WSU Cooperative Extension is getting ready for a big birthday celebration. The Master Gardener volunteer program, which started an international revolution in how extension delivers educational information turns 30 next year.
The program began in King County in 1973 as a way for an extension agent to cope with an overwhelming number of calls from people seeking answers to plant problems.
David Gibby, an extension agent for King and Pierce counties, and Arlen Davison, an extension plant pathologist, in concert with others, developed the concept of training knowledgeable volunteers, and in return, having them help answer questions from the public.
WSU began by training 120 volunteers. Later that year, Spokane County trained 50 more. Now there are more than 3,100 volunteers across the state. They staff plant clinics in 105 communities at 171 locations. The program's volunteer concept has since spread to every state and several provinces of Canada and spawned a variety of other master volunteer programs as well, including Extension Livestock Advisors, Master Composters, Beach Watchers, Waste Warriors, and Master Food Preserver & Safety Advisors.
Master Gardeners receive about 60 hours of training and "give back" a minimum of 50 hours of free public service in horticultural assistance to the community. Many volunteers contribute well over 50 hours annually and some have served actively in the program for more than 20 years. They are grass-roots educators who extend the service of the university to more than 300,000 people each year.
Washington communities have come to rely on the Master Gardener program for expertise and services not available elsewhere. In 2001 alone, the services of these volunteers were valued at more than $2.8 million.
Over the course of 30 years, the program has evolved and found new ways to serve the public. "Some Master Gardeners volunteer in schools to help students learn about and develop a love for plants," said Ed Adams, director, agriculture and natural resource programs for Cooperative Extension. "Others build and care for demonstration gardens and strengthen their communities by showing people how to protect the environment."

Water feature at the Kennewick demonstration garden.

For the Master Gardeners themselves, it's the opportunity of a lifetime—to be able to share their enthusiasm, passions, and expertise with their communities. Jane Melville, 72, a Master Gardener since 1993, is full of energy and laughter. "I love creating beauty and sharing it," says Melville. And, indeed she has done just that with over 500 roses in the demonstration garden in Kennewick. "It's starting to look like a rose garden now. I get so thrilled about every little tiny bloom—people will ask, 'What's that?' It's so exciting!"
For Dorothy and David Evans, retired agronomists, and Master Gardeners since 1999, it's continuing to do what they love to do, sharing their knowledge with others. "It's the people and the activities, and the fact that you're constantly learning," says Dorothy. "We go 35 miles back and forth to classes. We try not to miss any unless we're out of town. So there must be something!"
Master Gardeners with special talents and interests have worked as a team to create and maintain over 60 demonstration gardens for the public across the state. In turn, community members, from the young to the old, have come together to visit and support the demonstration gardens in many ways. For some gardens, community members and businesses have donated time, building materials, gardening tools, and plants. The work in creating such gardens is fun and satisfying for Master Gardeners, but what they find most rewarding is the transformation in the community itself.
"There is hardly a day when children aren't playing in the garden," says Melville, (Kennewick). Julie Powell, Master Gardener in Skagit County, echoes the same sentiment about the demonstration garden in Mt. Vernon. "It's amazing how many people walk through the garden or have picnics in the evenings," says Powell. "To be able to open the garden up to the public is very rewarding. It's fun to watch people in their amazement as they find out what a plant is."