Master Gardeners of Spokane County - WSU

Thank you to our WSU Extension Spokane County Master Gardener volunteers!

🌿 Growing Biodiversity Awareness in Spokane County 🌿

WSU Extension Spokane County Master Gardener volunteers are helping residents create healthier, more sustainable landscapes through education on native plants, invasive species management, and right plant–right place gardening.

In 2025, volunteers:
🌱 Answered 1,692 biodiversity-related questions
🌱 Reached 210 adults through educational classes
🌱 Engaged 282 youth in hands-on learning
🌱 Shared 132 educational publications

The impact is growing:
💧 63% of Master Gardener interns improved plant-selection practices to reduce irrigation and chemical use.
🌿 55% changed weed-management strategies based on plant life cycles.
📈 Class participants reported a 40% increase in confidence selecting plants suited to their landscape conditions.

From native plant demonstrations to applied research on potentially invasive species, Spokane County Master Gardeners are helping gardeners make choices that support biodiversity, conserve resources, and strengthen local ecosystems.

Every yard can make a difference. 🌎💚

🌿🐝🌱

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18otRdXBp1/

WATERWISE DEMONSTRATION PUBLIC TOURS ARE BACK FOR 2026!
Tour the WSU Extension Spokane County Master Gardener Waterwise Demonstration & Research Garden that showcases SpokaneScape principles to help reduce water use (and bills!) in home landscapes.

Master Gardeners will lead tours and provide experience-based research-based answers to questions. Free event

The first tour is scheduled for Thursday, 6/18 at 6 p.m.

Green was the silence, wet was the light,
the month of June trembled like a butterfly...
~Pablo Neruda

We have a New Master Gardener Satellite Clinic at the Southhill Library!

We have a New Master Gardener Satellite Clinic this year!
Where: Southhill Public Library
Location: 3324 S Perry St.
Time: 11 am - 3 pm
When: lst & 3rd Saturdays

Bring your gardening questions and stop by and say Hi!

What can a drawer of pinned insects tell us about the world outside your garden?

This week on The Evergreen Thumb, we’re joined by Dr. Joel Gardner from the WSU insect collection. His work focuses on some of the smallest native bees—Dialictus sweat bees—and even includes discovering species new to science.

We talk about how new bee species are identified, what makes certain specimens so important, and why insect collections are more than archives—they’re a record of environmental change and biodiversity in Washington.

If you’ve ever wondered how scientists know what’s living in our landscapes (and what might be changing), this conversation offers a closer look.

https://evergreenthumb.mastergardenerfoundation.org/episode072/

SpokaneScape, tomorrow at WSU Extension!

Want to learn how to achieve a beautiful, pollinator-friendly landscape that's also drought tolerant and water efficient? Join us *tomorrow* May 12 at 101!

Class is held at the WSU Spokane Extension at 222 N Havana St from 5:30-8:30 PM. Registration is FREE, and we'll cover how to get started on upgrading your landscape to the SpokaneScape of your dreams. As a City of Spokane Water customer, you can earn up to $500 credit towards your utility bill!

Register here: https://f.mtr.cool/qjzoxrbpvn

Hope to see you there!

Garden Expo is Tomorrow from 8-5 pm at Spokane Community College. The Master Gardeners will be inside the building.

Look for the WSU Master Gardener booth at Spokane Garden Expo tomorrow.
Where: Spokane Community College
When: Saturday, May 9th
Time: 8 am - 5 pm

Brings your questions and browse our large selection of plants: remainders from our recent plant sale.

Look for the Master Gardener booth inside. We will be selling a number of plants from our recent plant sale.

Attention, gardeners in Spokane and the Inland Northwest! Garden Expo -- the free all-day garden event -- takes place this Saturday, May 9 and you won't want to miss it! It runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene St. It features over 300 gardening-related booths, free parking and free seminars. To learn more, go to https://spokanegardenexpo.com/. 2026 marks its 25th year which is very cool! If you've never been to this event, you will absolutely LOVE it.

Another episode of The Evergreen Thumb: How to Make Gardens More Accessible

EPISODE # 71 OF THE EVERGREEN THUMB IS HERE
How to Make Gardens More Accessible in Every Sense
When we talk about accessible gardens, the focus is often on physical barriers—paths, surfaces, layout.

In this episode of The Evergreen Thumb, we widen that lens to include sensory accessibility. How a garden feels, sounds, smells, and how those elements influence who can comfortably experience the space.

Here is a link to episode 71: https://evergreenthumb.mastergardenerfoundation.org/episode071/