What is the Master Gardener Program?

Washington State University Whatcom County Extension home horticulture training to people interested in gardening and their community. In return for this training, the Master Gardener Community Educators volunteer 60 hours during the same year helping home gardeners.

The online training sessions and in-person workshops, are led by local and state experts. The sessions cover introductory horticulture and botany, soils, garden management, weed control, plant pathology, insects, pesticide safety, landscape ornamentals, pruning, and vegetable and fruit crops.

Past Accomplishments

The Master Gardener Tradition

The Master Gardener Program was established in Whatcom County in 1975. It is a volunteer program that enables participants to serve their community through horticultural education. More than 200 of the 3,000 Master Gardener Vounteer Educators in Washington State are active right here in Whatcom County.

Getting Help and Advice

Master Gardener Volunteer Educators are available regularly during the gardening season to answer your questions. We enjoy the challenge of figuring out what's wrong with your plants and helping you solve your horticultural puzzles. Whether you want to know what's chewing on your rhododendrons, the straight scoop on composting, or how much fertilizer to put on your lawn and when to apply it, the Master Gardeners of Whatcom County can help! We are trained to offer research-based information about what to do to prevent problems. Preventative measures may minimize the need for drastic corrective measures that are potentially more damaging to the environment as well as to the home gardener.

As Master Gardeners, we are committed to stewardship gardening through the practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). A healthy landscape requires much more than simply spraying pests. It demands knowledge of your plants' cultural needs and the proper diagnosis of problems. We can help you make your home garden the best it can be, all at no cost to you.

Please see our list of the most frequently asked questions. (pdf)

All WSU publication are avail to the public at:
https://cru84.cahe.wsu.edu/

Additional information about gardening in Western Washington

Master Gardeners are available weekdays at the County Extension office, (360) 676-6736 or beginning in March on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Hovander Park, working in the demonstration plot and offering Plant Clinics from 9 a.m. until noon.

We'll most likely ask you to bring samples of that pesky bug, mystery weed, diseased branch or flower into the office at 1000 N. Forest Street. Pack up your questions in a zip-lock bag, and bring them to us!! If we don't have an answer, we have the resources of Washington State University and the USDA to help us find out exactly what's bothering that prized plant of yours. Call us for assistance before you have a problem, too. We'll tell you when to plant your bulbs and prune your fruit trees and clip those perennials. Contact us today.

Recent Weeder's Digest

February 2012 (pdf)

January 2012 (pdf)

December 2011 (pdf)

Contact a Master Gardener:

MG Office Clinic 9 - Noon or 1 - 4pm (360) 676-6736 or email

Current Events & Information:

2012 Master Gardener Class Thank you for all that have applied to the 2012 class. You will be notified of the next step, by Beth Chisholm, Master Gardener Coordinator.