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Again this year, the Whidbey Gardening Workshop brought together gardeners who share a passion for plants and a dedication to creating environments of beauty and bounty.
Over the years the Workshop has developed a regional reputation for its offering of in-depth education for the casual as well as avid gardener.
The Workshop offered an array of classes in an all-inclusive workshop with options to fit different learning styles. This 2-day Workshop provided a platform for learning about new developments as well as tried and true gardening techniques. Practical sessions at various locations and onsite classes at Oak Harbor High School with recorded class viewing options, complemented other activities including plant clinics, demos by Master Gardeners, and a host of vendors in the Garden Marketplace.
In 2023, the Workshop celebrated the theme Gardening with Purpose: Beauty, Bounty, and Benefit. Instructors and speakers explored the importance of connections—the connections with the community around the love of gardening and the essential relationships of pollinators, fungi, soil, and plants that support each other. Instructors shared with us how gardening lowers stress levels, boosts our health through the food we grow, and affects our environmental sustainability.
The Whidbey Gardening Workshop is one of the fundraising events of the Island County Master Gardener Foundation, which exists to support the Master Gardener program of Whidbey and Camano Islands. Funds raised make it possible for Master Gardeners to carry out their educational mission to provide the community with education in science-based gardening and environmental stewardship.
Master Gardeners receive researched-based training and share gardening knowledge through plant clinics, and gardening seminars, maintain an educational garden, and staff the Master Gardener Hotline. Island County’s program has more than 90 certified Master Gardeners and interns who volunteer their time on Whidbey and Camano Islands and for statewide Master Gardener projects.
WSU Extension provides training and related certification requirements for Master Gardeners. Washington’s Master Gardener Program, the first established in the United States, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year.
Your donation to the Whidbey Gardening Workshop supports the Island County Master Gardener's mission to provide an engaging and educational celebration of all things gardening. Classes and practical sessions taught by garden experts and horticulture professionals will inspire your springtime gardening.
You can help by clicking on the Donate button below.