Mission Statement
The Mission of the Master Gardener Society of Oakland County, Inc. is to enrich the lives of those who love gardening. We are volunteers who fulfill our commitment to community outreach by providing hands-on gardening and research-based horticultural education. Members of the Society are Master Gardeners certified by Michigan State University.
Upcoming MGSOC General Meetings
MGSOC General Meetings are free to MGSOC members. Members are REQUIRED to wear their Master Gardener badges. Visitors are always welcome and pay $5 at the door. Please sign in at the welcome table by 6 PM with Julie Bird. Our business meetings begin at 6:30 PM and our speakers begin shortly after.
In 2024, we are excited to announce that we have a new meeting place for our General Meetings. They will be held on Wednesday’s at the Rochester Community House. Several of us toured this beautiful facility which will be perfect for our meetings! It is a warm and comfortable room, they will be able to book our meetings for a year in advance (critical for us to hire our speakers!), there is lots of lighted parking and we think it is convenient to most of our members. January’s meeting will be Zoom and some other offsite meetings will be held but all regular meetings will be at the new location. Check it out! https://rochestercommhouse.org/
For perks of being a member and a list of 2024 MGSOC education classes, click here.
Wednesday,
August 14, 2024
6:30 PM
Grazyna Cummings - Nitchy to Normal: Natural, Native Gardening
How to adjust your gardening practices to be more natural, support native plants and insects and have more fun! We will discuss natural gardening using natural mulches, cold composting and why natives are an important part of the garden.
*Held at Rochester Community House
816 Ludlow Rd, Rochester, MI 48307
Wednesday,
September 11, 2024
6:30 PM
John Blair - Restoring a Prairie Garden
*Held at Rochester Community House
816 Ludlow Rd, Rochester, MI 48307
Wednesday,
October 9, 2024
6:30 PM
Caitlin Splawski - Perennial Propagation
Caitlin will discuss how to multiply the perennials in our gardens.
*Held at Rochester Community House
816 Ludlow Rd, Rochester, MI 48307
Wednesday,
November 13, 2024
6:30 PM
Ed Blondin – Monastic Gardens: Begged, Borrowed and stolen
Part 2 of a two-lecture series: Much of the Western gardening tradition starts here, 900 years before the black plague, and owes its aesthetics to Ancient Persia. Throw aside all of your preconceived notions of the dark ages and explore a period of time that is steeped in eroticism, sensuality and strict religious dogma, all of which influenced the European agricultural economies.
*Held at Rochester Community House
816 Ludlow Rd, Rochester, MI 48307
December 2024
6:00 PM
Date to be determined – MGSOC Silent Auction and Holiday Event
*Held at Rochester Community House
816 Ludlow Rd, Rochester, MI 48307
Past Meeting Recordings
Recordings from Past Meetings 2020-2022
June 14, 2022 Healthy Gardens: Preventing Disease with Lori ImbodenVMS: Community: Beautification: Public Areas (1 hr)
March 8, 2022 Waking Up the Garden With Janet MacunovichVMS: Community: Beautification: Public Areas (1 hr)
November 9, 2021 Healthy Soils With Sue Grubba (availability until December 15) VMS: Environmental Stewardship: Soils/Soil Testing (1.25 hrs)
October 12, 2021 Well and Lesser Known Insects of the Midwest with David LowensteinVMS: Environmental Stewardship: IPM - General (1 hr)
September 14, 2021 Moving and Transplanting Plants with Janet MacunovichVMS: Community Beautification: Public Areas (1.25 hrs)
August 10, 2021 Ground Cover Plants with Julia Hofley. – NO RECORDINGVMS: Community Beautification: Public Areas (2 hrs)
July 13, 2021 Earth-Friendly Gardening – The Secret is the Soil with Lillian DeanVMS: Environmental Stewardship: Soils/Soil Testing (1.25 hrs)
May 11, 2021 New Annuals and Perennials for 2021 with George PapadelisVMS: Community:Beautification: Public Areas (1.25 hrs)
April 13, 2021 Growing Dahlias with Lucy PropstVMS: Community:Beautification: Public Areas (1.25 hrs)
March 9, 2021 Pest Management in the Organic Vegetable Garden with Will Jaquinde VMS: Food: General Gardens (1.25 hrs)
January 12, 2021 Landscaping with Native Plants to Support Nature with Drew LathintVMS: Environmental Stewardship: Native Plants (1 hr)
Past Meeting Handouts and Websites
- August 9, 2023 – Fall Finale with Julia Hofley - Handout
- March 15, 2023 – Waking Up the Garden Part II with Janet Macunovich - Handout
- October 11, 2022 – Go For the Gold with Julia Hofley - Slide list
- September 13, 2022 – Planting Deer Resistant Bulbs with Sarah Rautio - Bulb and deer articles
- September 13, 2022 – Planting Deer Resistant Bulbs with Sarah Rautio - Pollinators websites
- September 13, 2022 – Planting Deer Resistant Bulbs with Sarah Rautio (Presentation)
- August 9, 2022 – Pollinator Gardens with Brian Peterson (Bees in the D) - Article in "Seen” magazine
- August 9, 2022 – Pollinator Gardens with Brian Peterson (Bees in the D) - Bees in the D website
- June 14, 2022 – Healthy Gardens: Preventing Disease with Lori Imoboden (Hollyhock rust IPM)
- June 14, 2022 – Healthy Gardens: Preventing Disease with Lori Imoboden (Cedar apple and other related rust diseases)
- June 14, 2022 – Healthy Gardens: Preventing Disease with Lori Imoboden (Plant Diagnostic List)
- March 8, 2022 – Waking Up the Garden with Janet Macunovich (Handout 2)
- March 8, 2022 – Waking Up the Garden with Janet Macunovich (Handout 1)
- February 8, 2022 – Garden Design for Winter Interest with Jan Bills
- January 11, 2022 – Winter Sowing with Jean Persely
- October 12, 2021 – Well and Lesser Known Insects of the Midwest with David Lowenstein
- September 14, 2021 – Moving and Transplanting Plants with Janet Macunovich
- August 10, 2021 – Ground Cover Plants with Julia Hofley