Though born in Fort Morgan, she spent her early years in the flatlands of Kansas. Now, Colorado and its soil are in her blood. Mari Dixon has been volunteering through the Master Gardener program at the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension center for about four years and is an advisory board member and valued member of the Advanced Diagnostics Team.

That means she can tell you what bug is eating your favorite tree or what virus causes the leaves to curl and what to do about it. She has come recently to the field after some success in redoing her own front yard. “I had been thinking about learning more, and the front-yard project piqued my interest,” Dixon said. “So I signed up for the classes.”

Those Master Gardener courses — 10 weeks, with a full day each week — are extensive and intensive and taught by professors at CSU. There is one whole course on insects, for instance. Dixon found it all fascinating. “And I never in my wildest dreams thought ‘turf’ would be so interesting, but it sure was,” she said.

After taking the courses, Master Gardeners are required to give back 50 hours of volunteer service for the education they have received. Dixon passed that mark years ago and keeps on giving.

She works at the Master Gardener booths, answers gardening questions on the phones at the Extension Office in Longmont throughout the growing season, and helps with the bulb sale and garden tours. She also serves on the advisory board, which meets every other month to plan events and activities for the upcoming year.

She has a 12-year-old son, two grown daughters and three grandchildren, ages 9, 6 and 4. Luckily for her, all live nearby. She still has time, though, to give to the Master Gardener program, for which Carol O’Meara, the program’s volunteer coordinator, is eternally grateful.

“Mari is the kind of volunteer it’s just great to have in the program,” O’Meara said. “She’s always curious, always wants to learn more and try more. It’s so refreshing to have her around. She actually renews our interest in doing more and more with the program.”

Dixon helped with the Head Start garden project when Master Gardeners joined with 3- to 5-year-olds and their teachers in planning a “senses” garden, a “big plants” garden and much more. She helps with Cultiva and Growing Gardens projects in Boulder and dreams of duplicating this kind of raise-your-own-produce program in Longmont as well.

“I like the service aspect of it so much,” Dixon said. “And I’ve had a great education. It’s all researched- based and just the best. I really like getting together with other gardeners.” She said some of the gardeners speak botanical Latin, calling everything by its scientific name — a skill she admires but doesn’t quite share.

For information about volunteering with Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Center or other agencies, call the Volunteer Connection at 303-444-4904, or go to our Volunteer Central.