you say, but how you say it, too. Good luck with your presentation.

Ginger

One class I attended on perennials was almost a waste. The instructor just showed slide after slide of pretty plants. He gave some info on each but nothing we couldn't have easily found in our reference materials.

Think about the kinds of questions MGs will need to be able to answer: "I have a bed in shade and want some plants that I don't have to replant every year. What should I look for?" "My yard is hot and sunny. Can I grow hostas?" "I bought a couple of columbines and they have some funny looking lines on the leaves. What's wrong and what should I do?" "My daylilies are overgrown. How and when should I divide them?" These are a few of the questions I hear over and over again. Remember that most of the people we help know very little about gardening and want basics. If MGs have that basic info at the tip of their tongue, they can answer lots more questions and have time to look up those harder ones that require research.

Give them an overview of good reference materials on the subject. Bring them to class if you can. A list of good websites is also very helpful. Being able to easily find answers to questions we don't know is one of the best skills a MG can have.

And remember that some in your class won't know the difference between annuals, perennials, and biennials. My classmates ranged from folks who had gardened all their lives to rank newbies that barely knew which was the roots and which was the top. Don't "dumb it down" but don't talk over the heads of the majority of your students, either.

And most of all, have fun. If you are enjoying yourself, your students will catch your enthusiasm.

Relax and just be yourself.

In my opinion, this is the most difficult of all the subjects covered by the classes. I just blanked out when I was asked to do it and I passed on it in a hurry. Propagation is a lot easier. All the suggestions above are good but Eddie's is probably the best. You are the only one who knows how to give a talk in a way that is comfortable for you. Some lean on slides, handouts etc. and some make it into a back and forth like a conversation. Just remember, you do know more than most of them. LOL. Sandy

they rest of the people have given you great ideas, explain to the students that gouping plants together with the same requirements makes gardening easier-. I do have a large bed of hosta (like it moist) in full sun with lemon thyme (likes it dry) but the soil is just compost and sand, with excellent drainage. Adding mulch of anykind can make a bed look instantly neater, and easier to maintain. besides books, bring some of you favorite catalogs, remind the group that there are speciality plant garden groups everywhere-roses, herbs, daylilies, hosta etc. gadens are a work in progress and everyting can be moved, and usually is moved. things die, oh well. tell them not to be worried about color clashing, if you like it, do it! mix perennials and annuals together, plant 3 or more of the same plant together. have fun in your yard, and in your class.

forgot to add, pass out the invasive species list without the name at the top and have everyone check off the plants in their yard, then tell them that this is the list to use to remove plants from the yard, and never use for plant recommendations-many of them are still in the nursery trade, and most of them are in our yards!there are national lists, state lists, and City lists.

I always like to start with the soil. What you plant is not as important as what you plant it in. I see so many gardens with soil requiring magic to grow a decent garden. What ever you plant, plant enough of it. A impressive garden requires a quantity of any plant to make it stand out and not look like a collection of specimen plants. If available I like to bring flats of plants to make the point that larger quantities than six packs are being sold. Smile and let everyone know you are having fun and encourage any question, any time. If you can, make your answers funny as well as informative. Al

A great little hands-on addition can often be easily added to this class. I think it is important that students know about opening up the roots of potbound plants -- a common dilemma which can be especially problematic in the long term for perennials.

It is usually quite easy to get one of the local nursery centers to donate a flat of cheap annuals (alyssum, impatiens, marigolds, etc. -- it really doesn't matter). I also bring in enough pots and potting soil for every student. I demonstrate opening the roots and spreading them over a little soil mound made inside the pot explaining that this is also the proper method for planting outside in the garden. Then I make them tear open the roots and pot-up their new take-home baby. It is amazing how afraid many new students are of "hurting" the plants but I make them do it anyway. Be sure to have a little water for the plants and a roll of paper towels for the students' to wipe their hands and clean up any messes. A bunch of old newspapers and a few plastic dishwashing pans to pot over top of to catch extra potting soil aren't bad ideas either.

This project offers a simple hands-on that improves the session and provides a great learning experience that many of the newbies know nothing about. In addition, it breaks up a long session and creates a little excitement. Who is going to forget this class when they go home with a free plant? I try and do this right before a break so that students can go to the restrooms and wash up.

It is a side benefit that a lot of socializing happens during this breakout session and a lot of silent students begin chattering to one another as they make new friends. For some reason, hands-on activity serves as a real social icebreaker.

Although I don't (and can't) promote any one nursery over another, I do make sure that the donating nursery has one of their tags with every plant. I let the students know who donated the plants and emphasize that I am not endorsing that particular store over another one. However, I do ask that students make a point of thanking the manager of the donating store if they happen to visit it. PR is important and pays off!

IronBelly

Thanks to all of you for the great suggestions,,,I've been gardening for 30 years and that's comfortable for me,,,,,but only giving talks for a couple years---not so comforable there,,,LOL,,,,anyway,,I wrote down all your ideas, so my talk will probably end up being a mix of the suggestions. I've been to those 'endless slide' programs myself and surely don't want to do that. I'm planning a short power point presentation grouping together 4 or 6 plants per frame that have the similar cultural needs but different leaf shapes and textures, and of course planning to have the same info on paper for everyone to keep. Also alpine plants are the rage here (they do struggle in our hot,humid summers), so I want to talk a little about their special needs and how to prepare the soil for them. But now I can incorporate your ideas into my talk, make some take home lists, etc. Thanks Ironbelly for the hands on idea,,I should at least be able to find some pansies for the class to 'play' with, I always have some of their sunny faces on my kitchen window sill during the cold, rainy March days, so I bet the class would love them too.

Thanks again
tillable