About Master Gardeners

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.

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 first hand!

Behind the building you will see a variety of planting practices and techniques for growing vegetables and other edible plants. There is a square-foot garden 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.

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 also will find a woodland walkway with native plantings, leading to our pawpaw patch. Take a look at the Native Hedgerow along Montevue Lane, highlighting how native plants can make an attractive and 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 as well as several varieties of shade-loving plants. The Gardens are open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.

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. The goal of Bay-Wise gardening is to ensure better 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, dealing with wet areas in your yard, and how to determine water quality using macroinvertebrates.  

We encourage you to apply for 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 also may 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.  Completed forms may be mailed to Amy Rembold at the Extension Office address, or dropped 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 look at  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 planned for a Saturday in June, held at the Extension Office. This family-friendly event will feature activities and displays offered by Master Gardeners and other groups. Check our Facebook page close to the date of the event 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. Gardens that are certified may purchase ($20) a distinctive sign that identifies it as a “Pollinator Friendly Garden.” Frederick County Master Gardeners are the first in Maryland to offer this certification.

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 provides support for 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. See 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. 

The mission  of the Therapeutic Horticulture Committee is to promote the wellness and mindfulness qualities of plants and gardening. To achieve this, we create and support activities that focus on aspects of therapy, wellness and mindfulness through horticulture. We provide education to the public through planned activities and we provide outreach to care facilities that includes 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 such topics as mindfulness in the garden and health benefits of houseplants.

The Landscape Gardening Committee teaches about safe and sustainable horticultural practices, problem-solving techniques, and plant selection in garden design. The focus is on ornamental plants – from annuals, perennials and bulbs; to houseplants; to 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.