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.
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
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.
DCMGA Annual Plant Sale - July 19 and 20
The 2025 Plant Sale will be held on Saturday, July 19 (9am to 4pm), and Sunday, July 20 (9am to 3pm), in the Delaware County Fair's Sheep Barn.
The Plant Sale is supported by generous donations of perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs, trees and shrubs from our local nurseries, as well as our own Master Gardener Volunteers' gardens. We also receive donations from local businesses for our raffle and gently-used gardening items from our Master Gardener Volunteers for our Garden Treasures area.
Seed Swap at Gallant Farms
January 2025
Our 9th Celebration of National Seed Swap Day was well received by a continuum of young and progressively more seasoned gardeners on the last Saturday of January. It is always wonderful to see folks brave the cold for the bright prospect of swapping seed saving, family heirloom, and gardening stories. We had fairly decent weather excepting the chill winds of the farm fields. Many thanks to our Master Gardener attendees for checking in, to Alisha Smith, Mo Orsatti and Susan DeVol for garnering social media attention, and Kathy Blevins for helping with supplies.
In the coming months the farm will host a Colorful Quilt weekend (2/8 & 2/9) with exhibits and hands on activities, Sustainable Seed Starting (3/22) and a Sheep Shearing and Wool Festival (4/27). A Bounty of Benefits from Native Trees is scheduled March 1 to emphasize herbal properties of trees.
Native Plants Propagation
January 2025
Braving January’s unrelenting cold, members from the NPP volunteer group planted over 100 jugs last month and those jugs of seeds and hope are now in their foster gardens until May. I am grateful for all those that prepped, planted, hauled and graciously took responsibility for the culmination of all that work. I am very grateful to Patt Bahn for heading the seed sowing enterprise up, and thankful that Stratford Ecological Center allowed us to use their space for sowing day.
In January, we also sent out the first NPP quarterly newsletter of 2025 to customers who signed up at last year’s plant sale. This was the second newsletter (the first went out last fall) and so far no one has asked to be dropped from the list 😊. The NPP newsletter allows us to encourage and support the expansion of native plants across the county, as well as let recipients know what is coming at the plant sale in July.
From now until spring, NPP volunteers will be working on profiles for the new plant species we will be offering at the plant sale this year (alongside the ever popular species that we offer each year). Once I get all the materials together, a group of volunteers will work on completing those profiles to be added to the DCMGA website and to print out to provide information at the sale.
MG’s on the NPP volunteer list can look for the schedule to sign up for watering at Byxbe to be sent later this month. Having everything at Byxbe offers more flexibility in scheduling to meet both our plants’ needs and our volunteers’ schedules. Like year’s past, we will use Signup Genius to manage the comings and goings. Stay tuned.
Lastly, I am hoping that the weather has moderated some by the time I write my next news, until then keep warm and think thoughts of spring.
Therapeutic Gardening at The Avalon of Lewis Center
January 2025
What a wonderful way to start the week off with our friends at The Avalon of Lewis Center! We kicked off the morning planting paper-whites in 16oz mason jars tied with ribbon and instruction care cards. Each table took part in Winter trivia with prizes for the one with the most answers. No stumping the residents. They are a sharp group! Our visit would not be complete without a delicious treat! It rhymes Lol! A JOYFUL time was had by all!