May 2025 Volunteer News & Updates
- May 16
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 20
5/16/2025
Ramsey County Master Gardeners
May 2025 Volunteer News |
Message from the Coordinator |
TBD
May Updates |
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Reminder: No Monthly Meeting in May
Because of the plant sale and activities surrounding it, there is no monthly meeting in May. The next meeting will be June 17.
Change to How We Record Contacts
Volunteers are no longer required to track gender OR race/ethnicity of contacts at information booth (“Ask a Master Gardener”) events. This is a new change in 2025 announced by the MN State Leadership Team following discussion with the State Advisory Board. Volunteers should still count TOTAL contacts and divide them between youth and adult when possible. A tracking form is now included in all Education Kits to help Shift Leads track this information during events.
Pro-Tip: Tabs inside SUG
Many RCMG activities are similar. We teach classes, care for demonstration gardens, answer questions, and work with kids. We group these projects together inside SignUp Genius so volunteers can easily find similar projects. Look at the top of the SignUp page to find tabs for other activities that you might enjoy!
Badge & Star Pick-Up
Badges for new interns and graduated interns, and stars for 2024 award recipients will be available for pick-up at the April Monthly Meeting (4/15). You can also pick these up inside the Resource Center at your convenience.
Recording your hours
The new volunteer database is still not ready for prime time. While we all wait, please print and use this Temporary Hours Sheet PDF or you can download a copy and use this tabbed spreadsheet.
Intern Roadmap |
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If you Sign-up, Show-up (or find a Substitute)
We count on each other to make our Master Gardener program a success. If you are not able to attend a volunteer activity that you previously signed up for, remember to use the 6 Strategies for Finding a Substitute to support your fellow volunteers.
Garden Gate Tours
Garden Gate Tours are exclusive events for RCMG volunteers to see a wide array of gardens grown by their RCMG peers. This is a great way to be inspired, exchange garden advice and get to know one another. Need more reasons to come? Here are the Top ten reasons you should attend a Garden Gate. Watch SignUp Genius for the summer tour schedule.
Goals for May
Complete any remaining Core Course modules by the end of May
Sign up for as many different kinds of volunteer activities as you can
Up Next
Participate in a Garden Gate Tour this summer
Complete 50 hours of volunteer service
If you don’t think you will be able to finish the 50 hours, contact the Intern Support Team to ask about the 2-year program. This can be done anytime.
Non-Profit News |
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Plant Sale Tomorrow
Don’t miss this chance to see RCMG’s biggest project of the year and shop the sale! Invite your friends and neighbors. THANK YOU to the many, many volunteers who make this possible, notably the Plant Sale Committee, which has been working on this since late last summer.
Volunteer Stories |
Climate Responsiveness Team
ATTN: PROJECT LEADS! The Climate Responsiveness Team has put together a brief survey and will request an opportunity to schedule a short, individualized conversation with you about ways to incorporate climate responsive information into your current project. Surveys will be sent out to all RCMG project leads the week of May 19th.
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Pilgrim Mini-Forest / Green Screen
Over 20 volunteers showed up for a very successful training session led by Hannah Lewis, author of the book "Mini-Forest Revolution" where they learned more about the forest ecology at the Pilgrim Mini-Forest / Green Screen. Several people sign-up to become Mini Forest Stewards and Biodiversity Monitors this summer, a new volunteer activity going every first Saturday until September. Thanks for your help! Nate Galloway
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April Pruning Train-the-Trainer
In April, the Speakers Bureau, Barn Demonstration Gardens, and Aldrich Arena Rain Garden projects teamed-up with a pruning train-the-trainer event taught by RCMG volunteer Mariah Sachs followed by a hands-on pruning activity. RCMG volunteers with pruning experience advised as the learners pruned river birch and ninebark shrubs in the nearby Aldrich rain gardens, and red osier dogwood in the Barn rain garden. Pruning is one of the topics that Master Gardeners in our group have said that they are often asked about, but do little pruning themselves. Practical experiences like these equip us to better understand what we may have only read about and therefore better educate the public.
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Lilac Hill in Bloom
RCMG started volunteering at the Muriel Sahlin Arboretum’s Lilac Hill in 2021 as part of a COVID-response project. The shrubs and beds had been long neglected and the flowers, when they bloomed, were so far off the ground that no one could enjoy them. RCMG volunteers have been practicing renewal pruning to bring the flowers closer to park visitors. We’ve made a big difference! Thank you to the many volunteers who have shared time on Lilac Hill in the past several years.
Master Gardeners Barb Gasterland (Hennepin County) and Ann Aurelius (Ramsey County) are volunteers with Como Conservatory
Como Conservatory Sunken Garden Opens 6/13
Mark your calendars and gather your friends for the June 13th opening of the Como Conservatory Sunken Garden show featuring bromeliads! In addition to being Master Gardeners Barb Gasterland (Hennepin County) and Ann Aurelius (Ramsey County) are volunteers with Como Conservatory and have been working on this project. Don’t miss the display of these unusual plants!
Used Hoses – Free to a Good Home
Amy Ihlan is looking to find a new home for some of her used hoses: a 100-foot vinyl hose (rather heavy but seems quite durable), a 50-foot "Zero G" expandable hose, (Note: These two hoses are coupled together and she can't get them apart so they come together), and a 75-foot vinyl hose. All are 2-3 years old and in working condition. Contact Amy Ihlan if you are interested.
Volunteer Activities |
June Monthly Meeting: 6/17
Help out at the next monthly meeting on Tue 6/17. This meeting will be in-person at the Extension office in Maplewood (“The Barn”) and we will need extra help from volunteers. If you are a Project Lead and want a few minutes to share an update about or recruit for your project(s), sign up for one of the “Project Updates” slots.
Host A Garden Gate Tour 2025
Open your garden to fellow RCMG volunteers and host a Garden Gate Tour this summer! This is a fun activity for everyone involved! You can get or give gardening advice from your peer Master Gardeners, or just showcase the garden and yard you care for. Tours are scheduled for Thursday evenings (6:30- 8:00 pm) OR on Sunday afternoons (4:30-6:00 pm); please express your preference and we'll do our best to accommodate.
Education Opportunities |
Find approved opportunities to learn more on the RCMG website, the State MG Volunteer website, the MN Landscape Arboretum, or through Extension. Check with the program coordinator about other local events and learning opportunities.
April Education Meeting Recap
Our guest speaker, Justin Townsend from the Ramsey County Parks and Recreation Soil and Water Division spoke about Emerging and Established Invasive Plants in the Landscape Trade and RCMG’s Simba Blood shared new research comparing native plants to cultivated species, including “nativars.” Read the recap or watch the recording.
June Member Meeting: 6/17
Join us for RCMG’s June monthly meeting on Tue 6/17 at the Extension office in Maplewood (“The Barn”) for a Peer-to-Peer Learning event from other RCMG Volunteers. Topics include Planting for Pollinators 101, Native Gardens, Monarch Way Station, information from our local watershed organizations about cost-share grant programs. Volunteers can also hear about the Anti-Creeping Bellflower campaign to bring to their neighborhoods. Watch SignUp Genius to RSVP.
Book Club: The Serviceberry: 5/29
The selection for May 2025 is The Serviceberry:Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. There are copies of this book available through the RCMG Lending Library, and other copies available through the public library. Sign-up to join the discussion.
Summer Train-the-Trainer: 5/31
Train-the-Trainer events are a local source of volunteer training taught by other RCMG volunteers. The summer event will cover volunteering best practices, Torie Morris and Julie Lindholm’s unveiling of the new Speakers Bureau class, “The Art of Growing Tomatoes,” and a demonstration of how to teach the existing “Be A Pest Detective” class. Join the Summer Train-the-Trainer.
2025 State Master Gardener Conference: 6/27 & 6/28
Don’t forget to register for the MG annual event at the Landscape Arboretum. Attendees will enjoy top-notch keynote presentations, indoor classes, outdoor guided walking tours, outdoor show-n-tell classes as well as networking and socializing opportunities. For all available information, visit this section of the Volunteer Google site.
2025 International Master Gardener Conference: 8/25-28
The International Master Gardener Conference is a 4-day (online) celebration of gardening, innovation, and sustainability! Gain insights from experts, explore global gardening practices, and connect with passionate gardeners working to make a difference. Discover new techniques, embrace sustainable solutions, and be part of the effort shaping the future of our planet. Register today.
Calendar |
Office hours with Darren: In-person Weds (10am-2pm) and online Thurs (12pm-1pm)
5/17 – Plant Sale
5/29 – Book Club Discussion
5/31 – Summer Train-the-Trainer
6/10 – Board Meeting (on Zoom only)
6/16-6/22 – Yard & Garden Hotline shifts
6/17 – Monthly Meeting (in-person only)
6/27 & 6/28 – Master Gardener 2025 statewide conference
Quick Links |
RCMG Resources
Extension Resources
Report Your Hours – offline for Jan-Mar
Access the MN Arboretum for free with code MG2025
