The Carbon County Master Gardeners' program just unveiled a brand new crop of experts.

At a ceremony Tuesday at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill, nine graduates were welcomed to the fold.Now considered apprentices, the gardeners began weekly classes back in October. They will be required to volunteer at least 50 hours over the next year for the Carbon County Extension Office. Volunteering may include manning the county gardening hotline, working at the pollinator garden or the raised bed propagation garden at the extension office. They may also present programs at local schools or for civic organizations.Meet the new Master GardenersPaul T. Kocher of Lehighton says he wanted to be a Master Gardener because it's something he and his wife can share with the public.What he likes most about gardening is "working with Mother Earth."Kocher says the most challenging things he's had to deal with is living in a shady area, and dealing with the local wildlife. When it comes to choosing his favorite; a vegetable garden or a flower garden, it might be too close to call."Since I love to eat, I would say vegetable, but flowers are close.Kocher's favorite flower is the tulip.Kelly Rockel of Slatington became a Master Gardener to gain knowledge. She's looking forward to working with others, teaching them what she's learned, as well as getting new gardening ideas.What does she enjoy most about gardening?"Working outdoors and getting my hands dirty." She also enjoys that feeling of accomplishment, right up to the end of the season.The biggest challenge for local gardeners, says Rockel, is keeping the pests away.Rockel most enjoys flower gardens. Her favorite flower are Black-eyed Susan vines.Janet Minnich of Slatington is looking forward to sharing her love of nature and gardening with others and helping them be successful gardeners.The best part of gardening, she says, is being outdoors.As for the biggest challenge to area gardeners, Minnich says that would be the late and early frosts.When it comes to flowers or vegetables, she says both."We intermingle flowers and veggies."Her favorite flower is the purple coneflower.Roberta Lee Robins says she became a Master Gardener so that she could learn more about all aspects of gardening.What she most enjoys about gardening is the therapy it offers. Gardening helps her relax and she most enjoys working in a flower garden.As for the most challenging thing she sees facing area gardeners, it's the soil.Robins says her favorite flower is the hydrangea.Valerie Neal of Lehighton is a longtime gardener who wanted to learn more. She's looking forward to interacting with like-minded people as a Master Gardener.What does she like most about gardening?"Digging in the dirt, growing veggies and flowers."The biggest challenge Neal sees for local gardeners are the deer.Her favorite type of garden is a vegetable garden, and her favorite flower is the columbine.Bob Hipp of Lehighton already had an interest in gardening, but a conversation with his neighbor, a Master Gardener, convinced him to become one as well.As a Master Gardener he is hoping to improve not only his own landscape and garden, but working with the community on their garden projects as well.Hipp says he most enjoys integrating nature with supportive interventions.He thinks one of the biggest challenges local gardeners face is how to incorporate warmer weather plants into their landscape. He also finds keeping pests away a problem as well.Hipp enjoys both vegetable and flower gardens, as well as woodland edge gardens.His favorite flower would be the trillium.Dee Ford of Jim Thorpe entered the Master Gardener program to gain knowledge and to be able to share that knowledge with others.Ford enjoys the entire process of gardening, from planning, to the work involved, to the final outcome.What she finds most challenging in this area, is the weather.She prefers vegetable gardens, since she loves to cook, and when it comes to choosing a favorite flower, she says its hard to pick just one, but if she had to, it would be the daffodil."I think it is an exciting time to be involved with horticulture," says Ford. "With the back to local food trend, gardening is now at the forefront of people's minds. It is hard work, but worth the benefits and rewards. It is important to involve young people in this trend."It was simply how much she enjoys gardening which led Lisa Thomas of Lehighton to become a Master Gardener."I hope to fine tune my gardening skills in order to grow better plants.Thomas finds gardening relaxing and therapeutic, not to mention, rewarding.As for what she finds most challenging, it would have to be poor soil quality and the ever-changing weather.Thomas says she has no preference when it comes to a vegetable garden or a flower garden."I enjoy both."Her favorite flower is the lilac.Sharon Gerhard of Lehighton says it was not only a love of gardening that caused her to enter the Master Gardener program, but she enjoyed the articles published in the newspaper by other Master Gardeners.In her new role, Gerhard is hoping to be able to help the public understand the benefits of gardening and how much fun it can be. That being said, she's about to embark on her favorite time of the year."One of my favorite things is starting seeds!," says Gerhard. "It starts out so tiny, and yet becomes a big, beautiful plant."Gerhard thinks working with weather extremes the most challenging thing area gardeners may face.When it comes to vegetables versus flowers, she likes to mix it up and plant both.Her favorite flower is the snapdragon."I love to watch the bees go in the flower and come back out covered in pollen."