Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Loudoun is proud to welcome twenty-two new graduates into the Extension Master Gardener program. The graduates completed over 65 hours of instruction to become trained in horticulture and natural resource management. Their next step will be to complete a 75-hour internship, where they will continue to engage with best practices in horticulture. These graduates join a county-wide volunteer organization with over 140 active members. The new class of Master Gardeners stands ready to continue to educate Loudoun in best management practices for environmentally sound and sustainable landscapes.
VCE Loudoun also welcomes two new Beginner Horticulturalist Farmers. The Beginner Horticulturalist Farmer Program is comprised of 60 hours in classroom and lab learning to provide a thorough understanding of all areas in horticulture, including topics such as botany, soils, plant disease, vegetables, turf grasses and water quality.
As an educational program of Virginia Cooperative Extension, Extension Master Gardeners bring the resources of Virginia’s land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the commonwealth.
VCE Loudoun Master Gardeners are trained to serve Loudoun County through a variety of programs, including:
- Help Desk – Have questions about your lawn & garden? We offer a virtual and in-person Help Desk to assist you with your landscape questions. Learn how you can connect with our Master Gardener Help Desk.
- Garden Clinics – Plant diagnostic services and educational information that are provided at various sites in the county. Clinics operate on Saturday mornings.
- Demonstration Garden at Ida Lee – A public garden space maintained by VCE Loudoun Master Gardeners for hands-on application of topics learned in class. This garden further serves as an outdoor classroom and lecture area for the Master Gardeners as well as a resource for residents to witness sustainable landscape methods in practice. Demonstration Garden work hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m.- noon.
You can learn more about the Extension Master Gardener’s wide-ranging programmatic offerings at loudouncountymastergardeners.org.
Interested in becoming a Master Gardener or Beginner Horticulturalist Farmer?
Applications for the Master Gardener Class of 2024 will open online in September 2023. All info to become a VCE Loudoun Master Gardener can be found here.
Applications for the Beginner Horticulturalist Farmer Program will open in September 2023. If you are interested in this program, contact Commercial Horticulturalist Beth Sastre at flores69@vt.edu.