Get certified as a Master Gardener

St. Charles resident Nancy Cox said she wanted to learn more about nature and she found her opportunity as a certified Master Gardener for the last 36 years. For many like Cox, the program isn’t just about learning for one’s own interest as they soon learn there are just as many opportunities to teach and share with the community too.

“It’s a good group of people who care about the environment,” Cox said. “It’s a dynamite program.”

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Master Gardener program provided through the University of Illinois Extension said Jamie Viebach, horticulture educator for the University of Illinois Extension office serving Kane, DuPage and Kendall counties. The local University of Illinois Extension offices in each county coordinate a number of programs, including working with local 4H clubs and online and in-person classes that share some of the latest research from the university.

“We want to help make our communities a better place,” Viebach said.

The University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener program bridges education with a volunteer component. Following a 16-week course, participants are required to complete volunteer hours and ongoing education classes on an annual basis.

Those seeking the certification as a Master Gardner come from varied backgrounds, from those who have dabbled in gardening to those who are seeking more opportunities to get involved in the community.

St. Charles resident Paula Altekruse had set her sights on becoming a Master Gardener when she retired from teaching. Altekruse said she had enjoyed gardening around her home, but through Master Gardening classes she had a chance to expand her knowledge and found herself drawn to the use of native plants and pollinators.

“The first thing Master Gardening teaches is how much you don’t know. It’s pretty amazing,” Altekruse said.

She started incorporating new concepts in her home garden and was amazed to see how birds and butterflies were drawn to the new backyard habitat. Her desire to know more led her to teach classes and become a naturalist with the Kane County Forest Preserve.

“My Master Gardening blossomed out,” Altekruse said.

Today she balances the roles along with serving as a mentor for Master Garden interns and playing an active role in planning, planting and tending St. Charles city gardens at the Master Garden’s Ideas Garden

“I still keep my hands in the dirt,” she said.

There are 254 active Master Gardeners Volunteers in Kane, Kendall and DuPage counties including 84 in Kane County, Viebach said. While there are opportunities to take the courses and gain the knowledge from the latest research-based information from the University of Illinois, those who do pursue the Master Gardener title find their love of knowledge and the capacity to help the communities is what keeps churning their gardens each season.

“We teacher others how to grow,” Viebach said.

Batavia resident Holly Baranick started her instruction as a Master Gardener. The retired teacher said she was looking for more volunteer opportunities and she was inspired to learn more about gardening by those who brought fresh vegetables and flowers harvested from their home gardens for the clients at the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry.

“You don’t have to be an expert to take the program,” Baranick said. “I wished I would have done this years ago.”

Master Gardeners tinker and inspire inside the Ideas Garden. Located at Peck Road and Route 38 in St. Charles, the Master Gardener Ideas Garden is where interns as well as veteran Master Gardeners can develop a plot using a theme, experiment or to demonstrate a concept they took from a course. Viebach said gardens have ranged from succulent gardens to raised gardens, a “pizza garden” with vegetables and herbs one might top their pizza with and many other ideas.

Each week the Master Gardeners work in the garden. The garden is open to the public, with special demonstration days where Master Gardeners offer explanations. Baranick used her plot last year to build a sensory garden, encouraging visitors to touch, taste and explore the plants. When the retired teacher discovered her sensory garden was full of grasshoppers last year, she provided young visitors with magnifying glasses so they could get a better view of the grasshoppers, much to the delight of visitors.

In some communities Master Gardeners tend to community plots of land, answer questions at farmers markets and host an annual plant sale. Kendall County Master Gardeners will host their plant sale May 17, answering questions and helping shoppers find the best offerings for their sunny and shady locations.

Each year from March through October Master Gardeners volunteer at the Help Desk at the University of Illinois Extension office in St. Charles. Residents can walk in with questions or call or email, making it a tremendous resource in the community.

“We get questions about lawns, fertilizer, tree pruning and much more,” Viebach said.

The Master Gardeners may not know all the answers, but their role is to help research and track down information to help others. Cox said she volunteers on Mondays at the Help Desk.

“My favorite thing is helping other people to be aware of the environment,” Cox said. “This isn’t just about gardens.”