Educational outreach in Mason County
Reaching out to communities in Mason County
Educational Outreach
WSU Extension Master Gardener Programs statewide host educational classes, workshops, demonstrations, and field days. Through these events our university-trained volunteers bring relevant, unbiased, research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education to their local communities.
Quick Links
Ask a Master Gardener
Have a gardening question? Ask a Master Gardener either in-person or remotely!
From our beginning, Master Gardeners have provided free access to research-based horticulture advice to help people find answers to their gardening questions. Our Mason County WSU Master Gardeners can answer your questions through the booths at the Shelton Farmers Market and Scott McLendon’s Hardware, the WSU Extension office, or via email/phone call.
Speakers Bureau
Does your organization need a speaker? WSU Master Gardeners do presentations on a variety of gardening topics as part of their mission to empower and sustain diverse communities with relevant, research-based home gardening information. Request a speaker qualified to talk to your garden club, service club or classroom about anything gardening related, from growing veggies to soil health to attracting pollinators, or something specifically to address your group’s needs.
Demonstration Gardens
Experience sustainable gardening firsthand in our outdoor classroom gardens. Our Mason County WSU Master Gardeners showcase techniques like water-wise landscaping, native plants, vegetable gardening, pollinator gardens, drip irrigation, and greenhouse production at their flagship demonstration garden, Catalyst Park.
Our WSU Extension Mason County office houses another Master Gardener demonstration garden, with features on landscaping for pollinators, utilizing native plants, and drought-tolerant gardening.
Community Gardens
Seeking to contribute to food security? Community Gardens bring people together to cultivate their own food. Washington State University Master Gardeners actively participate in numerous community gardens, imparting invaluable tips and techniques to boost yields and tackle pesky gardening challenges. These collaborative green spaces offer convenient access to wholesome, locally-grown produce, addressing food insecurity across the state while fostering a sense of community.
Through the Garden Gate
Through the Garden Gate is one of our county’s largest educational class series. It typically runs for six Saturday sessions from January through March at Mason County Public Works and via Zoom. Classes are typically 9:30am-noon and offer lectures and demonstrations of important topics like soil health, providing habitat for pollinators, botany, landscaping techniques, and more!
Theler Wetlands
Originally planted in 1997, the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at the Theler Wetlands was home to an immense, labeled collection of Washington native plant species. While the original demonstration garden space has experienced some neglect over the years, a new group of Master Gardeners has recently become involved in guiding community volunteers on ways to renovate and redefine the space.
Master Gardeners host Transformation Planning Meetings as well as Focus Talks & Transformation Work Parties every month, spring through fall!
Mason Bee Fostering
The WSU Master Gardener Bee Fostering Program began in 2024 with a mission to inspire community members to enhance pollination and food production while increasing the number of wild bees in our community. We provide nesting boxes with inserts and cocoons for our community bee fostering friends. We help with placement and installation of the boxes as well as the protected storage and cleaning of the mason bee cocoons. Our program has a strong educational component with our schools, gardeners, orchardists and flower enthusiasts.
