Horticulture Professor and Extension Horticulturist serving Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer program, we’re featuring stories about coordinators and volunteers. Let’s get to know Amy Jo Detweiler and hear about her path to Extension, what makes gardening east of the Cascades unique and the volunteers who continue to inspire her.
For more than 27 years, Amy Jo has helped gardeners across Central Oregon navigate some of Oregon’s more challenging growing environments. As the Extension horticulturist serving Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties, she works with Master Gardener volunteers to answer gardening questions, maintain demonstration gardens and provide research-based education throughout the region.
Quick facts
Position: Horticulture Professor and Extension Horticulturist
Region: Central Oregon—Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties
Years with Extension: 27.5 years
Favorite insect: Western swallowtail butterfly
Beginner plant recommendation: Lettuce or carrots for vegetables penstemons for perennials and crabapples for ornamental trees.
Background
Amy Jo didn’t originally plan on a career in horticulture. She earned her undergraduate degree in biology with a human health emphasis and initially considered a career in healthcare. That changed after spending a summer working as an outdoor adventure guide.
“After being outside for a couple of months… I realized I really wanted to be working more in an outdoor environment with something related to nature and biology.”
She returned to school to study landscape horticulture at Colorado State University, where she also worked in a nursery and gained firsthand experience helping home gardeners. When an Extension position opened in Central Oregon, the similarities between Colorado’s high desert climate and Central Oregon made it an ideal fit.
Although she hadn’t previously managed volunteers, she was excited to combine horticulture education with community engagement.
Gardening in Central Oregon
Gardening in Central Oregon comes with unique challenges. The region sits in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, receiving a very small amount of rainfall especially during the growing season.
According to Amy Jo, gardeners contend with:
- Short growing seasons (as little as 90 days in some areas)
- Sandy, volcanic soils that drain quickly
- Irrigation needs throughout the summer
- Frost that can occur nearly any time of year
“We can get frost any day of the year. There’s been snow on the Fourth of July.”
These conditions make plant selection and water management especially important for local gardeners.
Favorite garden lesson
Even experienced horticulturists have garden failures. One of Amy Jo’s favorite trees, the Vanderwolf pine, refused to thrive after being planted in one of the demonstration gardens. Despite multiple attempts, the tree never established successfully.
After the original tree failed to establish, another Vanderwolf pine was planted in a different location. This time, it thrived.“It’s all learning.”
The experience reinforced one of gardening’s most important lessons: sometimes success depends as much on the site as it does the plant.
Supporting volunteers
After nearly three decades with Extension, Amy Jo says one of the most rewarding parts of her job is watching volunteers dedicate their time to helping others learn. Some Master Gardener volunteers in Central Oregon have served alongside her for more than 25 years. That is much longer than the average volunteer commitment.
Just as meaningful are the friendships that develop through the program.
“I didn’t anticipate the relationships that come out of the Master Gardener Volunteer Program.”
Over the years, she’s watched volunteers become lifelong friends, creating connections that extend well beyond the garden.
Community partnerships
Amy Jo highlighted two long-standing partners with City of Bend Water Conservation Program and the Bend Park & Recreation District. According to Amy Jo, the partnerships have helped support the Water-Wise Gardening in Central Oregon publication and provided land and infrastructure for demonstration and community gardens, including fencing and irrigation.
Quick questions
Favorite insect
“The western swallowtail butterfly just really does bring me joy to see that in the garden fluttering around”
Amy Jo also enjoys observing the wide variety of native pollinators that visit demonstration gardens, from tiny native bees to flies and other beneficial insects.
Plant recommendation for beginners
For beginning vegetable gardeners, Amy Jo recommends starting with lettuce or carrots because they’re easy to grow from seed and give gardeners a good chance of harvesting something successfully.
For gardeners interested in perennials, she recommends penstemons, noting that many native species perform well in Central Oregon and help attract native pollinators.
For those looking to plant an ornamental tree, Amy Jo suggests crabapples, which she says establish well and perform reliably in the region.
This is part of a series of stories we are featuring about the people of the OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteer program in celebration of our 50th anniversary. With +1,800 amazing volunteers and 30 faculty and staff we hope you are as inspired as we are by their dedication joy and impact that they make across the state.
If you’d like to share your Master Gardener story, we’d love to hear from you! Submit your volunteer story here: https://beav.es/mgstory