Specific Need
CHALLENGE ALERT! The Loudoun County Master Gardener Association Executive Board has issued a challenge in the amount of $1,300! Please help us meet their challenge and donate today!
Support the Loudoun County Master Gardener Association by donating today! The programs operated by the LCMG are possible in part through your donations and every donation, whether big or small, makes a huge difference.
LCMGA educates Loudoun County residents about environmentally sustainable horticultural management practices and environmental stewardship. A sampling of these programs and their accomplishments in 2023 are highlighted below.
Key Programs:
Always open to the public and located at Ida Lee Park, the Demo Garden showcases multiple types of gardens, maintained and managed by our volunteers, which can be planted in anyone’s backyard.
In 2023, the 1,815.5 pounds of fresh produce harvested from the Demo Garden was donated to Loudoun Hunger Relief.
This program provides advice to Loudoun residents about how to achieve a more productive lawn protecting local streams and groundwater from runoff and the leaching of fertilizers.
44 home advisory visits and reports were successfully completed by our volunteers in 2023.
Our Help Desk answers a wide range of gardening questions raised by Loudoun residents through phone calls, emails, and office visits. Queries about plant and tree management, pest and disease control, composting, weed control, and environmental management are answered by our volunteers.
In 2023, 481 requests were answered by our volunteers.
Occurring in May-October, Garden Clinics are held at three locations in Loudoun County. Residents can walk up and ask for advice and pick up helpful educational materials. Our Garden Clinics are like an in-person Help Desk where residents interact directly with our volunteers.
In 2023, 2,934 people visited Garden Clinics and asked questions of volunteers who provided 1,116 hours of advisory assistance.
Held in-person and virtually, our Lecture Series provides the Loudoun community with free access to horticulture and gardening insights from a range of speakers drawn from the LCMGA and beyond the county.
In 2023, a total of 13 lectures, 7 in conjunction with Loudoun County Public Libraries, were held with 683 in person and 2,818 virtual attendees.
Our Children’s Education Team works with classes in Loudoun’s elementary schools to leave discussions about the environment, facilitating a passion for environmental stewardship in the next generation.
In 2023, a total of 16 programs were completed with 300 hours volunteered by LCMGA members.
In addition to the education programs operated by the LCMGA, plans for Horticultural Scholarships for Loudoun County students are being finalized. These scholarships help students pursue horticulture related community college and university programs. Your donation can help! With adequate funding, we hope this program will start in earnest this year.
Mission
Our mission is to educate Loudoun County, VA residents about safe, effective and sustainable landscape management practices. We are volunteers who have received extensive training under the auspices of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Cooperative Extension Loudoun office to provide unbiased research-based horticultural information to the community.
Profile
The programs organized by LCMGA volunteers offer opportunities for the Loudoun County Community to learn about safe, effective, and sustainable horticulture and landscape management practices. These programs are vital to our efforts to educate the community.
In addition to the programs highlighted in the above section, there are many other programs organized by LCMGA:
Upon request from clubs, community groups and HOAs, master gardeners provide lectures on a range of gardening topics.
In 2023, 23 speaking engagements were attended by 361 Loudoun residents.
Water, Tree and Land Stewardship
Master gardeners with supplemental specialized training are on call to provide free advisory assistance to Loudoun residents on strategies for pond/stream protection and maintenance, the control of invasive species, and tree health.
In 2023, more than 20 of these assessments were completed.
The Association publishes a quarterly set of 4 issues of its Trumpet Vine newsletter each year – offering educational articles, seasonal advice, information about featured plants, and horticultural news. This has a subscription list of approximately 8,000 mostly Loudoun recipients.
The Association supports the implementation of an annual gardening symposium. In 2023, this symposium attracted 71 participants to hear from 4 expert speakers on contemporary issues of soil, native plant landscape, insect and herb management.
And even more programs on our website here!
Master Gardeners have a larger impact on the community through the education provided by helping residents create:
- Flower gardens that sustain insects and birds while beautifying the surroundings.
- Vegetable and herb gardens teeming with abundant produce.
- Trees, shrubs, and vines bending with lush fruit and nuts.
- Cool, refreshing groves of shade trees that attract birds, shelter wildlife, and enrich our lives.
- Healthy, verdant lawns that support a safe, sustainable environment.
- Children who grow up learning how to compost, cultivate their own foods, create native habitats in their backyards, and become good stewards of the environment.
- Plans to counteract diseases such as boxwood blight, eliminate invasive plants, and target pests like the spotted lanternfly and emerald ash borer.
In total, LCMGA volunteered 12,800 hours, a value of $417,512 in 2023!
With your donation, you are helping us to continue our efforts to make safe, sustainable landscape management practices accessible to residents and to inspire a passion for environmental stewardship.
Photos & Videos
in 19 gifts
Contact
750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite F-3Leesburg, VA 20177-7000
Phone: 703.771.5150
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