Portage County Master Gardeners

Portage County Master Gardeners Garden questions? Fill out the form at go.osu.edu/pchelpline for a response from a Portage County M

The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) program provides intensive training in horticulture to interested Ohio residents who then volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for Ohio residents through their local OSU Extension county office. Volunteers are not required to have gardening skills or knowledge; a passion for learning about garden

ing and sharing this knowledge with others is a must! Working with county Extension personnel, Master Gardener Volunteers provide educational services to their communities such as answering gardening questions from the public; conducting plant clinics; gardening activities with children, senior citizens, or disabled persons; beautifying the community; developing community or demonstration gardens; and other horticultural activities. The Master Gardener Volunteer program originated in Seattle, Washington in 1972. The Extension agent in the King County office of the Washington State University Extension Service began to train and utilize the expertise of volunteers to more effectively reach the gardening public with research-based educational information. It was a great concept that has now spread across the United States, to Canada and other countries. The Master Gardener Volunteer program in Ohio has existed since the late 1970s and has grown steadily. Although its initial start and growth was in the more urban counties of our state, there are now more than 3,000 active Master Gardener Volunteers in more than 62 Ohio counties (urban, suburban and rural). Portage County Master Gardener Volunteers began in 1991, and we have been going strong ever since. To become a certified Master Gardener in Ohio, you must complete a minimum of 50 hours of instruction and 50 hours of volunteer work within one year. If you are interested in taking the class, please complete the application online, (Volunteer Signup | Master Gardener Volunteers button) or email (Portage County Master Gardener Volunteer Application button) the completed application to Seth Kannberg at kannberg.1.osu.edu, or mail it to OSU Portage County Extension • 705 Oakwood Street, Suite 103 • Ravenna, OH 44266. https://portage.osu.edu/program-areas/master-gardener-volunteers/how-become-master-gardener

Very informative article about this native plant that supports several pollinators and birds. If you can, let it grow in...
06/02/2026

Very informative article about this native plant that supports several pollinators and birds. If you can, let it grow in a space you don't walk through!

Welcome June! We are going to love this one. National Pollinator Month! Get your kids involved! Check out the children's...
06/01/2026

Welcome June! We are going to love this one. National Pollinator Month! Get your kids involved! Check out the children's program on June 16th at the Streetsboro branch library. PCMGV Jill Halligan will be doing a program on butterflies. You don't want to miss this one! https://events.portagelibrary.org/events

Portage County Master Gardener Volunteer SeriesLearn about gardening tools and using tools that make gardening easier fr...
05/31/2026

Portage County Master Gardener Volunteer Series

Learn about gardening tools and using tools that make gardening easier from Ohio State University Extension Portage County Master Gardener Volunteer Beth Whipple.

Beth will review tools to make gardening easier for everyone, as well as tools for gardeners with special needs, for example ergonomic tools and adaptive tools for people with arthritis.

https://mymnc.org/

Have you heard about this program? What a great place to start if you haven't tried native plants. And a great place for...
05/30/2026

Have you heard about this program? What a great place to start if you haven't tried native plants. And a great place for more information if you are in the process of rewilding. Check it out!

🌱 It’s not too late to join the FREE Less Lawn More Life Challenge!

Join the over 20,000 people across the country already taking simple weekly steps to turn their yards, gardens, balconies, and outdoor spaces into thriving habitat for birds, butterflies, pollinators, and people. 🐝

Register now to access:
• 12 expert-led weekly challenges
• Free webinars and resources
• The Wildr Score ecological yard assessment tool
• A growing community restoring nature at home

No experience needed. Just a willingness to start.

Join the challenge: https://www.lesslawnmorelife.com/?ref=wildones

Wildr Places

Wow, what a great evening! So many new faces! So many natives plants finding a new home! Such an engaging and knowledgea...
05/29/2026

Wow, what a great evening! So many new faces! So many natives plants finding a new home! Such an engaging and knowledgeable speaker in Judy Semroc! We thank Judy, Lynn Vogel and her team at Portage County Soil & Water Conservation District and Claudia Miller, Portage County Master Gardener VP of Programs and her team. Love all the learning!!

Now might be a good time to think about how you manage water in your yard. We look to be dry for several days - a great ...
05/28/2026

Now might be a good time to think about how you manage water in your yard. We look to be dry for several days - a great opptto make a change or two!

This is helpful information! Know what kind of perennial you are dividing for success.
05/27/2026

This is helpful information! Know what kind of perennial you are dividing for success.

CARING FOR YOUR NATIVE PLANTS GARDEN: When propagating native perennials, it’s important to know their different types of root systems because that will determine how they are divided. Here are some suggestions.

Plants like Beebalm (Monarda didyma) and Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) are “spreaders,” and they multiply via growth by rhizomes or stolons (above-ground runners). Small, new plants can be separated from the original parent plant by slicing the connecting stems between them.

Plants like Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata) and Goldenrod (Solidago species) are “clumpers” with fibrous roots. They can be propagated by dividing the entire root ball apart into multiple even sections.

Other plants, such as Alumroot (Heuchera species) and Joe-pye-weed (Eutrochium species), grow from “woody crowns” with one main root. With these, the entire plant should be lifted from the ground and cut into sections, each with a few leaves. Several leaves should be retained on the central root as well.

Species such as Wild Indigo (Baptisia species) and Butterfly-weed (Asclepias tuberosa) grow from substantial “taproots,” and it is best not to attempt dividing or transplanting them. But, not impossible!

(Diagrams from Garden Gate Magazine)
Shared from Virginia Cooperative Extension - Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

Address

705 Oakwood Street, Ste 103
Ravenna, OH
44266

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Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm

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+13302966432

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