Ottawa-Carleton Master Gardeners  (Kanata, Nepean, Ottawa, Vanier, Gloucester, Goulbourn, Cumberland, West Carleton, Osgoode Ward, Rideau Ward)

THE BEGINNING
In February, 1986, OMAF advertised a meeting for persons who would be interested in providing garden advice to home gardeners. 50 or 60 people showed up and all were provided with the Guelph books. Of those 20 to 25 persisted and we still have six people from the starter group.

Our charter volunteers remember these times as an adventure in learning – learning how and where to provide advice, learning how to organize and retain volunteers, and learning how to interface with other local groups and the provincial government. The provincial government was at all times supportive but it too was in the learning mode.

Our starter group is justifiably proud of its accomplishments then and now.

 THINGS THAT WE DO
·   Write gardening articles for Due West and Lee Valley newsletter
·   Do presentations for gardening groups and horticultural societies
·   Present lecture series in collaboration with Friends of the Farm
·   Present lecture series in collaboration with city libraries
·   Hold an annual plant sale in conjunction with the Trillium Tour for the arts and crafts
·   Participate in two local home and garden shows with advice and mini-lectures
·   Devote a part of each meeting to sharing knowledge about our own gardens or botanical gardens that we have visited

OUR WEB SITE     www.mgottawa.mgoi.ca
OUR HELPLINE TELEPHONE NUMBER: 613-236-0034  Wednesdays and Thursdays  1pm to 3pm

OUR E-MAIL HELPLINE ADDRESS:        mgoc_helpline@yahoo.ca
COORDINATOR:  David Hinks   

Lanark County Master Gardeners  (including Almonte, Carleton Place, McDonalds Corners, Pakenham, Perth, Smiths Falls, Westport, Sharbot Lake, and Portland)

The Lanark County Master Gardeners group was formed in 1987.  While we are a small group, we enjoy sharing our love of gardening with each other and with the gardening public at large. Our meetings are the 2nd Wednesday each month. Every meeting contains a learning portion we call Garden sharing -share questions we may have been asked, or observations as to what is currently occurring in our own gardens, which may be new or unusual.

ANNUAL PROJECTS
We support the local farmers markets across the county.  Our gardening articles appear in the many small town Newspapers within Lanark County, such as the EMC, Lanark Era, Perth Courier, Frontenac news.

We are actively involved with five different Horticultural societies within Lanark (Pakenham, Perth, Carleton Place, Smith Falls and Almonte) giving and participating in other volunteer activities as needed.

GROUP CONTACT:
Dale Odorizzi coordinator 613-264-8135 Helpline: lanarkmg@gmail.com
Website: www.lanarkmastergardeners.mgoi.ca