2024 In Review

As we look ahead to our goals for 2025, it’s a great time to reflect on all we accomplished in 2024. Many people ask, “What exactly do Master Gardeners do?” The answer lies in a year filled with community involvement, education, and gardening.

In January, we installed a pollinator garden at our Experiential Learning Garden by the Extension office. This project involved plenty of groundwork—edging, mulching, and preparing the area for planting. We also attended the Seed Swap at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, and were thrilled to co-host it again with them this past weekend. Throughout the year, we created and distributed educational materials to inform the community about our events, including our popular Plant Sale and Garden Talks.

February was all about trees as we celebrated Arbor Month with a Tree Walk and an engaging workshop for K-5 students at Monroe Country Day School. March brought even more opportunities for outreach, with garden talks at local libraries, a six-week MG Sprouts program for kindergarten students, and a STEM workshop on trees for 150 students at Sharon Elementary. We also worked with Gwinnett/Walton Habitat for Humanity, helping to landscape two homes and providing virtual workshops on ornamental plants, tools, and lawn care.

April saw the return of our annual Plant Sale, featuring over 5,000 flowers, herbs, and vegetable plants that we started from seeds and/or propagated. Proceeds funded improvements to our greenhouse, including electricity, plumbing, and irrigation. Our greenhouse was even featured on the MWCA Garden Tour that month!

In May, we planted over 100 native pollinator plants in our newly tilled pollinator garden, while also maintaining a weekly presence at the Monroe Market. We handed out seeds, provided plant demonstrations, and led children’s workshops throughout the summer.

The summer also offered us opportunities to explore, with field trips to gardens like the UGA Trial Garden and Gibbs Garden in Canton. We continued our educational efforts with Seed Libraries at local libraries, workshops for children, and staffing the Help Desk at the Extension office.

As the fall approached, we hosted the Southeast Pollinator Census and welcomed 16 new trainees into our Master Gardener program. These trainees underwent 13 weeks of hands-on horticulture instruction, supported by veteran Master Gardeners. During September and October, we gave garden talks, continued our MG Sprouts programs, and participated in both the Monroe and Social Circle Christmas parades, which was a blast for all involved!

Throughout the year, we submitted 13 articles to the Walton Tribune and saw our Pollinator Sanctuary featured in the Georgia Master Gardener Association’s newsletter. We also designed a calendar, maintained gardens at various locations, and collaborated with local organizations and homeowners to create beautiful and functional garden spaces. This year, our fundraising partners were Soil3 and Polar Engraving. Both of these partnerships will continue in 2025. We recently received our first shipment of personalized bricks for a pathway next to the greenhouse. The bricks are $125 each, and are a great way for you to leave your legacy or honor a loved one, recognize a family member or yourself, or showcase a business or a team. You can find both of these links on our website. 

All in all, we reached over 2,600 people through our workshops, talks, and outreach. Each year, Master Gardeners are required to give back 25 volunteer hours and record 10 continuing education hours. This past year, our group exceeded expectations with 4,441 volunteer hours, which averages out to about 80 hours per volunteer. 

As we reflect on this past year, we’re filled with gratitude for the support of our Extension Agent, Joel Burnsed, Walton County Extension staff, Walton County Facilities, as well as our many community partners. As we gear up for another exciting year, we invite you to share what you'd like to see us do in the community. Whether it's new workshops, outreach events, or collaborative projects, we’d love your input!

See you in the Garden!