The Master Gardener Connection Newsletter

The latest garden news you can use

Informing Master Gardeners in King County

Providing Master Gardeners and supporters with articles of interest, the latest on upcoming events like continuing education opportunities, and important updates from the Program Office. You may sign up to receive the monthly Master Gardener Connection newsletter, a joint publication with the Master Gardener program in King County and the Master Gardener Foundation of King County.

2024

March 2024 MG Connection: Dahlias for a Late Season Experience; Quarterly All-volunteer Meetings & New Advisory Team; BDG Workshops; Focus on Healthy Soil – Growing Groceries Classes; Growing Groceries Corner; Gold vs. Terra Preta; Continuing Education Opportunities; Upcoming Plant Sales; Events and Coming Attractions.

February 2024 MG Connection: The Interconnectedness of It All by MG Bruce Caredio; More CE Opportunities; Growing Groceries Corner; Northewest Flower & Garden Festival Early Bird Tickets; Program Impact Report by Sarah Moore, Program Coordinator; MG Bio – Dawn Rubstello.

January 2024 MG Connection: Growing Groceries: Winter Series Opens; BDG Workshops for 2024; 2023 A Year of Change for MG Program; 2024 Annual Board Meeting January 27th; KIng County MGs are moving; Fall Appeal Update; Our Facebook Presence has Expanded!

2023

November/December 2023 MG Connection: Master Gardener Recognition Event Summary; Holiday Gift Giving; Farewell from Emily Bishton; Reimbursement Request Due Date; Foodies in the Garden; Fire-resistant landscaping; Become a docent at Bellevue Botanical Garden; CE opportunities; MGFKC Board Meeting.

October 2023 MG Connection: New service opportunities at Kenmore Rhododendron Park; Annual Certification starting October 19th; Mark your calendars for MG Recognition Event October 21st at Bellevue Botanical Garden; Grow with Master Gardeners Fall Fundraising Appeal; Get to know Joan Baldwin our new Foundation President; Staying in touch with former members – find out more about ‘Friends of the WSU Extension of King County; Need a cool Zoom background, you can find it on the program resources page; More CE opportunities.

September 2023 MG Connection: Bellevue Demo Garden Harvest Festival & Plant Sale; Growing Groceries wrap up at Marymoor Park; Welcoming New Board Member; Program Priorities – Clean Water; Getting Ready for Next Year’s Interns; Annual Certification Reminder; Continuing Education Opportunities

August 2023 MG Connection: Diagnostic Workshop Recap – key takeaways; Heat Advisory for Clinics and Demo Gardens – plan ahead for the heat; Program Priorities – nearby nature; Get Involved in the new DEI Committee – learn how to better engage with diverse communities in King County; Update on 2024 Intern Training; Nominations for 2023 Outstanding MG Awards; Preparing for Recertification – remember to record hours in Give Pulse.

July 2023 MG Connection: Saying Goodbye to Finn Hill Demonstration Garden; SNAP-Ed and Master Gardeners Work Together to Combat Food Insecurity; Sarah Moore, Program Coordinator visiting KIng County demo gardens and clinics; Foodies in the Garden, focus on potatoes; Caring for Trees During the Dry Season; Butterfly Garden reopening at Woodland Park Zoo; More CE opportunities – free weekly WSU MG Online Workshops in July.

June 2023 MG Connection: MGFKC Board election results; Mid-year service and CE reminder; Fire-resistant landscaping workshops; Shoreline gardening series by KCMGs; Read the MG Handbook; WSU Extension in King County – Another look at history with videos; Welcome to our new Program Assistant; New collaboration with Maple Valley Food Bank & South King County Food Coalition; Ext MG swag for sale; Registration now open for 2023 Advanced Ed Conference in Tacoma; Staying Smart! Education Opportunities; Summer reads – a whole batch of them; Events and other updates.

May 2023 MG Connection: BDG plant sale returns; Plant Clinics are open for 2023; New look, sharper focus for the Foundation website; Vote for MGFKC Board; Note from the Program Coodinator: What is Extension; Tribal Life Trail hosts second graders; Small fruit news: ‘Marshall’ strawberry; WSU Extension in King County – The early days; Finn Hill Demo Garden youth outreach; Remembering MG Signa Treat; Diagnostic Lab workshop in June; Miller Library: Wisteria – The Complete Guide; Education events and other dates to save.

April 2023 MG Connection: Intern Days; Recording CE in GivePulse; The Garden of Opportunities; A New Fundraising/Development Team for MGFKC; Happy Anniversary, WSU Master Gardeners in King County!; Learn More About Program Priorities; Hours Requirements in GivePulse; An Unwelcome Visitor to the Spring Garden; Program Assistant Needed; Staying Smart! Education Opportunities; Miller Library: The Sakura Obsession; Events and other updates.

March 2023 MG Connection: 50th Anniversary at the NWFGF; A Note from the Program Coordinator; Seeking New Members for MGFKC Board; Growing Groceries: Educating King County Communities about Gardening; Appreciation from the Dean; Join Tilth Alliance as a Garden Education Specialist; Miller Library : Spirited Stone: Lessons from Kubota’s Garden; Educational opportunities, events and other updates.

February 2023 MG Connection: Northwest Flower & Garden Festival CE Opportunities; A Note from the Program Coordinator; Seeking Interesting Classes for CE Hours?; Cultivate (More) Knowledge: To Mulch or Not to Mulch; News Shoots: Education Leadership Team Seeks Volunteers; Happy New Year from the Help Desk Team!; Garden Activities in the Midst of Winter; The website is moving; Miller Library: The Well-Gardened Mind: Wild Child: Coming Home to Nature; KCD Online Plant Sale; Ballard Sprouts Project; Educational opportunities, events and other updates.

January 2023 MG Connection: We’re ALL in for the 2023 Northwest Flower & Garden Festival;  Bellevue Demonstration Garden Workshops for 2023; Growing Groceries: Season 5 Opens in January; A Note from the Program Coordinator; Remembering… Master Gardener Larry Davis; Foodies in the Garden – Medlars; Master Gardener Program 50th Anniversary; The Little Demonstration Garden That Could – Animal Acres; The website is moving; Miller Library: The Well-Gardened Mind; Educational opportunities, events and other updates.

2022

November-December 2022 MG Connection: 2022 Master Gardeners of King County Recognition Celebration; Recertification Applications Due November 30; A Note from the Program Coordinator; Why Does My Lawn Look Like a Buffet After the Guests Have Finished?; Thanks, WSU Master Gardeners!; Extension Master Gardener 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2023; MGFKC Annual Appeal; Search for Volunteers to publicize our WSU Extension Master Gardeners 50th Anniversary; MGFKC Board Welcomes Nancy Marshall as Treasurer; Time to Plant Bulbs; Miller Library: Swamplands: Tundra Beavers, Quaking Bogs, and the Improbable World of Peat; Educational opportunities and other updates.

October 2022 MG Connection: Annual Master Gardener Recertification Begins October 19, A Note from the Program Coordinator, Magnuson Children’s Garden Dedication and Anniversary Event, Master Gardener Recognition Event and Foundation Annual Meeting, Cool Plants, Hot Topics: Event Recap, Calling All Veggie Gardeners!, Wisdom from the Past, Master Gardener Basic Training Applications for 2023, Miller Library: Iwígara, the Kingship of Plants and People.

September 2022 MG Connection: Sarah Moore Announced as Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Cool Plants-Hot Topics, Sept 11 CE Opportunities, The Joy of Master Gardening and Learning Together, Donate Plants, Volunteer & Advertise Cool Plants, Hot Topics!, News from Ronald McDonald House Outreach Garden, Master Gardener Basic Training Applications Open for 2023, Linda Peterson Joins the MGFKC Board, Community Connections at Cesar Chavez Demo Garden, Master Gardener Recognition Event on October 22, Miller Library: The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Great Vegetables.

August 2022 MG Connection: CHOMP! returns in 2022; Cool Plants-Hot Topics, the 2022 MG Fall Plant Sale & Talks; Lin Provost joins the Board; Why Do Leaves Turn Red?; Miller Library: Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life; Educational opportunities and other updates.

July 2022 MG Connection: Shorewood HS Farmers Market; Master Gardener Program Leadership Changes; 2022 MG Fall Plant Sale & Talks; Managing Heat Stress in Your Summer Garden; 30 Bags of Soil Products Donated to Bellevue Demonstration Garden; Miller Library: Grow by Riz Reyes; Educational opportunities and other updates.

June 2022 MG Connection: Growing Curb Appeal at BBG; Living with Lavender; Cultivate (More) Knowledge: Stealth, Thy Name is Rabbit; West Seattle Garden Tour; Entering hours in GivePulse; Watering Lawns in Washington to Save; Miller Library: Gardening in the PNW; Educational opportunities and other updates.

May 2022 MG Connection: Growing Knowledge at the Intern “Learn and Work Days”; King Conservation District Soil Testing Update; Extend Your Resources: Discovery reveals how fungi bypasses plant defenses, kills plants; Looking for Help With Your Gardening Questions?; Entering hours in GivePulse; Cultivate (More) Knowledge: What do nutrients do for plants?; A Message from the Program Coordinator: MG Program website and MG Volunteer Resources Page;  National Public Gardens Day; West Seattle Bee Festival; Miller Library: Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Manual; Educational opportunities and other updates.

April 2022 MG Connection: Welcome New Interns, Advanced Training for MGs Coming Soon, Plant Clinics are Opening, T-shirts Have Arrived; Cultivate (More) Knowledge: Clean Up and Have Patience, New WSU Publication on Rhubarb in the Landscape, Miller Library Selection: In the Garden: Essays on Nature and Growing; Educational opportunities and other updates.

March 2022 MG Connection: NW Flower & Garden Festival Recap, Clinics Will Open This Year!, Open MGFKC Board Seats, Cultivate (More) Knowledge: Spring is Here!, How to Access the Member-Only Area on MGFKC.org, Miller Library Selection: Ponderosa: People, Fire, and the West’s Most Iconic Tree; Other Updates.

February 2022 MG Connection: The Happy Intersection of Hope, Expectation and Planning; New Murals at Magnuson Children’s Garden; Shorewood HS Culinary Arts Garden: How does your garden grow?; Remembering what it means to be a Master Gardener; Fundraising changes for the MG Foundation in King County; Remembering MG Donna Sunkel; A message about 2022 Basic Training, the NW Flower & Garden Festival; Miller Library Selection: The Northwest Gardens of Lord & Schryver; Continuing Ed Opportunities; Other Updates.

January 2022 MG Connection: Growing Groceries returns; BDG Saturday Workshops resume; Thank you, MGs! Grab a T-shirt!; 2022 Joint Webinars with Bellevue Botanical Garden Society; New Year’s Resolutions for the Garden; Plant Samples Needed; Welcome our new Program Assistant; Open MGFKC Board Seats; Miller Library Selection: Gardening with Native Plants of the PNW; Continuing Ed Opportunities; Other Updates.