2026 Perennial Exchange

 

The 2026 Perennial Exchange had lots of plants, bulbs, roots and tubers for adoption.  While most of the people getting additions for their gardens were SCMGA members, we connected with some new friends.

2026 Seed Sorting

Once again, the Georgetown Rural King donated thousands of packets of garden and flower seeds to the Scott County Master Gardeners. Master Gardeners sorted the seeds by vegetable or flower species and bundled by warm or cold season crops.

These seeds will be distributed at locations across Scott County as well as used for workshops by the Scott County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Agent.

Many thanks to Georgetown Rural King and the Scott County Master Gardeners.

Entrance Garden Rehabilitation

Tom, Mary, Renee and Steve place a timber around the bed

The flower garden at the entrance to Brookings Park was struck by a motorist a couple of years ago. The timbers making up the garden framing were scattered and many of the perennials were destroyed. A group of Scott County Master Gardeners gathered to rebuild and replant the garden brightening the entrance to the park.

Steve grinds a steel pin in the timbers

A member of the Georgetown - Scott County Parks and Recreation Board arranged for R. J. Corman to donate 10 railroad ties that we used to replace the destroyed timbers. Scott County Master Gardeners Association purchased reinforcing rods to secure the new timbers.

The old expression "Hotter than the fourth of July" was very true today. A team of Scott County Master Gardeners gathered in 90+ degree heat on the morning of July 3 to cut the railroad ties to length and place them around the flower bed. Plantings in the bed were dug to allow for the work. Renee, Molly, Tom, Mary and Steve provided the work. The use of Tom's generator was crucial in producing power to operate drills, saws and grinders.

Tom and Renee drive steel into the timbers

By noon we were nearly finished but we were all exhausted but about 90 percent of the work was done. We decided to finish the remainder of the work on a cooler day and continue the replanting of the beds.

Many thanks to Molly, Renee, Tom and Mary for making this challenging job on a muggy day much more pleasant.

Field Trip to Waterfront Botanical Gardens

The Scott County (Kentucky) Master Gardener’s Association took their field trip to Waterfront Botanical Gardens in Louisville. The beautiful garden is located on a reclaimed landfill and has an unbelievable assortment of native and ornamental plants that are well labeled and grown in excellent habitat. 

Eleven members of our group spent the morning at the gardens amazed at the displays. There was no fee for entry but we made a donation and were welcomed graciously by the volunteers at the park. We learned that the funding for the present botanical garden as well as the expansion was provided by donations and no taxpayer money was used.

Following our visit, Treasurer, Tom Keith, knew of nearby Waterfront Park, located on the Ohio River where we enjoyed a picnic lunch while reflecting on our visit. This outing was so successful that we are already contemplating another field trip toward the end of summer or fall.

2026 Scott County Garden Expo

 The 2026 Scott County Garden Expo is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 from 9 am - noon at the Scott County Fairgrounds.  

2025 SCMGA Plant Swap

 Tom and Paula Keith have arranged the 2025 SCMGA Plant Swap for the morning of Saturday, October 4 from 9 - noon.  SCMGA members are asked to arrive by 8 am to assist in setup.  

The Plant Swap will take place at the "Morton Building" behind the Extension Office.

SCMGA Garden Party at Ward Hall

One of the community projects for the Master Gardeners is out at Ward Hall. If you tour the grounds, you will see a shade garden, formal garden, a memory garden and an herb garden. The Scott County Master Gardener volunteers have taken on the project of the herb garden and they have focused on the herbs that have been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes as well as focusing on herbs that have been used both then and now. Over the last several years the project has evolved. In the beginning the focus was on a kitchen garden with a variety of both vegetables and herbs. As many of you who live in the country find out, the deer love your vegetables but don’t like the smell and/or texture of the herbs. As a result, we focused on herbs, identifying both common and unique varieties. You will find the typical herbs that you think of: oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, and mint. These were used for multiple purposes to flavor and sometimes preserve food as well as treat illnesses. At the same time, you will see some that you didn’t realize had either culinary or medicinal purposes. flowers that can be dried and today are used for arrangements and wreathes.


On June 8th we held a Garden Party out at Ward Hall. Our goal was to educate the visitors about the gardens and the plants that were found there. We created brochures that provided info about the plants found in the gardens. Several people created a Tree Walk that not only told about the kind of trees, it also shared about the historical value of those trees. MG were available in the gardens for questions. Master gardeners organized seeds to giveaway that could be found in the garden as well as information on how to grow them. Children were given the chance to create an art project around the gardening theme. We decided to involve some community partners with the idea that it would bring in more visitors. We wanted it to be a family affair. As a result, Parks & Rec set up vintage games for kids, Georgetown Gentlemen scheduled a vintage baseball game, Tourism helped with PR, the American Legion donated money for food and we were able to have tea/lemonade and small cookies and the Scott County library provided the ideas for the garden art projects. The event was a success with 400-500 visitors.

Some photos are available HERE