MG History - Talbot County

The Talbot County Master Gardeners requested that they have a program in their county in March, 2005. Many of them had trained in Queen Anne's or Anne Arundel County and wanted programs closer to home. It was approved by the Talbot County Council and officially began July 1, 2005.

Heather Buritsch was hired in October of 2005 and became the part-time MG Coordinator on October 25, 2005. The Master Gardeners were very excited to have a program close to home and jumped right into local projects.

In fall of 2005, they completed the first phase of the Carpenter Alley Reading Garden at the St. Michaels Library and had a garden fair to raise
money on October 15th, raising over $5000. The garden features native plants and a rain garden. On September 16, 2006, the garden was dedicated
to George W. Wilson Jr., graduate of the University of Maryland in Political Science and a Juris Doctorate, who dedicated his live to community service. He was the first African-American St. Michaels Commissioner and served as
president in 1998. The garden was renamed the Wilson Reading Garden at Carpenter Alley. The garden was Bay-Wise Certified on April 4, 2006 and has been the home of several Master Gardener workshops and garden fairs since.

Another highlight of the Talbot County Master Gardener Program has been the Junior Master Gardener Program that has been implemented in Easton Elementary, the only section I school in the county, and Tilghman Elementary. This program has been a great success with the children and is
expected to grow into Easton Middle and other elementary schools beginning fall of 2008.

Since 2005, we have worked on several grants. In June 2006, we partnered with Environmental Concern on a grant with Chesapeake Bay Trust to install two rain gardens and two rain barrels at the Talbot Ag Center. This is the home of the Talbot County Fair, Master Gardener workshops, and many local events.

Additionally, we were awarded a grant through a partnership with Talbot County Government through Maryland DNR for a Coastal Communities program, through which we were able to triple our Bay-Wise program in 2006-2007. We performed more than 30 consultations and 12 certifications, as well as hosted Bay-Wise and Master Gardener workshops for homeowners and businesses.

Our group has formed a speaker's bureau, which offers classes and workshops to local clubs and organizations, as well as seasonal workshops open to the public.

In 2006 & 2007, 35 Master Gardener completed basic training, which consisted of 7 weeks of classes and a final exam. As of spring 2008, we have 75 active Master Gardeners and interns.

We began therapeutic gardening workshops January 2008 at the Pines Genesis Healthcare, working with nursing home patients weekly and Alzheimer patients the last week of the month.

For more information, contact Robin Hessey

Last updated: 04/10/2008