Home > Lawn, Garden & Home > Master Gardeners > History of the MG Program > History of the MG Program 1978-2008

History of the MG Program 1978-2008

• History of the MG Program 1978-2008
• Anne Arundel County
• Allegany County
• Baltimore City
• Baltimore County
• Carroll County
• Cecil County
• Charles County
• Frederick County
• Harford County
• Howard County
• Montgomery County
• Prince George's County
• Queen Anne's County
• St. Mary's County
• Talbot County
• Washington County
• Calvert County
• Lower Eastern Shore

The Maryland Master Gardener Program was started in 1978 as a means of extending the horticultural and pest management expertise of Maryland Cooperative Extension to the general public. Today, this popular program can be found in 16 Maryland counties, Baltimore City, and two Maryland correctional institutes.

Our mission is to educate Maryland residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities.

See links in the left column for city and county histories. 

The rapid growth of Master Gardener programs in the 1980s around the U.S. caused the Cooperative Extension Service in many states to create state-level Master Gardener offices and State Master Gardener Coordinator positions. This led to the development of new tools and structures that furthered the Master Gardener mission. These included standardized policies and guidelines, training handbooks, websites, databases for tracking volunteer service, MG identity items, state-wide committees and boards, and advanced training opportunities.

University of Maryland Cooperative Extension made a bold move in 1990 by creating the Home and Garden Information Center to deliver environmental horticulture and IPM education across Maryland.  The first state MG Coordinator for Maryland was Denise Sharp, a talented VPI-trained horticulturist and Howard County farmer who was hired as one of the four initial Regional Specialists to support HGIC. 

Denise worked with the existing MG programs to develop state-wide policies and guidelines. She also developed a database system for recording volunteer hours, solicited Extension educators to write the chapters for the first Maryland Master Gardener Handbook, and created new advanced training classes.

Jon Traunfeld succeeded Denise in 1994, becoming the second State Coordinator. Jon started his UMCE career in 1989 as Urban Gardening Coordinator for the Baltimore City office. He also co-coordinated the Baltimore MG program with Wanda MacLachlan. Robin Hessey hired on as an Administrative Assistant in 1997 and was quickly promoted to Advanced Training Coordinator. Robin was responsible for developing and coordinating one of the most active and successful advanced training programs in the U.S.

The tremendous growth of the MG program from 1993 to 2007 is illustrated in these tables. The reasons for the growth and success are many and include the following:

1. Public demand for unbiased horticultural and IPM education for sustainable landscapes and gardens and conservation of natural resources.
2. Hundreds of thousands of inspired hours given by MG volunteers to build the programs and educate Marylanders of all ages and backgrounds.
3. Leadership by dozens of Extension educators at the state and local level
4. Leadership by hundreds of dedicated MG volunteers
5. Support of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, county/city governments, and local businesses, state agencies, and non-profits.

Check here for a list of current Master Gardener city and county programs.
 

For more information, contact Robin Hessey

Last updated: 03/10/2009