Photo: At Lowe's in Union City: L to R: Cheryl Lunsford, nursery sales specialist, Mark Cadieux, Lowes Store Manager, Katie Beck, Master Gardener and Beautification Committee Member, Debbie Patterson, Lowe's Assistant Manager.

(Union City TN, April 12, 2012) - Master Gardener Katie Beck got a pleasant surprise when she contacted Lowe's recently. Katie was looking for help with plantings for the 2012 beautification project. She was determined to use boxwoods in planters built by the local high school. She wasn't having much luck, until she met up with fellow Master Gardener Cheryl Lunsford, Lowe's nursery sales specialist. 

"I had heard of Cheryl. She and I are both in the Martin gardening club. I just had never met her."

Cheryl had good news for Katie. Not only did Lowes have the boxwoods, 24 of them, the store would donate them to the project. Katie went to Union City, a short drive from Clinton, Kentucky, to pick up her boxwoods and brought along her camera for a photo op.

Katie Beck and her team of local master gardeners will supervise installation of the planters and their contents next Saturday, April 21st. Students and local residents are sprucing up the town for the first festival of the year. Clinton will celebrate the Second Annual Spring Chicken Fest April 27th and 28th.

Master gardeners take classes and work volunteer hours to keep their certification as masters. The four master gardeners in Hickman County will be lead gardeners in landscaping and planting around Clinton for this year's Plant the Town.

Katie said she owes "a big thank you" to Lowes. The boxwoods in twelve planters will be a living reminder of Lowe's of Union City's generosity.