Success StoryMasters Gardeners Find Creative Ways to Educate



Masters Gardeners Find Creative Ways to Educate

Author: Nicole Rhein

Planning Unit: Marshall County CES

Major Program: Master Gardener

Plan of Work: Home Horticulture

Outcome: Long-Term Outcome

Home gardeners regularly call the Marshall County Extension Office asking how to properly take care of plants they have acquired. Often times, the plant information provided by a retailer fails to provide the necessary instruction needed to successfully grow the plant or has misleading/incorrect information.

The Marshall Master Gardener Association (MMGA) offers a plant sale annually. This event has three goals. 3.) Provide an outlet for the community to purchase affordable plants with the intent to inspire new horticultural interest. 2.) Raise funds for the Marshall Master Gardener Association. These funds are predominantly used to provide local agriculture students with scholarships, continuing education opportunities for the membership. 1.) Provide horticulture education to the citizens of Marshall County. 

The public floods in as the doors open for the 2024 MMGA Plant Sale 

In an effort to help relieve the above-mentioned plant information problem and achieve their main goal of providing horticulture education to the public, the Marshall Master Gardeners provide plant educational cards with every plant they sell at their annual sale. The gardeners have created over 500 different plant cards! The cards specify the botanical name, plant type, growing zone, size at maturity, bloom/fruit time, light requirements, soil requirements, and flower characteristics if applicable. Other miscellaneous information such as resistance to deer, pollinator friendliness, and more critical details are often included as well. See the sample below. 

Plant Sale Card ExampleWhen surveyed, 90% of the participants of the 2024 Marshall Master Gardener Plant Sale indicated they increased their horticulture knowledge at the sale. Also, the survey comments section was extremely positive and even included personal thank you's from those who learned new information at the sale! 

Marshall Master Gardeners pose with a full room of plants before the 2024 sale! The Master Gardeners plan to completely update the educational cards again this year. They are constantly finding knew ways to improve. Their advising ANR Agent, Nikki Rhein,  is extremely proud of the leaders they have become in this community. Seeing how her countless efforts to train, educate and empower them, has in turn yielded such amazing volunteer leaders and programs, is very rewarding. 






Stories by Nicole Rhein


Masters Gardeners Find Creative Ways to Educate

Masters Gardeners Find Creative Ways to Educate

about 4 months ago by Nicole Rhein

Home gardeners regularly call the Marshall County Extension Office asking how to properly take care ... Read More


Foraging for Fungus: Potential Life Saving Training

Foraging for Fungus: Potential Life Saving Training

about 4 months ago by Nicole Rhein

Each year, wild mushroom consumption leads to illness and in some cases, even death. According to th... Read More


Stories by Marshall County CES


Laugh & Learn Playdates Engage Families in School Readiness Activities

Laugh & Learn Playdates Engage Families in School Readiness Activities

about 4 months ago by Vicki Wynn

According to Kentuckys 2023 Early Childhood Profile,children in Marshall County continue to need int... Read More


Encouragement for Kinship Families in Marshall County

Encouragement for Kinship Families in Marshall County

about 4 months ago by Vicki Wynn

According to Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky, 96,000 Kentucky kids live in kinship care. Kins... Read More


Stories by Master Gardener


New Master Gardener Service Project

New Master Gardener Service Project

about 4 months ago by Matthew Chadwick

The problemMaster Gardners look for local service project that can have a lasting impact on the comm... Read More


Fall Plant Swap Enhances People’s Knowledge of Plants

Fall Plant Swap Enhances People’s Knowledge of Plants

about 4 months ago by Erika Wood

In the past several years, the Pennyroyal Master Gardener Association has held a spring and fall pla... Read More