What really sets Master Gardeners apart from other home gardeners is their special training in horticulture. In exchange for their training, persons who become Master Gardeners contribute time as volunteers, working through their Extension office to provide education to their communities.  Trainees must receive a minimum of 50 hours of instruction, pass an examination, and volunteer a minimum of 50 hours of service to become a certified Texas Master Gardener.

An Award-Winning Organization

The Hill County Master Gardener Association received 2nd place for 2018 Outstanding Small Association at the annual Texas Master Gardeners Association annual meeting. The group was formed in 2015 with eight members. Today, there are thirty members. The organization is a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization that supports Texas  A&M AgriLife Extension Service doing volunteer work. The organization also received 2nd place for the Wallace Butterfly Garden Project.

Volunteer Service

The touch of Texas Master Gardeners’ green thumbs can be found across the state — in school garden projects, horticultural therapy projects, community gardens and demonstration gardens; by volunteers who also conduct gardening programs and answer gardening questions. Anything anyone wants to know about gardening, a Master Gardener can help. That includes young wannabe gardeners too – Master Gardeners help set up 4-H gardening clubs and Junior Master Gardener groups.

In fact, when it comes to green and growing things, Master Gardeners dig into their service in all kinds of ways: teaching, giving presentations, writing newsletters and articles, providing clerical help, and designing and maintaining Web pages.

In Hill County, some of the many ways Master Gardeners contribute service to their community includes: school gardens, educational booths at the Hillsboro Farmers Market, and maintaining a community butterfly garden.