Master Gardener

Master Gardener Program

Our Vision

We envision a healthier world through environmental stewardship.

Our Mission

We support the University of Maryland Extension (UME) mission by educating residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities.

Our History

The UME Master Gardener Program began in 1978 as a means to extend science-based knowledge to the general public by providing horticultural and pest management expertise to help protect and improve Maryland’s natural resources. UME Master Gardeners are volunteers who combine their love of plants, people, and the environment to help residents in their communities solve problems and make environmentally-sound decisions.

The Cecil County Master Gardener Program is composed of local citizens whose common goal is to promote safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens. Master Gardeners are volunteer representatives of the University of Maryland Extension and are supervised and supported by University of Maryland Extension staff.

Gardening season is considered by many to be a year-round hobby! Catch the fever!

Cecil County Master Gardener Coordinator

Doris Behnke, Principal Agent Associate

dbehnke@umd.edu, 410.996.8135

Upcoming Master Gardener Events

Grow It Eat It Preserve It

Homesteading Series: Grow It Eat It Preserve It Workshops

Drying Herbs and Fruits - May 11, 2024

Canning Pickled Peppers - August 17, 2024

Canning Cranberry Orange Chutney - November 16, 2024

Cost: $10/workshop (includes instruction, recipe, and all the equipment and produce to process your own preserved jar).

Register for 1, 2 or all 3! This food preservation workshop series is intended to provide a hands-on learning experience for beginners and advanced canners. Each workshop begins with a class lecture then participants go into the kitchen to make their own canned produce to take home.

Register Online

Gardening for Pollinators with Color

Gardening with Pollinators with Color

Saturday, May 18, 2024

10 - 11 AM

Cecil County Administration Building (use rear entrance)

200 Chesapeake Blvd, Elkton, MD 21921

Register

Plant Swap

Plant Swap

Saturday, May 18, 2024 11 AM

Cecil County Administration Building

(pavilion in rear of building)

200 Chesapeake Blvd, Elkton, MD 21921

Bring plants in containers labeled with plant name, care instructions, and growing conditions. Plants should be pest & disease free and have a good root system.

Cecil County Master Gardeners Award Winning Video

Checkout our award winning video on the UME Bay-Wise Program.

The Maryland Master Gardener Program is an exclusive program of the University of Maryland Extension (UME). The principal goal is to train qualified residents to become certified Master Gardeners and serve as volunteer horticulture educators. The program's mission is to educate Maryland residents about safe, effective, and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities.

More Information

Baywise Certified Landscape — Cecil County Resident's Landscape Bay-Wise Certified in 2020

Most Maryland residents live within a half-mile of a storm drain, stream, or river. Most of those waterways eventually drain into the Chesapeake Bay. What we do to maintain our own landscapes can affect the health of our local waterways (drainage ditches, streams, and rivers), the Chesapeake Bay, and our environment. We all need to do our part to take care of our waterways and environment. By changing a few simple landscape practices, you and your family can help keep Maryland communities healthy.

Our Master Gardeners, who have taken the 9 to 12 hours of advanced training in Bay-Wise Landscape Management, form a committee to plan Bay-Wise activities in and around our county. They:

Perform one-on-one site visits to help county residents qualify to have their landscapes certified as Bay-Wise using the MD Yardstick,
Hold classes and lectures for community groups,
Teach youth in schools/community projects,
Staff information booths at community events.