MARION, ILL. - Illinois Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who give back to their communities, helping others learn to grow. The first step to becoming a Master Gardener is completing a training course offered by University of Illinois Extension.
This fall, seven individuals from southern Illinois enrolled in the hybrid Master Gardener training offered out of the Williamson County Extension Office. The group met weekly for 11 sessions on a wide range of garden topics, while also completing online coursework each week. Topics covered included fruits and vegetables, native plants and trees, insects, diseases, and much more.
The graduates were Pamela Barker, Kathleen Clore, Louann Elwell, Peggy Ferguson, Tammy Horn, Jeff Konzal, and Alyson Wolz. Six of these individuals will engage in the volunteer service portion of the Master Gardener program. They will embark on a 40-hour internship over the next two years, completing service work in their communities related to gardening outreach and education. After completing their internship, they will become certified Master Gardeners.
The mission of the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener program is "helping others learn to grow." From farms and small towns to suburbs and the inner city, more than 2,600 volunteers statewide put their mission of helping others learn to grow into practice by providing gardening education and outreach in their communities.
For more information or to fill out an application form visit extension.illinois.edu/fjprw/master-gardeners.
Other options for training including the online Illinois Gardener training, which is offered each winter, summer, and fall. Registration for the winter session is open through January 13, and the course will begin on February 3. Learn more and register at go.illinois.edu/IllinoisGardenerTraining.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.