Applications available for Horticulture Volunteer Program

Laura Payne, volunteer coordinator for The Botanic Garden at OSU, is excited to announce applications are now being accepted for the 2016 OSU Cooperative Extension Horticulture Volunteer Program. Applications are due by Dec. 18.

“Our mission with the OSU Extension Horticulture Volunteer Program is two-fold,” Payne said. “We have two groups within the program – Payne County Master Gardeners and the Botanic Garden Ambassadors. Both groups go through our training program, but the focus of the two groups is different.”

The Botanic Garden Ambassadors support The Botanic Garden at OSU by providing assistance with garden maintenance, staffing open houses and special events, providing guided tours of the garden, helping maintain the plants in the greenhouse during the winter months and serving as representatives in the community. The Ambassadors also play a vital role in the development of new gardens and the programming offered to adults and children at the garden.

The Master Gardener program is a volunteer training program designed to help the OSU Payne County Extension office meet the needs of consumer horticulture information for the public.

Training sessions for both groups begin Jan. 12, 2016 and run through April 12. The program consists of 13 sessions covering all aspects of horticulture. The class will meet on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Payne County Administration Building, 315 W. 6^th Ave. in Stillwater.

Cost of the training program is $125 and includes all training materials.

The educational material for this program is designed for the beginner or the advanced gardener. Topics to be covered include soils and composting, landscape design, plant disease, plant propagation, ornamentals, fruits and nuts, turf and weed identification, vegetables, woody ornamentals, entomology and pesticide safety. 

For an application or more information about OSU Cooperative Extension Horticulture Volunteer Program, contact Laura Payne via email at [email protected], by phone at 405-744-4531 or in person at the Horticulture Resource Center located at TBG. Interested persons also may contact Keith Reed at the Payne County OSU Extension Office at 405-7478320, or via email at [email protected].

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Trisha Gedon
Communications Specialist
Agricultural Communications Services
Oklahoma State University
136 Agriculture North
Stillwater, OK  74078
405-744-3625 (phone)
405-744-5739 (fax)
[email protected]