Virginia Beach Master Gardeners	The Virginia Beach Master Gardener program began in 1982 and has trained 1,605 people from 1982 through 2012.   In 2012, 255 active Master Gardeners worked on 25 projects in our city. They contributed 27,778 hours toward these projects. "Helping People Grow" We are proud individuals who meet on common ground. For questions or comment contact: Fran Shelton  Master Gardener Coordinator Agriculture Building, Municipal Center 2449 Princess Anne Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23456 757/385-4769, Fax 757/385-5684 Email fshelton@vbgov.com
Advice for gardening in the Hampton Roads/ Tidewater area	Do you need a speaker?  Master Gardeners can help!. For information click here The Virginia Beach Master Gardener Association is a group of Master Gardener volunteers trained to provide our community with gardening and horticulture information drawn from their training, personal experiences and research of Virginia Tech and Virginia State Universities To become a Master Gardener, everyone must complete the Master Gardener training. A program has been established to provide both novice and experienced gardeners a basic background in horticulture. The Master Gardener course is a 50 hour program, and is held once a year (Sept-Nov).  Orientation is held each May through the Extension Office. After the course, the Master Gardener Interns have one full year to volunteer 50 hours in order to complete their training and to be recognized as official Master Gardeners.  To remain a Master Gardener, volunteers must give 40 hours each year thereafter, 8 hours of which must be in continuing education. If you would like more information or would like to speak to a Master Gardener, please call (757) 385-8156 or email  mgardene@vbgov.com.  Please be sure to include your name, a detailed question, phone number and email or mailing address.  For more information about the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Beach Office at: 757-385-4769 Origins of the program: The Master Gardener Program was created to meet an enormous increase in requests from home gardeners for horticultural information. This increase is primarily derived from the urban and transient nature of modern American life. Fifty years ago, an Extension agent dealt with the questions of a few hundred farm families.   In many regions, however, land that once constituted a single farm now encompasses several subdivisions, increasing by the hundreds the number of families an Extension Office must serve. In addition, many of these new families are recent arrivals, and are unfamiliar with the grasses, shrubs, trees and diseases which comprise the micro-environment of their new urban or suburban home. They often call their local Extension Office for advice on what to plant and how to care for it. Consequently, the Master Gardener Program was created in 1972 in the state of Washington. Since then it has spread to 48 states. Master Gardeners have become a vital part of the Extension's ability to provide consumers with up-to-date, reliable knowledge so they can enjoy and protect the value of horticulture around their homes. Master Gardening has also become a fun and useful volunteer activity.  Updated 04-30-2013