UF/IFAS Master Gardener Volunteers of Sarasota County

About Us
UF/IFAS Master Gardener Volunteers of Sarasota County (MGVs) are individuals who have received University of Florida-designed training to become volunteer educators in the Horticulture Program. A Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) educates and provides research-based information to Floridians about gardening, environmental horticulture, and pest management. This hands-on outreach program provides education that helps residents create landscapes with minimal negative environmental impact –true Florida-friendly landscapes.

Plant Clinics 
Do you have a question about your lawn, landscape and/or pests? If so, trained Master Gardener Volunteers can answer your questions with research-based solutions from the University of Florida.  Contact the Plant Clinic by phone (941-861-9807) or email (plantclinic@scgov.net), and beginning in September,  in person at the main clinic, located at the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County office in Twin Lakes Park (Green Building), 6700 Clark Road in Sarasota.  MGVs will also return to staff plant clinics at many Sarasota County farmers markets, libraries, and big-box retail stores this fall.  Check back soon for updated information on Plant Clinic locations and hours.

15th Annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale and Ed Fest
Join us on Oct. 9 for the Annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale and Extension Ed Fest This free, family-friendly, gardening and landscaping event will be held on the grounds at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota County, and includes thousands of plants for sale. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Master Gardeners Chapter of the Friends of Sarasota County Parks, which supports Master Gardener Volunteer education outreach programs in Sarasota County.  

Educational Outreach Gardens
The Sarasota County MGVs have begun an extensive project to develop the grounds around the Twin Lakes Park (TLP) Extension office into a premier horticultural education garden. 

A multi-phase effort, we are starting to educate the public about our Educational Outreach Gardens (EOG) and working towards raising the necessary funds to ensure that this project comes to fruition. This multifaceted project includes an educational greenhouse, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sensory garden, outdoor classrooms, raised beds for edibles, Florida-friendly plants, and pasture demonstrations. MGVs currently are renovating our existing perimeter gardens with more Florida-friendly plants and improving our existing butterfly garden and bioswale. Additional information on the EOG Project is available in this flier.

We have four fundraising levels for this project:

• Copperleaf ($25-$100);
• Silver Buttonwood ($101-$500);
• Golden Dewdrop ($501-$1000); and
• Platinum Sage (over $1000).

If you are interested in financially supporting this project, which will provide a premier educational facility to our residents, please log onto the donation page and make as generous a gift as you can.  Be sure to direct your donation to MGV-EOG. We thank you!