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Welcome!
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.
Learning opportunities:
Learning opportunities:
Recorded webinars on a wide range of gardening related topics...
Dig into a Book! Master Gardeners review their recent reading
Ask a Master Gardener Volunteer
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.
Want to Become a Master Gardener?
Want to Become a Master Gardener?
DCMGA News and Events ...
DCMGA News and Events ...
Leaves Are Habitat, Not Trash
Leaves Are Habitat, Not Trash
October 2025
One of the most valuable things you can do to support pollinators and other invertebrates is to provide them with the shelter they need to survive the winter. Thankfully, that’s pretty easy; all you need to do is do less yard work.
Leaves, brush piles, fallen logs, plant stems, and flower heads might not be growing anymore, but they aren’t trash — Read Full Article...
Avalon of Lewis Center Makes Pumpkins Perfect
Avalon of Lewis Center Makes Pumpkins Perfect
October 2025
Our Therapeutic Gardening Master Gardener team looked so forward to our activity yesterday with our friends at The Avalon of Lewis Center. It was fun drying flowers and collecting buckeyes, pinecones and acorns. A big thank you to Scott and Angie and the Rumple Family Farm, Sambuca’s Country Market and Greenhouse and The Village Market in Shawnee Hills for their generous pumpkin donations. It was a festive fall morning with some amazing creations, lots of smiles and delicious pumpkin muffins!
Stratford Harvest Fair
Stratford Harvest Fair
October 2025
Delaware County Master Gardeners Nancy Traub, Gretta Kumpf, Judie Goff and Susan Alexander enjoyed a lovely autumn day at SEC’s Annual Harvest Fair on October 4, 2025. More than 800 attendees visited Stratford and children visiting our table enjoyed decorating pumpkins and cracking black walnuts. Thanks to Nancy Traub who facilitated pumpkin donations from Lehrer Farm which were much appreciated!
A Round of Applause, Please
A Round of Applause, Please
October 2025
A big shout out to Tom and Morag and Shawnee Hills!
Tom and Morag's work in Shawnee Hills has won an "Urban Forestry" national award at the America in Bloom (AIB) symposium. The other finalists were Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Topeka, Kansas. Great work Tom and Morag!
Native Plant Program - Fall Newsletter
Native Plant Program - Fall Newsletter
September 2025
Goldenrod Goodness
Last year at this time, I encoraged planting Ohio asters instead of commercially grown chrysanthemums (mums) which seldon survive (even if labeled hardy) in the Ohio landscape thus requiring a yearly cash outlay for their fall showiness while providing nothing in support of our native pollinators.
This fall I am encouraging you to add goldenrold alongside your Ohio asters. Not only are the 25 different...Read Full Article
Deer Resistant Plants
Deer Resistant Plants
September 2025
Unless you have a loose horse or cow wander through your property, the white-tailed deer is likely the largest herbivore you’ll encounter in Ohio. These munching machines need to eat 3% to 4% of their body weight per day, depending on the season. Since deer can weigh 90 pounds (a small doe) to 200 pounds (a large buck), that can equal 3 to 8 pounds of vegetation per deer, per day. The search for such large amounts of food means they are constantly looking for the tastiest and most accessible plants. What that means for gardeners is that deer can have their serene little eyes fixed firmly on your tasty garden beds. Gardeners everywhere want to know: which plants are deer-proof? Read Full Article...
Thank You
Thank You
September 2025
We'd like to give a big shout out to Phil for his wonderful donation of grow lights, seed trays, pots, tomato cages, trimmer, extension cords, and presentation on seed starting, just to name a few of the items, that we can use to help education the community. We appreciate you Phil!
"The Era of the American Lawn Is Over" Article
September 2025
Cynthia Buettner, DCMGA MGV, provided this link to a New York Times article on the Death of the American Lawn.
To support that article, she then provided a link to an article by the local chapter of The Wild Ones: https://columbus.wildones.org/
This Year Was No Exception…
This Year Was No Exception…
July 2025
Our 19th Annual DCMGA Plant Sale, and largest fundraiser, was held on July 19-20 at the beautiful Delaware County Fairgrounds. The barn was jam-packed with all manner of perennials, annuals, native plants, trees, and shrubs. The Friday before the sale was filled with set up, primping, and watering. Everything looked beautiful and it was clear that a lot of work had gone into growing, preparing, and showing the plants before the public even arrived!
Once everything was set up, it was time for the main event. Saturday was bustling! A long line wound out the front door filled with eager buyers well before our official opening time. It had seemed like the day was going to be a rainy one but it turned sunny and warm – perfect for plant buying! After regrouping, Sunday opened with an equal amount of success. There were lots of questions about the different plants and the MGVs were eager to share their knowledge and help people pick their plants. The raffle events this year were really fun with baskets that ranged from a Columbus Blue Jackets signed photo to a basket for young gardeners and nature enthusiasts. There was even Plinko for those who wanted to win a quick prize! As the sale began to wrap up, flash sales started and happy customers loaded wagons with mounds of plants.
These events could never be done without fantastic partners. We want to give a huge shoutout and THANK YOU to this year’s partners: 1st Impressions Landscape & Garden Center; Ach Nursery; Baker’s Village Garden Center & Gift Shoppe; Champion Feed and Pet Supply; Columbus Blue Jackets; Dannaher Nursery; E&H Ace Hardware Delaware; graf-x-cape; Groovy Plants Ranch; Leaves for Wildlife Native Plant Nursery; Lettuce Work Nursery; Millcreek Gardens; Miller’s Country Gardens; Natives in Harmony; Oakland Nursery; Old Bag of Nails; Price Farms Organics, Ltd.; Renders by Randy; Sambuca’s Country Market and Greenhouse; Scioto Gardens; Singing Springs Nursery; Strader’s G Ben’s Landscaping and Outdoor Services, LLC; Stratford Ecological Center; Thorsen’s Greenhouse; and Topgolf. Our partners’ incredible contributions helped to make this event dynamic and amazing. If you missed the plant sale and want more information about any of our great partners, please visit our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/delcomastergardener) for a list and links.
In addition to the sales, it was wonderful to connect to the public about plants and nature. There were a lot of excited people searching for plants and they had wonderful and difficult questions. We would not be able to provide answers, guidance, and friendly faces without a fantastic group of people working so hard and caring so much about our mission. We appreciate everyone helping this year and there is no way we could have done it without you. Thank you!
Now let’s get ready for next year!
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