As retired master gardener and long-time Mound resident Julie Weisenhorn recalls how she got her start in gardening, she laughs at the irony of her childhood—one spent indoors, watching her mother pulling weeds in the sweltering heat, wondering, “Why would anyone ever volunteer for that?”
Though technically the volunteering part wouldn’t come until later for Weisenhorn, the weed-pulling part became a stark reality shortly after she and her husband purchased their first home—complete with a rich canvas of plants and shrubs, painstakingly maintained by the home’s previous owner, a former public garden curator and master gardener. “I felt appropriately amazed,” recalls Weisenhorn, “but I also felt guilty. I felt this big responsibility to learn how to take care of these plants.”
Obligation quickly grew into appreciation and enjoyment, as Weisenhorn found herself devouring literature on plant care, propagation, pruning and composting. “I discovered that I really enjoyed it,” recalls Weisenhorn. “I felt encouraged when things worked out, motivated when they didn’t and excited to learn and do more”—which ultimately led to her application to the master gardener program.
After successfully navigating the interview process, Weisenhorn completed the master gardener core course—a semester-long intensive training course that covers everything from basic botany and soil science to integrated pest management and plant diagnostics, and teaches volunteers how to locate, verify and distill research-based horticultural information for use by the general public.
As she put her education to good use through volunteer work—answering questions at local fairs and farmers’ markets, manning horticulture hotlines, teaching in K–12 classrooms and staffing diagnostic clinics—it didn’t take long for Weisenhorn to recognize a particular interest in teaching and community education.
Three years later, she made the life-altering decision to quit her job in the photography field, pursue a master of agriculture degree, and combine her love for horticulture and education. Upon graduation, Weisenhorn started a six-year teaching stint for the University of Minnesota’s Landscape Design program before eventually transitioning into her current position as state director of Minnesota’s master gardener program.
Over the course of this 16-year process—through advancements in technology and research, and the burgeoning of the Internet and social media—Weisenhorn has been afforded a unique perspective into the evolution of the master gardener program.
“The program has become far more complex and broad-reaching over the years,” Weisenhorn says, “and the focus is really on being active in the community—having a master gardener come in and teach kids about horticulture and insects when a school doesn’t have the funding for science classes; reaching out to diverse populations and teaching them about [Minnesota’s] climate, the soil, the seasonal progress; or educating [families] about how to grow food and supplement their household budget.”
It’s for all these reasons that people volunteer to garden. “It’s not just about plant identification and cultivation [anymore],” says Weisenhorn. “It’s about identifying community needs, and cultivating kids, classrooms and families.
For more information on the master gardener program or becoming a master gardener, visit their website at extension.umn.edu/garden.
What makes a master gardener?
- Interest and experience in horticulture
- Experience varies and can be as simple as cultivating home gardens or as technical as having an agriculture degree or working in the field.
- Completion of the core master gardener course
- Offered every January through the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Campus or online.
- 50 hours of volunteer service your intern year, 25 hours every year thereafter
- 5–12 hours of continuing education yearly (depending on county)
- Attending four Master Gardener meetings per year in county of residence
