Master Gardener Annual Conference

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Rooted in Community, Growing Through Connection

Title
50 Years of Helping Others Learn to Grow

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Celebrate 50 Golden Years with the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners at the 2025 state conference. Join other Illinois Master Gardeners and Extension staff for a weekend of networking, learning, and celebrating accomplishments. 

Register by Aug. 30. This event is open to Extension staff and Master Gardener volunteers. 

Location: Crowne Plaza Springfield, 3000 S Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL 62703  

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact Candice Anderson at (217) 300-3198 or mille116@illinois.edu

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About the 50th Anniversary Celebration 
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Over the last five decades, Illinois Extension Master Gardeners have sown more than seeds; they have nurtured connections, inspired others, and been a reliable source of gardening education. In 2025, we celebrate the Master Gardener legacy and mission of “Helping Others Learn to Grow.” 

These dedicated volunteers have cultivated hands-on demonstration gardens, provided fresh produce to their neighbors, and created vital habitat for pollinators. With roots as deep and established as native plants, the Master Gardener program looks forward to a flourishing future. 

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2025 Master Gardener 50th Anniversary State Conference
September 4 - 5, 2025

Conference Schedule Summary

September 4, 2025: Half-Day Bus Tours leaving from Crowne Plaza

8 AM to 11:30 AM: Graham and Ednita Murdock Garden| Morning Half Day Tour 

Graham and Ednita Murdock invite you to tour their gardens. The gardens consist of assorted beautiful perennial and annual flowers, assorted ground covers, blooming and fruiting trees, a small fishpond, and yard and wall art. There is also a small vegetable/fruit garden.

  • Destination: Murdock Home Garden and Lincoln Home National Historic Site
  • Transportation: Load onto the charter bus at the Crowne Plaza
  • Departs: 8 AM
  • Returns: 11:30 AM
1 PM to 4 PM: Lincoln Home National Historic Site and Heirloom Garden| Afternoon Half Day Tour 

Our site offers guided tours of the Lincoln Home, giving visitors a look into the Lincoln family during the seventeen years they lived in the house on the corner of Eighth and Jackson Streets. Visitors will get a glimpse into Lincoln’s life as a family man, as well as explore his rise as a successful lawyer and politician through the context of the Lincoln Home. Illinois Extension Master Gardener volunteers will share information about their 1860s heirloom garden, which is located behind the Dean Home at the National Park site.

  • Destination: Dana-Thomas House and Greg Pierceall Garden
  • Transportation: Load onto the charter bus at the Crowne Plaza
  • Departs: 1 PM
  • Returns: 4 PM
9 AM to 12 PM and 1:30-4:00 PM: Super Seminars| Learn More About the Three-Hour Long Sessions Below 
5:30 to 8 PM: Evening Social and Dinner at the Trutter Center at Lincoln Land Community College 

New Super Seminars!

Dive deep into advanced training topics in our new three-hour-long Super Seminar sessions. Located at three different sites in the Springfield area. Transportation to each location and lunch are on your own. Enjoy Morning sessions from 9 AM to 12 PM, and Afternoon sessions from 1:30 PM-4:30 PM

September 4, 2025: Super Seminar Sessions at Three Locations 

9 AM to 12 PM Options:
Tree Care from Roots to Remedies - Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center

Join us for a hands-on, interactive seminar designed to deepen your understanding of trees and urban forestry. Whether you’re a budding enthusiast or a seasoned green thumb, this three-part experience will equip you with the practical skills and insights to successfully plant, identify, and care for trees in your community.  For these sessions, we will be outdoors looking at live specimens (weather permitting). 

  • Tree Identification (Sarah Vogel, Horticulture Educator): Sharpen your skills in recognizing tree species using leaves, bark, and other key features.
  • Tree Planting (Emily Swihart, Horticulture Educator): Learn best practices for selecting, planting, and establishing healthy trees.
  • Tree Problems and Solutions (Ryan Pankau, Horticulture Educator): Discover how to detect and address pests, diseases, and environmental stressors affecting tree health.

Native Landscape Design Workshop- Lincoln Land Community College

Create a landscape garden with plants native to Illinois to support pollinator populations, reduce soil erosion, create wildlife corridors, and build 4-season interest simultaneously! This seminar will contain a presentation portion followed by a hands-on workshop portion where participants will use landscaping tools and resources to create a personalized native garden. If participants have a space in mind, they should come prepared with measurements, photos, and a site survey (included in supplemental materials). Class fee includes materials provided in the workshop.

Tropical Bonsai Workshop- Sangamon County Extension office

A Tropical Bonsai hands-on workshop is being offered by Springfield Bonsai Society (SBS). Bonsai (pronounced ‘bone-sigh’), literally “potted tree” is the art of styling miniature trees in a container. This workshop will introduce you to the basic styles and principles of bonsai. You will get hands-on experience styling and potting your own tropical bonsai.  Members of the SBS will assist participants and tools will be available. Class fee includes plant, container and all supplies.

1:30 PM to 4:30 PM Options:
Getting to Know your Neighbors: A Crash Course in Insect ID- Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center

Some of our most numerous neighbors are also the neighbors we know the least about. Do you know the names of the insect neighbors visiting your flowers, crawling on the sidewalk, and living beside you? Learn the names and about the lives of some of the insects around us in this hands-on super seminar. 

Digging in: Cultivating Young Gardeners- Sangamon County Extension Office

This interactive workshop is designed for Master Gardeners who want to share their passion for gardening knowledge with young people. Participants will learn effective strategies for engaging youth of all ages, from preschool students to teens, in gardening activities. The session will cover the benefits of hands-on gardening in youth development, including fostering environmental stewardship, building life skills, and encouraging healthy eating habits. Participants will explore various youth activities and resources with Horticulture Educators to take back to their own units. 

Soil Health Workshop- Lincoln Land Community College

Take a comprehensive look at soil as the living foundation of successful gardens and landscapes. Explore key topics including composting, organic matter, cover crops, and companion planting, while gaining insight into the unique geology and natural divisions that shape Illinois soils. We’ll also delve into soil chemistry, nutrient absorption, and cation exchange, with a hands-on activity in interpreting soil tests. 

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September 5, 2025: Conference Schedule

8 AM Registration, Coffee and Silent Auction Open
9 AM: Welcome Message 
9:15 am to 10:15 am: Keynote Speaker- Mark Dwyer, Healing Garden Manager, Edgerton Hospital and Health Services
  • Wellness in the Garden: Explore the importance of gardens for well-being. We discuss some of the research that confirms what we already know; that gardens can be healing and promote wellness for those that actively garden or visit these spaces. We focus further on maximizing sensory engagement and discuss ways to maximize any size space in terms of promoting personal wellness.
10:30 am to 11:30 am:  50 Years of Helping Others Learn to Grow Panel Discussion
11:30 am to 12:30 pm: Vendors, Silent Auction, and Lunch Buffet
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm: Awards Ceremony
1:30 pm: Silent Auction Closes
1:45 pm to 2:45 pm: Breakout Session 1| Learn More About Each Session Below
3 pm to 4 pm: Breakout Session 2| Learn More About Each Session Below
3:00 pm to 4:30 pm: Silent Auction Pay/Pick Up

Break Out Sessions

September 5, 2025: Breakout Sessions
1:45 pm to 2:45 pm: Breakout Session 1
Growing Success: Vegetable Container Gardening in HORT 105| Jennifer Schultz Nelson, Adjunct Instructor

Discover the ins and outs of container gardening through the lens of HORT 105’s greenhouse projects. Learn which vegetable crops thrive (and which don’t!) in containers and get inspired by real examples from our semester plantings. Attendees will leave with practical tips, fresh ideas, and a selection of cool-season seeds to kickstart their own post-conference planting adventures.

Living with Wildlife in the Garden | Peggy Anesi, Natural Resources, Environment and Energy Educator

When Your Nearest Neighbors Aren’t Human: Whether you live in a small community or a larger urban setting, wildlife is a part of your everyday life. Many species of wildlife are welcome visitors to our properties, but some may wear out their welcome. A person does not have to like everything nature has to offer, but as your nearest neighbor, you have the responsibility to understand why it is there and how to deal with it legally or simply enjoy the wild gift. Peggy Anesi, University of Illinois Extension Educator, will share her knowledge both personal and professional on how to enhance and coexist with wildlife on your property as well as the legalities for removing it.

Fantastic, Funky & Favorite Spring Blooming-Bulbs! | Martha Smith- Retired Horticulture Educator

Fall is the time for planting spring-blooming bulbs. Tulips & daffodils are always crowd pleasers but there is a whole world of fantastic and funky spring-blooming bulbs beyond the traditional favorites. Martha will share her favorite uncommon bulbs she has discovered over the years.

Attracting Attractive Insects to Attractive Native Plants | Phil Nixon, Retired Extension Entomologist

Butterflies are not the only attractive insects associated with our native plants. Beetles, true bugs, and moths as well as monarchs that feed on milkweeds typically incorporate some milkweed toxins into their own bodies. These toxic insects usually have bright colors that are easily noticed and avoided by predators. Sunflowers, goldenrods, and other native plants attract not only brightly-colored pollinators, but other colorful insects that avoid detection by blending in with blossoms or mimicking toxic insects. Suggestions on encouraging these insects will be included.

3 pm to 4 pm: Breakout Session 2
Growing Success: Vegetable Container Gardening in HORT 105| Jennifer Schultz Nelson, Adjunct Instructor

Discover the ins and outs of container gardening through the lens of HORT 105’s greenhouse projects. Learn which vegetable crops thrive (and which don’t!) in containers and get inspired by real examples from our semester plantings. Attendees will leave with practical tips, fresh ideas, and a selection of cool-season seeds to kickstart their own post-conference planting adventures.

Living with Wildlife in the Garden | Peggy Anesi, Natural Resources, Environment and Energy Educator

When Your Nearest Neighbors Aren’t Human: Whether you live in a small community or a larger urban setting, wildlife is a part of your everyday life. Many species of wildlife are welcome visitors to our properties, but some may wear out their welcome. A person does not have to like everything nature has to offer, but as your nearest neighbor, you have the responsibility to understand why it is there and how to deal with it legally or simply enjoy the wild gift. Peggy Anesi, University of Illinois Extension Educator, will share her knowledge both personal and professional on how to enhance and coexist with wildlife on your property as well as the legalities for removing it.

Fantastic, Funky & Favorite Spring Blooming-Bulbs! | Martha Smith- Retired Horticulture Educator

Fall is the time for planting spring-blooming bulbs. Tulips & daffodils are always crowd pleasers but there is a whole world of fantastic and funky spring-blooming bulbs beyond the traditional favorites. Martha will share her favorite uncommon bulbs she has discovered over the years.

Attracting Attractive Insects to Attractive Native Plants | Phil Nixon, Retired Extension Entomologist

Butterflies are not the only attractive insects associated with our native plants. Beetles, true bugs, and moths as well as monarchs that feed on milkweeds typically incorporate some milkweed toxins into their own bodies. These toxic insects usually have bright colors that are easily noticed and avoided by predators. Sunflowers, goldenrods, and other native plants attract not only brightly-colored pollinators, but other colorful insects that avoid detection by blending in with blossoms or mimicking toxic insects. Suggestions on encouraging these insects will be included.

Past Conference Summaries

2024 Master Gardener State Conference

The 2024 State Master Gardener Conference was held in Champaign, IL on September 12 and 13.

2023 Master Gardener State Conference

The 2023 State Master Gardener Conference was held in Peoria, IL on September 7 and 8.

2022 Master Gardener State Conference

The 2022 State Master Gardener Conference was held in Will County on September 8 and 9.

2021 Master Gardener State Conference

View Conference Recordings from the 2021 virtual conference.

 

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