Home Gardening

Frederick County Master Gardeners

About Us

Mission: Frederick County Master Gardeners (FCMG) educate area residents about safe, effective practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes and communities. We are volunteers trained by the University of Maryland Extension, and we are required to complete at least 10 hours of continuing education each year.

Most of our services and programs are free. We offer seminars and workshops, answer gardening questions, and inform county residents through community outreach.

We focus on the following program areas: providing assistance in starting and sustaining food gardens (including maintaining a large demonstration garden); promoting awareness of garden practices that protect water quality and safeguard pollinators (including certification of yards as Bay-Wise and Pollinator-Friendly); engaging and educating young people through schools and youth groups; offering therapeutic gardening activities in care facilities; and supporting residents to grow and enjoy ornamental plants.

Coordinator: The FCMG Coordinator, Susan Trice, works with FCMG volunteers to answer questions from county residents about home gardening and household pest issues. [Link to Services/Ask a Master Gardener] She also serves as the Frederick County Extension Home Horticulture Educator.

Become a Master Gardener: Master Gardener training is offered annually. The next session in Frederick County will be scheduled in winter 2022, at a cost of $250. You don’t need to be an experienced gardener to participate. Classes are taught by University of Maryland faculty and other experts. Find more information on the Extension Master Gardener webpage.

Contact Us:
Susan Trice, Master Gardener Coordinator, Horticulture Educator
Frederick County Extension, Principal Agent Associate
330 Montevue Lane
Frederick, MD 21702
301-600-1596 or strice@umd.edu

Resources

Get the latest information from one of these Frederick County Master Gardener resources.

FCMG Facebook FCMG YouTube FCMG News

Services

Ask a Master Gardener: We provide research-based answers to questions about home and garden issues. Questions may be submitted through the Master Gardener Coordinator:

•   In person at the Extension Office on Mondays, 1 to 4 pm. Specimens may be dropped off Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 4 pm. The Office is currently closed to the public due to COVID restrictions.
•   By e-mail to strice@umd.edu
•   By phone at 301-600-1596; please leave a message.

When COVID restrictions are lifted, we will once again be available to answer questions on Saturday mornings at the Demonstration Garden behind the Extension Building on Montevue Lane, as well as at events in the community.

Another resource, ASK EXTENSION, connects you with Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturists at the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center. These experts strive to respond to questions within 48 hours.

Attend a Seminar: When COVID restrictions are lifted, we will resume free seminars on topics ranging from growing herbs and vegetables, to storm water management, to decorating for the holidays with natural materials. In the meantime, please subscribe to our YouTube channel for videos and recorded seminars and check out the Frederick County Master Gardener Facebook page.

Programs

The Grow It, Eat It 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, will be resumed when COVID restrictions are lifted. Many resources for those interested in growing food are available on the University of MD Extension’s HGIC website.

The Demonstration Garden, located behind the Extension Office, showcases a wide range of techniques for growing edible plants – such as square-foot gardens, traditional row crops, raised bed gardens, container gardens, and more. In addition, there is a Children’s Garden and native plant areas and a storm water demonstration project.

What you do in your yard can help restore the health of local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay! 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 birds, pollinators and other wildlife – using native plants, reducing or eliminating use of chemicals, mowing and fertilizing wisely, creating rain gardens and other features that slow storm water runoff, and composting yard waste. Learn more at our seminars, some of which will be available on our YouTube channel. Hands-on learning takes place in the native plant section of the Demonstration Garden; a storm water management system and rain garden, and the Native Hedgerow along Montevue Lane, which showcases how native plants can make an attractive and functional border.

We encourage you to apply for Bay-Wise certification, offered between April 1 and October 30, to county residents whose landscapes meet the criteria of the state Bay-Wise program. To apply for certification, download the appropriate Bay-Wise Yardstick (a checklist of best practices) – the Bay-Wise Yardstick for Landscapes or the Bay-Wise Yardstick for Vegetable Gardens –as well as the Application. The Yardstick and Application forms are fillable, so once they are downloaded you can complete them on your computer. Then attach them, along with 4 to 6 high-definition photos showing your garden, to an email addressed to strice@umd.edu put 'Bay-Wise Certification Application' in the subject line. A team of specially trained Master Gardeners will meet with you virtually, in compliance with COVID restrictions to review key features of your landscape. Once you are certified, you can receive an attractive yard sign that recognizes your commitment to environmentally sound gardening practices.

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 (to be resumed once COVID restrictions are lifted). 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.

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 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 receive 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. Once COVID restrictions are lifted, committee members will resume working with schools and youth groups to provide a variety of hands-on activities such as planning and planting a food garden at school or at home, container gardening, and creating seed tapes and seed balls. The Committee continues to provide program support for virtual STEM/STEAM events.

A Children’s Garden, adjacent to the Demonstration Garden, which will reopen when COVID restrictions are lifted, provides a charming setting for ‘Story Time in the Garden’ sessions. 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 goal of the Therapeutic Horticulture Committee is to provide a respite to caregivers and add a little brightness to the days of those needing care. Members will, once COVID restrictions are lifted, resume visits to care facilities where they assist residents with gardening projects such as planting a flower in a pot, making a small terrarium, making pine cone bird feeders, and more.

The Landscape Gardening Committee teaches about safe and sustainable horticultural practices, problem-solving techniques, and plant selection in garden design. Their 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 will resume once COVID restrictions are lifted.

Community Outreach

Find Great Plants at Great Prices

The Annual Master Gardener Plant Sale offers a wide array of plants –including vegetables and herbs, native perennials and shrubs, annuals and hanging baskets. Traditionally held in the spring, this event is on hold due to COVID restrictions. Check the FCMG Facebook page for updates.
Visit Us at Special Events

All in-person events are on hold due to COVID restrictions; look for updates on Facebook.

Along with displays, demonstrations and informational materials, Master Gardeners are available to answer questions at several annual events:

• At the Great Frederick Fair, held in September, Master Gardeners offer special make-and-take activities for children, along with gardening displays, tips and advice.
• Ag Week at the Mall, held in February at the Francis Scott Key Mall, is a week-long celebration of agriculture in Frederick County.

The Insect Fair, an all-day event at the Extension Office and Demonstration Garden, will feature seminars, children’s activities and more. It is planned for late summer or fall. Check the FCMG Facebook page for updates

News Updates, Publications, Videos

Sign up to receive What Can We Do For You? This free publication, issued 4 to 6 times a year, describes upcoming Master Gardener seminars and events, and gives you links to gardening tips and resources. To subscribe, send an email to fgardenernews@gmail.com. To read the latest issue, go to the FCMG News button towards the top of the page.

Take a look at the videos available on our YouTube channel. Once you subscribe, you will be alerted when a new video is added.

You’ll find Master Gardener news, a wealth of gardening advice, beautiful photos, and informative videos on the Frederick County Master Gardener Facebook page.

Our Publications & Resources list (further down on this page) includes fact sheets on pollinators, garden activities for children, instructions on building an herb spiral and a rain garden, and much more.

A collection of newspaper columns, (further down on this page) are written by Master Gardeners touch on topics ranging from indoor gardening, to personal reflections on gardening, to seasonal gardening activities.

Garden Articles written for the Horticultural Column of the Frederick News-Post. They also may be found at www.emmitsburg.net. Please check back as new articles are submitted.