It was a lovely afternoon—such an afternoon as only September can produce when summer has stolen back for one more day of dream and glamour.

L.M. Montgomery

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The waning days of summer usually involve Master Gardeners compiling all their volunteer service hours for submission. Yet, we realize that the ongoing pandemic has brought an array of challenges to so many of our volunteers and it has also severely limited our volunteer service opportunities. Therefore, we have waived all annual volunteer service and continuing education hour requirements for Perennial Master Gardeners for 2021. We have also extended the time period for 2020 Master Gardener trainees to complete their training volunteer service requirement, until September 30, 2022.

Yet it is still important to document all hours that metro Master Gardeners were able to serve since October 1, of 2020, and the many hours of continuing education that you logged via our online offerings. We want to celebrate and share your contributions with OSU. We will be sending you a brief survey in the next week for you to submit your volunteer service and continuing education hours. You do not need to submit a log sheet. Simply answer the survey questions and click submit. We hope you will take a few minutes to complete the survey and show the contributions of service made during such challenging times.

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Master Gardener Photography Contest

Join in the OSU Master Gardener Volunteer Photography Contest!

OSU Extension Master Gardeners are invited to participate in a statewide photography challenge and contest.

• How can you capture in photos what you love about the Master Gardener program?
• How would you show others what you see about being a Master Gardener?

Submit your photos by September 30, to the Master Gardener photography contest!  

FUN! There are prizes for the winners!

First-place winners in each of the three categories will receive signed, autographed copies of the books Trees to Know, and Shrubs to Know, plus an OSU Foods of Oregon reusable tote.  

All second-place winners in each of the three categories will receive signed, autographed copies of the book Trees to Know, and an OSU Foods of Oregon reusable tote.  

Make sure you are taking your photos for the categories! They need to be either people, places, or program priority photos. Here are some examples: 

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You can get all of the details, including a guide to taking great photos on the program news blog here. 

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Metro-area Master Gardeners Recognized and Thanked for Service

Each year the three metro area supporting county associations nominate and designate members for special recognition, either through an Oregon Master Gardener Association (OMGA) nomination or by heralding their praise and appreciation.

This year is no different and we would like to extend our hearty congratulations and thanks to the following individuals who are being recognized for their extensive contributions as OSU Master Gardeners!  Congrats and utmost gratitude to all!

Two Metro Area Master Gardeners Honored with State Awards!

We are thrilled to share the news that two metro area Master Gardeners were recently designated as the Statewide awardees!  Susan Albright as Statewide Master Gardener of the Year and Sue Ryburn as Statewide Behind-the-Scenes Master Gardener of the Year.  Susan and Sue’s dedicated service has greatly benefited the Washington County Master Gardener Association (WCMGA), the metro area and statewide OSU MG program, and the community as a whole.  We are thrilled they have been honored and are grateful for their tremendous contributions to the Master Gardener program!

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2021 Statewide Master Gardener of the Year

Susan Albright, Washington County: Over the past decade, Susan Albright’s dedication and impact for gardeners in Washington County has been profound. She’s held so many leadership and co-leadership positions they’re too many to list, and her background as an educator has been brought to the forefront of her work as a master gardener volunteer. She’s designed and planted areas of demonstration gardens, provided leadership in establishing educational outreach goals, and developed educational materials for adults and children. She has presented at the statewide level, and is an active citizen scientist, combining forces with Xerces and Oregon Bee Atlas. She has led the Washington County Master Gardener Association through changes and adjustments, all with incredible communication and teamwork. – LeAnn Locher

2021 Statewide Behind-the-Scenes Master Gardener of the Year

Sue Ryburn, Washington County: Sue Ryburn may be a tremendous leader, but she’s also a significant doer, working behind the scenes on multiple projects at a time. Whether it’s securing tens of thousands of dollars in grants, establishing multiple education gardens, or developing Washington County’s “In the Garden Series” as a deliverable to gardeners at home during COVID-19, she consistently looks beyond boundaries of the association to establish community partnerships and work collaboratively with program leadership. This commitment to collaboration can be seen in her formation of the Community Collaborators group, made up of organizations with like-minded missions to that of the Washington County Master Gardeners Association. This network and support are invaluable, innovative and exciting work, true to the spirit of everything she takes on. – LeAnn Locher

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Clackamas County Master Gardener Association

Special Recognition for Three Dedicated Clackamas County Master Gardener Association Members
The Clackamas County Master Gardener Association (CCMGA) is giving special thanks and recognition to three members who have worked above and beyond for their very successful programs during this pandemic year.  CCMGA President John Wilbur writes…”We would like to recognize and thank, Nancy Muir and Eve Freeman for Grow an Extra Row (GAER) and Sherry Sheng for the webinars. Both programs were highly successful and made an important impact on the community during these difficult times.  We also acknowledge the support and participation of the additional chapter members who assisted in these programs.  Thank you all for your efforts.”

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Multnomah County Master Gardener Association

Multnomah Co. Master Gardener Association – Master Gardener of the Year
As Multnomah County Master Gardener Demonstration Garden Director, Linda Goldser has helped guide both the Master Gardeners who volunteer in the garden, but also the garden’s future. With vision and planning for post-pandemic work in the garden, she’s moving the chapter forward and ensuring a strong and vital demonstration garden.  –LeAnn Locher

Multnomah County Master Gardener Association – Behind-the-Scenes Master Gardeners of the Year

Thanks to the publicity skills of Susanne Cavicchi, the Incredible Edible’s sale is wildly popular and is the Multnomah County Master Gardener Association’s major fundraiser. She edits the newsletter and chairs the communications committee.  – LeAnn Locher

Elaine O’Keefe brings significant experience and insight into organizational structure and serves as representative to the OMGA, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.  – LeAnn Locher

During the pandemic, Cynthia Chase and her communication skills kept the board moving forward. Her personal fundraising skills have helped raise money for the demonstration garden and she serves as the chapter’s Facebook editor.  –LeAnn Locher

Washington County Master Gardener Association

Washington Co. Master Gardener Association – Master Gardener of the Year
Karen Graham has led the Washington County Master Gardener Association through times like no other, with calm and resolve. With the many challenges that arose through the past several months the association needed to make quick and nimble adjustments. Karen adeptly handled each challenge. She quickly adapted and learned how to keep communication lines open with association membership and members of the public, taking the WCMGA’s Speaker Series and meetings online.  The WCMGA has greatly benefited from Karen’s positive, calm, and encouraging leadership.

Washington Co. Master Gardener Association – Behind-the-Scenes Master Gardener of the Year
In a mere three years, Fran Beebe has wasted no time making significant contributions as an OSU Master Gardener and Washington County Master Gardener Association member.  Fran has been instrumental with the WCMGA’s GardenFest fundraiser, potting 100+ houseplants, creating nearly as many terrariums and 30 hanging Kokedams for the sale and was a key contributor to the Propagation Team producing nearly 2000 vegetables and flowering plants. When Gardenfest 2020 was cancelled, Fran helped maintain the propagated plant stock, and, when it was mandated the greenhouses be closed, helped with distribution, donation and foster care for the plants.  Fran serves on the Speakers Committee and is a dedicated OSU Master Gardener Helpline volunteer.

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Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series – Autumn 2021

Join the Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series on Tuesday, September 14, 3PM, as Dr. Gail Langellotto, presents, Gardening with Native Plants for Pollinators.

Native plant gardening has been ranked as one of the top three landscape and garden trends over the past few years, in part because of the benefits that it offers to pollinators. However, native plants are not widely planted by home gardeners, and only limited selections can be found at many retail nurseries. This talk will share research conducted by the OSU Garden Ecology Lab for the past four years, and will address questions such as:

• Which Willamette Valley native plants are most attractive to pollinators?
• Why aren’t native plants more broadly available for purchase?
• What native plants are most attractive (according to Oregon gardeners), and which native plant traits gave gardeners concern?
• Are native cultivars a good approach to some of the problems associated with the production and sale of native plants?
• Do pollinators visit native cultivars as much as they do native plants?

Finally, we will end with our recommendations for native plants that western Oregon gardeners should plant, if they want to support Oregon’s pollinators.

Register here.

Coming up in October and November…

Adapting Your Garden and Landscape for Climate Change, Tuesday, October 13, 3PM
Join in as Weston Miller shares strategies to adapt gardens and landscapes to the new extreme weather conditions we are now experiencing in the Pacific Northwest.

Healthy Soils for Healthy People, Tuesday, November 9, 3PM
Research has suggested that healthy soils can benefit human health, via transfer of beneficial microbes from the soil to the skin. Dr. Gail Langellotto will provide an overview of what is known as the ‘hygiene hypothesis’, and how this relates to healthy garden soils.

Register for the upcoming webinars or view recordings of past webinars here.

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The Culture of Gardening

The OSU Master Gardener Program’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Taskforce has launched a new storytelling initiative called ‘The Culture of Gardening’. This initiative explores and shares the voices of gardeners growing plants to connect with their heritage, culture, and identity. While it’s a project of the OSU Extension Master Gardener program, the stories transcend us, weaving through our communities and identities and include farming, self care, family celebration, recipes, tools, and more.

Gardens and gardening connect us in many ways: to where we’ve been and to who we are. To grow a plant that is inherent to our identity is a joyful and self-affirming art, whether it’s a food to eat or a flower to use in tradition and celebration. Stories are being collected of people all around us, past and present, who do just that: the voices of gardeners growing plants to connect with their heritage, culture and identity.

Explore these inspiring stories and celebrate the different ways we all come to the garden. Meet Ann, Athen, Charlie, Farah, and Tyler. Check back as more gardeners generously share their voices and their connection to their heritage, culture, and identity through gardening.

If you have a story you’d like to share, or know of a gardener who connects with their culture and identity through gardening (they don’t have to be a Master Gardener!, but they should have a connection to Oregon), please contact: LeAnn Locher

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SAVE THE DATE! Gather: Film screening and discussion
A film screening and discussion about Native American Food Sovereignty
Wednesday, November 10, 7PM

The film “Gather” is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide. Watch the trailer for Gather

Following the film screening, stay for a panel discussing Native American resilience, plants, and the renaissance of Native food systems.

About this online event:

This screening of the film Gather is hosted by The Culture of Gardening, an initiative of the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Taskforce of the OSU Master Gardener™ program.

The film has closed captioning available in Spanish and in English.

Tickets are free but require registration: https://kinema.com/events/gather-l-iq6j

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“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment”

Georgia O’Keefe

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Rosy news…

As we near the start of summer there is promising news! COVID risk levels are lowering in the metro counties and we are receiving encouraging OSU updates with guidelines for resuming some of our Master Gardener activities. We will gradually resume activities as the guidelines and our capacity allows, in the coming months. Watch for updates via email and this newsletter, as we are able to open our program activities.

Help with MG Community Needs Assessment

Help the OSU Master Gardener program in learning the needs of our community.  The program has launched a survey to guide the work of the MG program and to learn the types of gardening information Oregonians want/need to support them in successfully growing plants.  The goal is to hear from 5,000 Oregonians across the state, especially those not currently involved in the Master Gardener Program.

You can help to distribute the survey and earn volunteer hours by sharing the text and accompanying images below, with your own networks! 

Share the survey with 3 of your networks and earn 30 minutes of volunteer service. If you have additional networks on which to spread the word, please count an additional 10 minutes of volunteer service for each share/post.  Keep note of your volunteer time sharing the survey and include those minutes/hours when you report your volunteer service in the fall.

Please share on local metro area networks or those limited to Oregon. Share the survey with any communities who might have an interest in gardening. Here are some suggested networks in which to share the survey…

• Share to your personal and/or professional social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Others
• If you use ‘NextDoor.com’, consider inviting your neighbors to participate in the survey
• If you are part of your area PTA/PTO, ask the organization if you can share the survey link with school parents
• If you are part of a church, club, fraternal organization, or other social group that is not generally associated with gardening, but you know that the members are interested in gardening, please consider sharing the survey with them
• If you volunteer with other organizations that serve clients that may be interested in gardening, please ask them if they can share the survey link with their clients
• Gardening Groups and Clubs: If you are a member of a gardening group or club (online, or in person), please consider sharing with those groups. Before posting on another group’s page or website, make sure that you have permission to post the invitation and survey link.
• Facebook gardening groups (focus on those that are local or limited to Oregon, rather than out of state or national groups)
• Email listserv of gardening groups or clubs (once again, focusing on local groups or limited to Oregon)

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Below is the text and graphic promoting the survey, in both English and Spanish.

What do you want to learn more about growing plants? What information and support do you need for gardening? 

Oregon State University Extension wants to support you getting the kind of information you want and need for growing plants in a home, community garden and landscape setting. Help us craft our future offerings: take a moment to participate in our survey.  https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1RH4CHIopoHN9XM

Below is a jpeg of the graphic in English, to use when posting to social media or sending out emails.

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¿Qué desea saber sobre el cultivo de plantas? 

¿Qué información y apoyo necesita para la jardinería?  

¡Queremos escuchar su opinión! 

El Servicio de Extensión de Oregon State University desea apoyarlo para que obtenga el tipo de información que desea y necesita para cultivar plantas en su hogar, jardín comunitario y paisaje. Ayúdenos a planificar nuestras ofertas futuras: tómese un momento para participar en nuestra encuesta. https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1RH4CHIopoHN9XM

Below is the link to a jpeg of the graphic in Spanish, to use when posting to social media or sending out emails.

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Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series

Although summer has yet to have it’s official start, now’s the time to plan and start winter vegetable crops. This month’s Growing Oregon Gardeners Level Up Series presentation, ‘Winter Vegetables to Grow‘, with Lane Selman, OSU, will offer you a plethora of inspiration to assist your game plan. Lane will take a deep dive into some of the more under appreciated, yet super delicious and nutritious winter vegetables! The webinar will be broadcast on Tuesday, June 8, 3pm

Registration opens on a rolling basis for upcoming webinars throughout the year.

If you find that registration has filled for a class, please check out the presentation live streamed on the OSU Master Gardener Facebook page or look for a recording of the presentation to be posted on the Level Up Series website a few days following.

Preview and register for the Level Up Series classes, and view recordings of past presentations HERE.

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Metro Master Gardener Media Channel

Would you like to review a presentation from our Metro Master Gardener Webinar Series? Or perhaps catch a Chapter Lecture or Speaker Series that you missed? You can access our catalog of inspiring webinars via our metro area Master Gardener Media Channel.

In addition, you can view a great series of mini-videos produced by fellow Master Gardener, Dennis Brown. Dennis created the videos to incorporate into his speaking presentations for the metro MG program. The videos cover: DIY seed tape, DIY seed starting containers, cutting back a cover crop, how to prune a blueberry bush, setting-up seed starting indoors and how to collect a soil sample. Check back later this week for 3 new videos Dennis created: controlling leafminer, planting sweet corn seedlings and planting tomatoes. Thank you Dennis for creating and sharing these informative videos!

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Oregon Master Gardener Mini College – Goes Virtual!

You still have time to catch a great line-up of garden-focused classes from the comfort of your home, by registering for the 2021 Oregon Master Gardener Mini College.  This virtual conference will be held online, July 16 & 17.  Mini College is a great continuing education opportunity, with an outstanding slate of horticulture experts presenting a range of topic.s

Robert Michael Pyle, author, educator and scientist will kick-off the event as the keynote speaker.  In addition, there will be a great array of interactive classes and workshops from leading horticulture experts and educators. Our very own Weston Miller, will be sharing the keys to success for organic vegetable gardening. Other presentations will focus on native plants to consider for attracting pollinators, the promise and pitfalls of biochar, plus a presentation all about mason bees – to name just a few of the topics being presented.

Cost for the two-day event is $49 and is open to Master Gardeners and the public.  So grab a friend, and join-in an enriching garden education opportunity.

OMGA 2021 Mini College (mastergardenerminicollege.org)

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More virtual opportunities with the International Master Gardener Conference!

Every two years Master Gardeners have the opportunity to participate in the International Master Gardeners Conference, which is hosted by a rotation of Extension Master Gardener Programs.  This year the event is being sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension and you have the opportunity to participate from the comfort of your own home!  The Conference is going virtual for 2021!

This educational confluence of horticultural experts and Master Gardeners from the US, Canada and South Korea is taking place September 12 – 17, 2021. Virginia Cooperative Extension is planning “a unique and creative virtual conference that will offer not only the chance to attend live webinars and workshops, but also opportunities to socialize with and learn from EMGs from around the nation, to learn about gardening in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and to participate in interactive activities such as virtual tours of Virginia and small group sessions.” 

Learn more about this exciting educational opportunity and register NOW!

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Elevated Skills Training Remains Open

Did you miss the ‘Elevated Skills’ Master Gardener training classes? Don’t despair the training is still open. Although in-person sessions of the training have passed, you can still take part and explore a subject of interest. Whether that be ‘Community Science’, how to ‘Superpower Your Education Garden’, ‘Garden Woody Plant ID with the OSU Landscape Plant Database’ or the other ‘Elevated Skills’ class offerings.

For Perennial Master Gardeners this training counts as ‘Continuing Education’ hours.

2020 Master Gardeners Trainees, the Elevate training can be counted towards your service hours to meet the requirements to complete the Master Gardener training.

See the entire Elevate course line-up, and register HERE.

Note: The metro area MG program is using a different online tool for our MG Helpline clinic and is not using the ECCO tool being highlighted in the “Learning How to Use the Extension Client Contact Online (ECCO) Tool in Plant Clinic” course.

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Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?
– Neltje Blanchan

Spring greetings Master Gardeners!  Although our in-person volunteer activities remain on hold, there is a plethora of informative and inspiring virtual presentations being offered to Master Gardeners in the following weeks and months.  We encourage all Master Gardeners to take advantage of these valuable continuing education opportunities.

The Culture of Gardening Series

The OSU Master Gardener Program’s ‘Culture of Gardening’ Series kicks off with a special presentation with Abra Lee, “The Work is in Our Hands”, on Tuesday, May 18, 12noon.

Through determination, enthusiasm, and willpower Black women overcame ugliness in America to cultivate beauty in the landscape. This is a discussion of how their self-expression and activism through gardening led to a lasting legacy of community pride throughout generations. 

Abra Lee is a national speaker, writer, and owner of Conquer the Soil,a platform that combines Black garden history and current events to raise awareness of horticulture. She has spent a whole lotta time in the dirt as a municipal arborist, extension agent, airport landscape manager, and more. Lee is a graduate of Auburn University and alumna of the Longwood Gardens Society of Fellows, a global network of public horticulture professionals. 

This presentation is free and open to all OSU Master Gardeners and the public.  Register in advance here: https://beav.es/JCF

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Join-in the OSU Master Gardener Bio Blitz

Grab your camera and join the OSU Master Gardener Program on our iNaturalist project page to capture the insects, birds, wild plants, and other wild organisms in your garden or a nearby community or public garden space. Your efforts will help to document garden biodiversity in Oregon! Learn all the details and register here: https://beav.es/Jyg

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Elevated Skills Training Remains Open

Thank you to all who participated in the state-wide ‘Elevated Skills’ Master Gardener training earlier in the year.  We have received lots of positive feedback from MGs who appreciated the opportunity to focus on skills that can be used in their roles as a garden educator; whether it was learning more about ‘Community Science’, how to ‘Superpower Your Education Garden’, ‘Recipes for a Collaborative Community’, ‘Garden Woody Plant ID with the OSU Landscape Plant Database’ or the other ‘Elevated Skills’ class offerings. 

Did you miss the training?  Don’t despair ‘Elevated Skills’ training is still open for your learning adventure!  Although in-person sessions of the training have passed, you can still take part and dig deep into a subject of interest.

For Perennial Master Gardeners this training counts as ‘Continuing Education’ hours.

2020 Master Gardeners Trainees, the Elevate training can be counted towards your service hours to meet the requirements to complete the Master Gardener training.

See the entire Elevate course line-up, and register HERE.

Note: The metro area MG program is using a different online tool for our MG Helpline clinic and is not using the ECCO tool being highlighted in the “Learning How to Use the Extension Client Contact Online (ECCO) Tool in Plant Clinic” course.

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Metro Master Gardener Media Channel

Would you like to review a presentation from our Metro Master Gardener Webinar Series? Or perhaps catch a Chaper Lecture or Speaker Series that you missed? You can access our catalog of inspiring webinars via the area Master Gardener Media Channel.

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In addition, you can view a great series of mini-videos produced by fellow Master Gardener, Dennis Brown. Dennis created the videos to incorporate into his speaking presentations for the metro MG program. The videos cover: DIY seed tape, DIY seed starting containers, cutting back a cover crop, how to prune a blueberry bush, setting-up seed starting indoors and how to collect a soil sample. Thank you Dennis for creating and sharing these informative videos!

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Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series

The state-wide Level Up series continues with a wealth of timely gardening topics.  After a month that set a record for the lowest rain fall in over 60 years – water conservation is in the forefront of many gardener’s minds. May’s Level Up presentation, ‘Waterwise Gardening‘, with Erika Szonntag, OSU Extension, will cover xeriscape principals and tips for conserving water, while maintaining a beautiful landscape. The webinar will be broadcast on Tuesday, May 11, 3pm

Registration opens on a rolling basis for upcoming webinars throughout the year.

If you find that registration has filled for a class, please check out the presentation live streamed on the OSU Master Gardener Facebook page or look for a recording of the presentation to be posted on the Level Up Series website a few days following.

Preview and register for the Level Up Series classes, and view recordings of past presentations HERE.

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Oregon Master Gardener Mini College – Goes Virtual!

Registration is now open for 2021 Oregon Master Gardener Mini College.  This virtual conference will be held online, July 16 & 17.  With an outstanding slate of horticulture experts presenting, Mini College is a great continuing education opportunity. 

Robert Michael Pyle, author, educator and scientist will kick-off the event as the keynote speaker.  In addition, there will be a great array of interactive classes and workshops from leading horticulture experts and educators. Cost for the two-day event is $49 and is open to Master Gardeners and the public.  So grab a friend, and join-in an enriching garden education opportunity.

OMGA 2021 Mini College (mastergardenerminicollege.org)

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More virtual opportunities with the International Master Gardener Conference!

Every two years Master Gardeners have the opportunity to participate in the International Master Gardeners Conference, which is hosted by a rotation of Extension Master Gardener Programs.  This year the event is being sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension and you have the opportunity to participate from the comfort of your own home!  The Conference is going virtual for 2021!

This educational confluence of horticultural experts and Master Gardeners from the US, Canada and South Korea is taking place September 12 – 17, 2021. Virginia Cooperative Extension is planning “a unique and creative virtual conference that will offer not only the chance to attend live webinars and workshops, but also opportunities to socialize with and learn from EMGs from around the nation, to learn about gardening in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and to participate in interactive activities such as virtual tours of Virginia and small group sessions.” 

Learn more about this exciting educational opportunity and register NOW!

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Washington County Community Garden Survey

Portland Community College is creating a map of current community gardens for Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District (within Washington County), and then creating a site analysis for possible future gardens.

Their working definition of a community garden is a place where “multiple
families can grow food for the table, not for sale.” Developments that
restrict to their residents or a business that have plots or planters for
their employees all would count (CSAs will not).

If you know of community gardens that meet this definition in Washington County, please complete this survey by May 20: https://forms.gle/gXGvC7sFMBHvUuzf

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