Master Gardener Trainees Class of 2018 graduates

Master Gardener Trainees Class of 2018 graduates
Eighteen DeKalb, Ogle, Winnebago and LaSalle County residents graduated from their Master Gardener Training at a ceremony held Dec 10, at DeKalb County Farm Bureau, 1350 W. Prairie Dr., Sycamore.
2018 Master Gardener Interns include: Susan Bileto, Carey Boehmer, Diane Buzzard, Amanda Christensen, Susan Colgan, Jean Gellar, Stephen Gellar, Jerri Kozlowski, Charles Larson, Mary Larson, Merilyn Mary (Ogle County), Kittikarn Mejudhon, Vicki Panke, Linda Slabon, Sabrina Tatum, Toni Tollerud, Jennifer Watts-Ulrich and Stephen Worley.
Master Gardeners bring education and the joy of horticulture into classrooms, homes, communities, and demonstration gardens throughout their counties. They offer science-based guidance, develop demonstration gardens and community service projects, run gardening workshops for youth & adults, conduct youth outreach, and staff the Horticulture Help Desk service.
Every year, the University of Illinois Extension seeks to re-invigorate and increase its volunteers. 2018 was a training year for DeKalb County and training was scheduled from Sept. 24 – Dec. 10. Certification as a Master Gardener is achieved only after participation in a rigorous 10- week training course and completion of 60 hours of volunteer hours.
Ogle County will offer a Spring 2019 Master Gardener Training, Thursday’s March 28 through May 30. If interested in becoming a Master Gardener contact the Ogle County Extension office at 815-732-2191, or visit our website: web.extension.illinois.edu/bdo.
Topics covered in training include (but are not limited to) Botany, Annuals / Perennials, Plant Classification and Identification, Soil Science, Plant Selection and Care, Fruits & Propagation, Vegetables, Soils & Organics, Integrated Pest Management, Plant Diseases, Entomology, Wildlife, and Landscape Design.