November 2026

MGV Speaker Development Series

November 2, 9, 16, & 23, 2026 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm Eastern • Webinar

Registration link:  https://pears.io/events/msuext/11217/

For MGVs only

Do you enjoy sharing gardening knowledge with others or hope to become a more confident presenter? Join us this November for the Extension Master Gardener Speaker Development Series, a virtual professional development opportunity presented through a collaboration between Michigan State University Extension and Ohio State University Extension. 

This four-part webinar series is designed to help active Extension Master Gardeners strengthen their presentation and communication skills while building confidence as educators and community speakers. Whether you are new to presenting or looking to refine your skills, this series will provide practical tools and techniques you can immediately apply.

What You'll Learn

• Planning and organizing presentations

• Creating engaging PowerPoint slides

• Public speaking and audience engagement techniques

• Adapting presentations for different audiences

• Best practices for answering questions and facilitating discussions

Program Schedule

Zoom Webinar Series

6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

• November 2: Planning Your Presentation

• November 9: Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations

• November 16: Delivering with Confidence

• November 23: Optional Practice & Feedback Session

Eligibility

This program is open to active Extension Master Gardeners. Participants from both Michigan and Ohio are welcome to attend.

Education Hours

Participation in the webinar sessions may be counted toward your annual Extension Master Gardener education requirements.

Pre-registration is required.

Plots, Plans and Volunteers:  Building a Multi-generational Community Garden

November 3, 2026 • 12:00pm - 1:00pm Eastern • Lunch & Learn Webinar

Registration link:  https://osu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B8ETfTMaThulrpfEubG2Rg#/registration

For MGVs only

Aaren Patton is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator for Scioto County with Ohio State University Extension. His background is natural resources-focused, with experience directly tied to. forestry and wildlife. After becoming an educator, he now manages multiple gardening programs for the community. 

The Maples of Secrest

November 4, 2026 • 9:00am - 3:30pm Eastern • Secrest Welcome Center, 2122 Williams Rd, Wooster, OH 

Registration link:  https://web.cvent.com/event/2b89d792-6da3-4a36-904d-28d9e236f095/registrationDeclinePage:838444d5-b676-48bf-a8c8-0477538a8352

Learn all about Maples. From the roles they play in Ohio's forests, to maple syrup production, and the maples in Secrest Arboretum. You will learn about this interesting group of trees. Time will be spent exploring the arboretum. Paul Snyder, Jason Veil, and others presenting. Meal included.

Designing Pollinator Gardens

November 4, 2026 • 1:00pm - 2:30pm Eastern • Bexley Public Library,  2411 E Main St., Bexley, OH 

One of our local favorites, Debra Knapke, better known as the Garden Sage, will be joining us to present a program 31 years in the making! 

Pollinator gardens have become one of today’s hottest garden design trends, offering beauty while supporting bees, butterflies, birds, and other essential wildlife. But creating these spaces can take many forms—from a simple backyard planting to large-scale community collaborations.

Join Debra as she shares her journey of designing pollinator gardens, from her own home landscape to developing pollinator garden templates used across Ohio. Along the way, she'll explore what she's discovered about native plants, pollinators, and the vibrant communities that grow around these shared spaces. Learn how collaboration, connection, and a fresh perspective on garden aesthetics can help create pollinator gardens that are both ecologically rich and visually stunning.

Register on the Bexley Library's Events Page or here, for this free program:  Bexley Library  Registration is not required - it helps us determine how many chairs we need.

Great news!  The library parking lot is now free of construction equipment!  Come and be some of the first to see our redesigned outdoor reading space.  And, as always, enjoy lunch at one of our wonderful local restaurants or browse our favorite independent book store, Gramercy Books, before the program.  

2026 How Plants Get to You NICH Series

November 5, 12,  & 19, 2026 • 3:00pm - 4:00pm Eastern • Webinar

Registration link:  https://pears.io/events/msuext/11217/

For MGVs only 

2026 How Plants Get to You NICH November Webinar Series Announcement and Sign Up

Ever wondered about the journey in miles or time that a plant took to land on the shelf at the garden center, greenhouse, or nursery, or how many hands that had a role in growing and caring for that plant before it went home with you?

These questions and more are explored in a new learning series, “How Plants Get to You,” hosted by the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture specifically for horticulture communicators, educators, and Extension Master Gardeners! During three webinars in November, participants can learn from the growers, propagators, horticulturists, and green industry professionals who shepherd this journey. This informative series will deepen knowledge of and appreciation for the time, process, and resources that go into growing plants for the end consumer. You don’t want to miss this excellent continuing education opportunity! 

This three-part webinar series is free, but by registration only. Extension Master Gardeners are asked to register for the entire three-part series. No worries if you need to miss a session because we will record each session and provide access for everyone to the recordings to keep everyone engaged. Registration is open now at https://consumerhort.org/.

All three sessions will be on Thursdays in November from 3-4 ET, 2-3 CT, 1-2 MT, and 12-1 PT via Zoom.

11/5/2026 – “Where Production Begins,” with a focus on propagation from cuttings to tissue culture. Our guest presenters and tour guides for the session will be from Ball Horticulture and Taeko Garden Growers. (3pm ET/12 pm PT) 

11/12/2026 – “Where Growth Happens,” will focus on plug and plant production for annuals and herbaceous plants as well as woody plants in a nursery setting. Our guest presenters hail from Bob’s Market and Belmont Nurseries. (3pm ET/12 pm PT) 

11/19/2026 – “Where the Plant Meets the Customer,” will focus on the connection between the grower and the consumer, with emphasis on consumer trends, markets, and different audiences. Our guest presenters are Justin Hancock from Costa Farms that grows for the landscape and indoor plant market and Wallace’s Garden Center, a direct market garden center in the Midwest. (3pm ET/12 pm PT) 

Sponsored by The National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (NICH) 

All of the sign-up information is linked at our website:  https://consumerhort.org/

December 2026

From Chaos to Contentment:  The Making of a Garden

December 1, 2026 • 1:00pm • Zoom 

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1a2_KVMQTc2ivCpCz4JBLg#/registration

Dr. Allan Armitage and his wife Susan had limited funds but dreamed of finding a home in town. They chose the least affordable home in a wonderful neighborhood only to discover that the house needed significant work and the garden was essentially nonexistent.

Join Dr. A as he shares his inspiring journey of making something out of nothing. From absolute chaos to a place of relative contentment, they transformed a place no one wanted to visit into a welcoming garden that now hosts visitors almost every week.

In this engaging webinar, Dr. Armitage will walk through the plant choices that helped bring his small yard to life, including the trees, shrubs, climbers, perennials, annuals, and grasses that now thrive there.

February 2027

Saving Nature with Your Yard, an Evening with Doug Tallamy

February 5, 2027 • 7:00pm to 9:00pm • Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus, OH 43210 

Registration link: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HOvQRWk8Yn0QRg

Registration fee:  $65 (Includes refreshments)

Join The New York Times best-selling author Doug Tallamy and learn how to save the planet with your yard.  Reception, refreshments, and book signing to follow the lecture.

Doug Tallamy's newest book, How Can I Help?  Saving Nature with Your Yard,  is available for pre-purchase on the registration site for $25 plus tax and will be available for pick-up at the event.  Doug will sign books at the event.  

May 2027

International Master Gardener Convention

May 2 - 6, 2027 • Orlando, Florida 

Registration link:  to be coming soon

We're working on an exciting program that will include:

• Exciting tours of botanical gardens, nurseries, and natural areas 

• Inspiring keynote speakers and engaging educational sessions

• Horticulture topics for gardeners of all interests and experience levels

• Ideas for gardening in a changing climate and increasingly challenging environments

• Native plants, pollinators, wildlife, food gardening, and sustainable practices

• Opportunities to tour and experience Florida gardens and horticulture

• Plenty of time to connect, share ideas, and learn from Master Gardeners from around the world

• A little 1970s fun along the way!