Frederick County Environment & Natural Resources

Frederick County Master Gardeners 

Our Mission 

The Frederick County Master Gardeners (FCMGs) educate area residents about safe, effective gardening practices that create healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities. We are volunteers trained by the University of Maryland Extension who share research-based knowledge to help people grow healthy plants while protecting local natural resources. 

Most of our educational services and programs are offered free of charge, although some workshops and special events may require a registration fee. We present seminars and workshops, answer home gardening questions, and provide community outreach throughout Frederick County. 

FCMG educational programs focus on: 

• Helping residents start and maintain food gardens, including our public demonstration garden. 

• Promoting gardening practices that protect water quality and support pollinators through Bay-Wise and Pollinator-Friendly Landscape certification. 

• Engaging and educating youth through partnerships with schools and community organizations. 

• Supporting Frederick County Public Schools in earning Green School designation through the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) as a designated Green Center. 

• Offering therapeutic gardening activities that promote wellness, mindfulness, and a deeper connection with nature. 

• Helping residents successfully grow ornamental plants and create sustainable landscapes. 

Visit the Frederick County demonstration gardens surrounding the University of Maryland Extension Office at 330 Montevue Lane, Frederick, Maryland. 

Master Gardener Coordinator / Home Horticulture Educator 

The Frederick County Master Gardener Coordinator/Home Horticulture Educator recruits, trains, and supports Master Gardener volunteers while providing research-based horticultural education to county residents. 

Responsibilities include diagnosing plant and pest problems, teaching educational programs on sustainable gardening, managing demonstration gardens and community outreach, and developing educational resources that promote environmentally sound gardening practices.

Do you have questions about your lawn, landscape, trees, vegetables, insects, or other gardening concerns? Frederick County Master Gardeners provide research-based answers to home gardening questions. 

You can reach us in several ways: 

• In person: Mondays, 1:00–4:00 p.m., at the University of Maryland Extension Office. Plant and insect specimens may be dropped off Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. 

• Email: arembold@umd.edu 

• Phone: 301-600-1596 (please leave a message) 

Whenever you see Master Gardeners working in the demonstration gardens surrounding the Extension Office, feel free to stop by and ask questions—they're always happy to help. 

You can also submit questions through Ask Extension, an online service that connects you with Certified Professional Horticulturists at the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center. Most questions receive a response within 48 hours. 

FCMG has created a variety of publications and resources, including fact sheets, garden activities for children, instructions on building an herb spiral and a rain garden, and much more.

Frederick County Gardening Resources

Find gardening resources and information by following FCMG on Facebook and YouTube. 

FCMG Facebook  FCMG YouTube

Extension Resources

• Ask an Extension Agent
• Home & Garden Information Center (HGIC) 
• Master Gardener Program
• Master Gardener Resources
• Maryland Grows Blog
• UME Gardening Resources
• Master Gardener Volunteer Resources

Would you like to share your love of gardening while making a difference in your community? 

To become a Frederick County Master Gardener volunteer educator, applicants complete a three-month online training program that begins each February. After completing the training, participants finish a capstone project and contribute 40 volunteer hours by the end of the year. 

Applications for the Class of 2027 are now being accepted. To be added to the interest list, email Amy Rembold at arembold@umd.edu. 

You will be notified when enrollment opens and receive an application packet. Class size is limited to 30 participants, with enrollment offered on a first-contact, first-served basis. 

Both experienced and beginning gardeners are encouraged to apply. The training combines University of Maryland online instructional modules with hands-on learning, field experiences, projects, and additional assignments completed throughout the program. 

Become a Master Gardener

The Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens showcase educational display areas surrounding the Frederick County Extension building at 330 Montevue Lane, Frederick. See best practices in gardening firsthand!

Behind the building, you will see a variety of planting practices and techniques for growing vegetables and other edible plants. The garden includes a square-foot bed, an herb spiral, a keyhole garden, and numerous raised beds made of various materials. Check out the small fruits, including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. We also have figs, grapes, and espaliered apple and pear trees. A patio is filled with edible and decorative plantings displayed in a variety of containers. A container-based monarch butterfly habitat area is a new addition to the garden this year.

Children's Garden

Our charming Children’s Garden features ornamental plantings that are fun for youngsters to see, smell, and touch. Children, accompanied by an adult, are welcome to explore and enjoy this welcoming space. You will also find a woodland walkway with native plantings, leading to our pawpaw patch. Take a look at the Native Hedgerow along Montevue Lane, which shows how native plants can create an attractive, functional border. The Gardens incorporate several stormwater management features with potential residential applications. Foundation flower beds around the building are filled with plantings for all seasons.

Food Donations

Last year, the Master Gardeners donated to the Frederick County Food Bank, valued at more than $6,000. In addition to 855 pounds of organic vegetables and herbs grown in our Demonstration Garden (with a market value of $4,415), our group gave food and personal care items worth $1,651.

Maryland Demonstration Garden Locations

Frederick County Extension offers dozens of free seminars geared to both beginning and advanced gardeners. These cover a wide range of gardening topics and reflect our program areas: food gardening, Bay-Wise gardening, pollinator-friendly gardening, youth gardening, therapeutic gardening, and landscape gardening.

Upcoming Seminars & Events
 

The Grow It, Eat It  (GIEI) Committee supports both beginning and experienced gardeners who want to grow their own vegetables, herbs and fruits. Seminars, including hands-on learning in the Demonstration Garden, cover a range of topics, from seed starting to seed saving, composting, planning the family garden, and much more. In the list of current-year seminars, sessions focusing on growing food are marked GIEI.

 Many resources for those interested in growing food are available on the University of MD Extension’s HGIC website.

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. 

UME's Bay-Wise Program aims to improve water quality through smart gardening practices. Members of the Bay-Wise Committee educate the public about how to create a sustainable landscape that supports all types of wildlife, including birds and pollinators – using native plants, reducing/eliminating use of chemicals, mowing and fertilizing wisely, controlling stormwater runoff, and composting yard waste.  Learn more at our seminars, which focus on replacing invasive plants with natives, the benefits of reducing your lawn, managing wet areas in your yard, and determining water quality using macroinvertebrates.  

Apply for a Bay-Wise certification, offered between April 1 and October 30, for Frederick County residents whose landscapes meet the criteria of the state Bay-Wise program.  To apply, download the appropriate Maryland Living Landscapes Metric, a checklist of best practices. Email the completed Maryland Living Landscapes Metric to arembold@umd.edu with 'Bay-Wise Certification Application' in the subject line. 

You may also print the forms and fill them out by hand, or pick up a paper copy of the forms during regular business hours at the Frederick County Extension Office, 330 Montevue Lane, Frederick, MD 21702.  You may mail completed forms to Amy Rembold at the Extension Office address or drop them off at the Office during regular business hours. 

Once we review your application, we will schedule a site visit with you. A team of specially trained Master Gardeners will visit your yard to review the Bay-Wise features and answer any questions. Once you are certified, you will receive an attractive yard sign that recognizes your commitment to environmentally sound gardening practices that enhance the health of the Chesapeake Bay and our environment.

Bees and other pollinators play an essential role in the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of crop species, according to the Xerces Society. In addition, pollinators are a keystone species in most terrestrial ecosystems; they are essential to the survival of many birds and mammals.

The Pollinator Committee raises awareness of the importance of pollinators to the plants that feed them and to the overall environment – not just in Frederick County but also worldwide. We offer seminars and engage in community outreach, including EarthFest, usually held on a Saturday in June at the Extension Office. This family-friendly event will feature activities and displays offered by Master Gardeners and other groups. Check our Facebook page closer to the event date for location and details.

We encourage you to review the application for Pollinator Friendly Garden certification to learn more about creating a pollinator-friendly garden of any size. The fillable application includes a selection of plants native to Frederick County that support pollinators, and provides other guidance to enhance the pollinator habitat, such as providing shelter and water. Certified gardens may purchase a distinctive sign ($20) that identifies them as a “Pollinator Friendly Garden.” Frederick County Master Gardeners are the first in Maryland to offer this certification.

Youth Gardening Committee

The Youth Gardening Committee’s goal is to educate young people – from tots to teens – about gardening. Youngsters are encouraged to enjoy vegetables and fruits fresh from their gardens. While a primary focus is on growing food, we also offer resources and support for pollinator gardening and education about conservation and ecology. Seminars for young gardeners focus on make-and-take projects.

Committee members work with schools and youth groups to provide a variety of hands-on activities such as planning and planting a food and/or pollinator garden at school or at home, container gardening, and creating seed tapes and seed balls. The Committee also supports STEM/STEAM events in the schools. 

A Children’s Garden, adjacent to the Demonstration Garden, provides a charming setting for ‘Story Time in the Garden’ sessions. Follow us on Facebook for information on Story Time sessions, generally offered in the summer months. The garden is designed so that children, accompanied by an adult, can explore nature and enjoy the fragrant plants and fairy houses, or play tic-tac-toe and hopscotch. 

Ornamental Gardening Committee

The Landscape Gardening Committee teaches safe, sustainable horticultural practices, problem-solving techniques, and plant selection for garden design. The focus is on ornamental plants – from annuals, perennials, and bulbs to houseplants, trees, shrubs, and vines – as well as decorating with plants and flowers. Seminars and hands-on workshops include sessions on garden design basics, creating a flower-cutting garden, and flower arranging.

Therapeutic Gardening Committee

The Therapeutic Horticulture Committee promotes the wellness and mindfulness qualities of plants and gardening. To do this, we create and support activities that focus on therapy, wellness, and mindfulness through horticulture. We educate the public through planned activities and provide outreach to care facilities, including teaching and assisting residents with hands-on activities.

We coordinate with and encourage other Master Gardener committees to incorporate therapeutic horticulture ideas and concepts into their regular activities; provide quotes, images, and reference material for publications and social media; and reach out to care facilities to promote wellness activities around gardening and houseplants.

Seminars for gardeners focus on topics such as mindfulness in the garden and the health benefits of houseplants.

Aquaculture and Seafood Technology

UME educational programs that support sustainable aquaculture, seafood safety, ecosystem restoration, and Maryland's seafood industry. 

Learn More

Forestry and Natural Resources

The University of Maryland Extension ENR program offers resources on forest stewardship, wildlife habitat, conservation practices, renewable energy, and natural resource management. 

Learn More

Home Horticulture & Gardening Program

UMD Extension agents provide the community with science-based information on gardening, landscaping, integrated pest management, and sustainable landscape practices. 

• Ask an Extension Agent
• Home & Garden Information Center (HGIC) 
• Master Gardener Program
• UME Gardening Resources

Water and Climate

UME agents offer education on water quality, watershed protection, climate resilience, stormwater management, and the proper care of private wells and septic systems. 

Learn More