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I’m often asked, from where or whom did I acquire my love of gardening? Unlike many who can attribute it to a family member, often a grandparent, I have no such knowledge of any family member leading me down the path to gardening obsession. In fact, the only thing I remember about a family member as it relates to gardening was the time my grandmother about took me over her knee for picking off her lovely red, marble-sized fruit that happened to be the most ornamental feature of the Christmas palms that lined her driveway. As an eight-year-old, I couldn’t see the big deal. Now though, I’m surprised she didn’t follow through on a well-deserved spanking.

Although I wouldn’t consider my parents gardeners, my dad tended to the recurring weekend chores of mowing, weeding and trimming. I’m not sure I was enamored with any of those responsibilities but as a young boy simply wanting to spend time with his dad, I was happy to take on any task relating to yard work.

But as I’ve often reflected back on this recurring question, it always comes back to one incident that stands out as that “ah ha” moment. About the same age as when my grandmother almost tattooed my bottom, I was in my backyard on Saturday doing what many young boys do at that age: break branches and make forts. However, one of those broken branches I realized after the fact was from a special shrub my dad had recently purchased and was quite protective of. Having realized the mistake I had just made and not wanting to get caught, I immediately stuck the branch back into the soil, so as to make it appear as though it was alive and well.

About a month later, I wondered what became of that broken branch, so cleverly concealed by my efforts to simply stick it back in the ground. As I secretly ventured out to check on its fate, I gave the branch a tug. Much to my surprise, it resisted my pull. In the short time it had been left in the ground, it formed roots that sustained its life. More importantly, it was that moment that changed my life forever.

I was immediately intrigued. How could a stick turn into a new plant with roots? I had to know more. I began growing lots of plants from cuttings. Living in south Florida at the time certainly provided the ideal growing conditions for an outdoor laboratory such as mine. Within weeks, I had countless cuttings potted up in everything from cups to buckets. I began growing flowers from seeds and propagating stag horn ferns so prolifically that I created a profitable backyard nursery.

Along the way, I grew roses, grafted fruit trees, and sold plants at neighborhood yard sales. When I wasn’t growing something, I spent my free time roaming the back acres of a tropical tree nursery a mere block from my house. It was a magical experience to a young boy enamored with anything that grew. And all of this took place before I played my first little league game at the age of 10.

Although my time in little league was short-lived, my love of gardening and nature was not. In fact, it was just getting started. Almost 40 years later, my passion for all things green is stronger than ever. And the more I know, the greater my desire to learn the things I don’t. Who knew a few roots growing from a broken branch as a young boy would change my life forever? So I guess you could say I did get my love of gardening from my parents, just not in the traditional sense.

If you really want to get those gardening questions answered, ask a Master Gardener. We’ve all heard the reference before and many of us have utilized this valuable free service. But just what is a Master Gardener, and how does one achieve such a designation?

Master Gardeners are volunteers. Above all, they have one thing in common. They’re passionate about gardening and horticulture and want to share their time and knowledge with others. It might surprise you to know that most of them are not professional gardeners or horticulturists. In fact, many come into the program as novices. Others have been gardening all their life.

In the United States, Master Gardener organizations are active in 48 of them and in four provinces in Canada. Yet surprisingly there is no overall governing body or authority so the requirements vary. Each state or province’s university system is responsible for managing and administering its own program. Yet overall the guidelines are set up to provide a win-win for the volunteers and university system. In exchange for an extensive and comprehensive training program by University Staff and expert volunteers, Master Gardener candidates agree to give back between 25 - 50 hours of volunteer time each year. For many programs, a majority of those hours are spent manning the phones at their respective County Extension office to answer the plethora of calls that comes in on a variety of questions related to gardening.

Once volunteer candidates have completed their training (which includes subjects such as integrated pest management, arboriculture, vegetable gardening, pest and disease control and identification, wildlife management and more), passed a few exams and logged the requisite volunteer hours, they earn their official title as Master Gardener. To maintain ‘active’ status in subsequent years, Master Gardeners must continue to volunteer a required number of hours.

In addition to the invaluable resource they provide, the monetary value Master Gardeners return to the University system is staggering. When you add up the total time given back by volunteers, millions of dollars are saved by not having to hire staff to perform the same duties. Across the United States and Canada, Master Gardener volunteers perform a wide variety of services from answering questions, to installing and maintaining public and community gardens, hosting plant doctor clinics and putting on community outreach programs and so much more.

One would think, with all the volunteer time required to give back to the program, extension offices would take every qualified applicant. But sadly that’s not always the case. Due to limited resources for training, classroom space, and subsequent support, getting into the program can be a long and disappointing process. It was for me. Even though I had formal training in horticulture and a lifetime of experience, due to space limitations, I wasn’t even interviewed for my county program until I had applied for three consecutive years! But from the moment I was accepted, it has been one of the greatest associations that I’ve ever been involved with. To have the opportunity to learn from top experts, meet new friends, bond with kindred spirits and give back to the community through a subject you are passionate about, is as good as it gets. I encourage anyone who has a desire to learn more about the program to contact your local county extension service. And for everyone else, if you want a trusted friend to give you a knowledgeable answer to your question, ask a Master Gardener! You can find the number for the office closest to you by visiting this web site: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/.