Delaware County
Master Gardener Association




Welcome!

Delaware County Master Gardeners are avid about horticulture and eager learners. This site is one way we share these passions and provide "environmentally sound, research-based gardening practices" with our communities. 

Ask a Master Gardener Volunteer

Answering the public's questions about gardening using science-based information is an important objective of the Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program. Submit your landscape, yard, and garden questions here.

On this page...

Guided Wildflower Walks at Emily Traphagen Park

DCMGA and their friends at Preservation Parks of Delaware County will again offer guided tours of the wildflowers - this time at the Emily Traphagen Park, 5094 Seldom Seen Rd, Powell, OH.  On the trail you will explore spring wildflowers marked by signs with an illustration of the plant, its common and botanical names, and a QR code so you can learn more about the plant on your smart phone.  The QR code will link you to the DCGMA website (delcomga.org).  

Delaware County Master Gardeners will guide you on these  wildflower walks  at 1:30 pm on:

Saturday, 4/6/24

Friday, 4/12/24

Thursday, 4/18/24

Friday, 4/19/24     

AMGS-OH Trees Kick-off

Thursday, March 28, we held our first AMGS-OH Trees class, and boy was it a success!  We were with our friends and partners at Stratford Ecological Center and with 59 class registrants (one person had to miss the first class) plus 4 volunteers from Stratford.  We were a tight fit!  However, this just added to our enjoyment of the day.

Our first speaker was Carrie Brown,  Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator for OSUE-Fairfield, who  brought her in-depth knowledge of trees to us for a presentation on What Is A Tree.  She did more than review the basics of tree biology and botany; she went deep into the xylem and phloem with us  - it was truly a course for a master class!   

Next Stephanie Downs, Cooperative Forest Management Administrator for the Ohio Division of Forestry in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).    Stephanie related how our national and state forests came about, after being almost wiped out by the early 1910, when only 10% of our nation was still forested compared to the 95% Native Americans managed prior to the arrival of Europeans.    This year Ohio has re-opened a tree nursery that will grow trees to restore land mining sites.  It is expected, in the future, to produce 1 to 2 million native tree seedlings, at which time it is hoped they will be able to sell seedlings to the public.

The day ended in an hour and a half walk around the woods, guided by Jeremy Scherf and three others from ODNR plus Carrie Brown.  We broke up into five groups and learned to identify many of the trees found In Stratford's woods. 

DCMGA Plant Sale

Save the dates for our Plant Sale at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 20 and 21.  We will open at 9am both dates and close at 3pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday.

Winter Weed and Tree ID Hikes

Nancy Reynolds and Jon Kerr continued their Weed and Tree ID Hikes on  Friday, March 23, on the Acorn Trail at Gallant Woods.  Folks not only enjoyed the weeds and trees, they got a peek at some of the spring wildflowers that are making their appearance.  

The next Weed and Tree Hike will be  April 5 and 6 at Char Mar Preservation Park in Westerville from 9:30 to 10:30am.

DCMGA Therapeutic Gardening Project

Our Therapeutic Gardening Team just wrapped up a very festive Spring/Easter activity focused on carrots, carrot trivia and carrot deserts!  We are making progress moving our gardening paraphernalia in to the Greenhouse at The Avalon of Lewis Center. Vanessa Bartos created a beautiful collage of us highlighting almost a years worth of our activities with the residents that will hang by the Greenhouse entrance doorway. Our plan this summer is to use the 4 raised beds in their courtyard as Sensory, Pollinator, Cut Flower and Vegetable/herb gardens. The Winter seed sowing that we did in February looks promising. In April, we plan to make bamboo Windchimes for the sensory garden and surrounding landscape. The Bamboo was donated by Hope Taft! We are looking forward to showcasing this wonderful partnership in May to our new class of MG  interns who will be joining us for a presentation on Therapeutic Horticulture followed by a sensory activity. May will be a busy month purchasing plants( paid for by The Avalon) and planting with the residents.

2024 DCMGA Banquet

What a lot of fun was had at our 28th annual banquet!  There were about 90 of us at the Scioto Reserve Country Club in Powell and we made the room rock and the halls sing!  Although the food was yummy, the surroundings beautiful, and the wine flowed merrily, it was all about the people!  Members began arriving even before the 6:00 opening, which only added to the joy of the evening.  

After greeting people we hadn't seen for months (or maybe days), we began buying raffle tickets and entering our names and bids for silent auction merchandise.  

Our wonderful members donated so many great items for the raffle and auction that the tables groaned from the weight!    In addition, local businesses showed their appreciation of our volunteer time with their generosity.  These businesses were  Amato's, COSI, Fresh Start Bakery, Groovy Plants Ranch, Oakland Nursery, Paul Pfeiffer of Northpoint Financial Services, Powerhouse Junk Removal, Price Farms Organics, Seasons Home and Kids, and Son of Thurman.  Next time you visit one of these businesses, tell them you are an MGV and appreciate their support!

It should be noted that Susie Snow is on the hunt for some people who won at one of the raffle tables but failed to pick up their goodies.  Thankfully the silent auction didn't have that bother.  

Our dear president, Margo Hick, was not able to attend, so our 1st VP, Linda Shepard, stepped up to share memories of what we accomplished in 2023.  Kenzie Johnston took the podium next and introduced the 2023 Interns who are now officially certified MGVs.  Congratulations to them and their hard work.   Kenzie then shared with the group how much she appreciates their willingness to work together on our common goals.  

The Banquet Committee was pleased that their many hours of organizing ensured that their fellow MGVs had a wonderful evening.  The Committee was comprised of Diana Dierkes, Suzan Nobis, Mary Sandberg, Sandy Schaadt, Susie Snow, Susan Vetter, Steve Walton, Sandy Workman, Andy Zakrajsek, and co-chairs Pam Foster and Susan DeVol.

Gallant Farms Budding Beginnings

Our Budding Beginnings program on March 9th was a resounding success thanks to our Master Gardener Volunteer team pulling together for the morning.  Attendees were hungry for information on starting seeds. We provided a general overview followed by a room full of seed starting way stations.   Information was provided for a variety of growing aspects by Kim Steele (aerogardens), Susan Schmidt (budding/starting from existing plants), Jane Collins and Regina Lach (hands-on starting seeds), Gina Gryswalski and Mia Shea-Torres (kids' hands-on seed starting /origami pots) and Dennis Julian (ask-a-seed-starter).   The format was well received with a little something for everyone to take away including a better understanding of seed starting, their own tray of planted seeds, extension information, and/or seeds.   Appreciation goes to all the Master Gardener Volunteers for tackling their program areas with zeal!  In addition, thanks to Alisha Smith on the Facebook/publicity front and Kathy Blevins for Extension/Master Gardener supplies and program help.  

Winter Weed and Tree ID Hikes

Nancy Reynolds and Jon Kerr are conducting tours of the local parks for DCMGA members.  The purpose Is to Identify and learn about trees and weeds that are found at the parks.  The first event, scheduled for March 1 and 2 at Shale Hollow Park, was snowed out on the second day (the park even locked the gate!).  The second event was held on March 8 and 9 at Hogback Ridge Park.   Nancy and Jon will be at the Picnic Shelter at Gallant Park on March 22 and at Char Mar (meet at the picnic tables by the parking area) on April 5 and 6.  Here are some photos from the March 8 and 9 hike.  (In one of them you will see Nancy trying to save her 4th worm from being run over.).     

2024 Tree and Shrub Sale

Our friends at the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District have announced the 2024 Tree and Shrub Sale.  They are offering the following evergreens: American arborvitae, Canaan fir, Colorado blue spruce, Eastern white pine, Norway spruce.  You can also order American hazelnut, American sycamore, swamp white oak, pawpaw, persimmon, shagbark hickory, sugar maple, spice bush, Eastern redbud, black gum, or white flowering dogwood.  All are bare-root seedlings  that come in packs of 5 or 10 and range In size from 3" to 18", depending on the species.     Orders are filled on a first-come/first-served basis, so don't delay in ordering!  You must pick up your order between April 16 to 19, from 8am to 4:30pm, at their new Byxbe Campus office.  

Here's the link to the order form:  https://files.constantcontact.com/940d1a09801/12c888e8-5cd4-4be3-8e02-1b795aed6990.pdf?rdr=true

DCMGA Horticultural Therapy Project

Another great DCMGA activity took place today with our friends from The Avalon of Lewis Center. Today we did winter seed sowing. 

The residents/fellow gardeners reminisced about their gardens and shared their memories and love of gardening with all of us!  The jugs are securely located out in the garden courtyard where they can see them from their windows! When it is warmer they will enjoy watching them sprout! 🤞🤞🤞

We couldn't end our time together without some dirt pudding and mini valentines cookies! One of our friends had a Valentines Card for us addressed to the Gardening Gals and two other friends expressed their gratitude and called our activities Special! We love our friends at The Avalon.