Program Overview

Master Gardeners Program

The Master Gardeners program began in 1973 as a Washington State University extension-based program focusing on training volunteers to diagnose horticultural problems in the community. Today, Master Gardeners are actively addressing plant and insect problems as well as presenting programs that address critical issues for Okanogan County citizens. These include:

• Sustainable gardening practices
• Safe pest management practices
• Drought tolerant gardens and landscaping
• Urban forestry
• Planting for fire protection

Program Description

The Master Gardener training program includes a comprehensive 60-hour course designed to supply volunteers with education in such topics as:

• Entomology
• Plant physiology
• Composting
• Weed management
• Tree fruit
• Pruning
• Integrated pest management In return, trained Master Gardeners serve the community as home horticulture advisors by volunteering 40 hours of community service the first year, and 25 hours annually thereafter. WSU Master Gardeners educate local community members in the application of horticultural science to the sustainable management of landscapes and gardens. They provide public education in gardening and home horticulture centered on research-based information approved by WSU.

Goals of the Master Gardener Program

The goals of the Master Gardener program are to:

• Promote gardening and agriculture land use
• Inform the public about current best horticultural practices
• Enhance environmental conservation
• Broaden communities' gardening expertise

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer opportunities for Master Gardeners include:

• Building and maintaining demonstration gardens
• Assisting with school and youth programs
• Organizing garden tours
• Conducting education seminars and clinics
• Staffing plant question clinics at farmers' markets, fairs, and community events
• Answering questions and assisting the public in the extension office

Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden

The Okanogan County Master Gardeners created, designed, and currently maintain a Xeriscape (drought-tolerant) demonstration garden located at the Okanogan County Fair Grounds, south of the Horticulture Building. The garden was tested in the summer of 2003 when the fairgrounds lost access to water for weeks, yet all of the plants survived.

Firewise Plant List

The following plants are included in the Firewise Plant List:

• Autumn Joy Sedum (Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’)
• Bee You Bee Happy Bee Balm
• Bee You Bee Merry Bee Balm
• Cheesehead Potentilla (Potentilla fruticose)
• Coreopsis
• Double Scoop Cranberry Coneflower
• Dwarf Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’)
• Dwarf Day Lily
• Echinacea ‘Aloha’
• Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’)
• Hens and chicks (Sempervivum)
• Lavender angustifolia
• Prima Ruby Coneflower
• Reblooming Lily
• Stella de Oro Lilu (Hemerocallis x ‘Stella de Oro’)
• Sunset Flash Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)

Waterwise Plant List

The following plants are included in the Waterwise Plant List:

• Acapulco Dark Blue Agastache ‘Dark Blue’
• Agastache Purple
• Autumn Joy Sedum (Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’)
• Avalanche Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’)
• Cheesehead Potentilla (Potentilla fruticose)
• Coreopsis
• Double Scoop Cranberry Coneflower (Echinacea x purpurea ‘Balscanery’)
• Dwarf Day Lily
• Echinacea ‘Aloha’
• Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’)
• Hens and chicks (Sempervivum)
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’)
• Little Goldstar Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘Little Goldstar’)
• Prima Ruby Coneflower
• Reblooming Lily
• Shasta Daisy
• Stella de Oro Lily (Hemerocallis x ‘Stella de Oro’)
• Sunrise Orange Agastache
• Sunrise Red Agastache
• Sunset Flash Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)

Fall Blooming Plant List

The following plants are included in the Fall Blooming Plant List:

• Acapulco Dark Blue Agastache (Agastache ‘Dark Blue’)
• Agastache Purple
• Autumn Joy Sedum (Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’)
• Chinese Plumbago (Ceratostigma willmottianum)
• Double Scoop Cranberry Coneflower (Echinacea x purpurea ‘Balscanery’)
• Echinacea ‘Aloha’
• Little Goldenstar Black-Eyed Susan
• Prima Ruby Cornflower
• Shasta Daisy
• Stella de Oro Lily
• Sunrise Orange Agastache
• Sunrise Red Agastache
• Sunset Flash Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)