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Master Gardeners

Picture of native plant Black-eyed Susan with butterfly

Native plant education aids natural habitat preservation 

Each year in the United States, over one million acres of native habitat are transformed into urban and suburban lawns. The loss of these native plant resources is directly related to the decline of the native bird population by 3 billion birds. As news of species decline becomes more common,...
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gardening helpline info graphic

The Gardening Helpline: An Extension tradition going strong

The nationwide Extension Master Gardener (EMG) program began in 1972 when the Washington State Horticulturalist recruited and trained volunteers to help him answer the high volume of calls from the public about gardening. From there the program expanded in scope and grew across the country, but...
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garden with quilt art

New Sensory Garden Added to Community in Village of Bryant

Sonja Wright, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell Counties, created a sensory garden in her hometown of Bryant, IL. Through her professional career as a speech pathologist, Sonja understands the value of using all five senses as a means of...
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five Master Gardeners in winter coats holding shovels

Winter weather does not slow down Master Gardener activity

The 156 University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners (MGs) who live in communities across the four counties of our unit are not waiting for the warm weather to arrive to begin their gardening activity. Planning meetings, new project proposals, educational opportunities, and special events are...
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