Master Gardeners are celebrating the peak of growing season with a Garden in the Park event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 27 at the corner of Babcock Boulevard and Wildwood Road in North Park.
The site is a one of the Penn State Extension demonstration gardens, cared for by the Penn State Extension Allegheny County Master Gardeners.
Garden in the Park events, fondly known as GIPs, are a chance to share knowledge of their work.
“It is an opportunity to promote the mission of the Master Gardener Program, which is to support the outreach mission of Penn State Extension by utilizing unbiased research-based information to educate the public and our Pennsylvania communities on best practices in sustainable horticulture and environmental stewardship,” said Master Gardener Stephanie Szakal, who is co-chairing the event with fellow Master Gardener Virginia Catullo.
The program was started by Penn State Extension in 1982 and boasts more than 3,500 Master Gardeners across all 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
“The GIP is also a wonderful opportunity for the public to visit the gardens, ask gardening questions and get ideas for their home gardens, especially, regarding native plants, trees, and shrubs,” said Catullo, a McCandless resident.
The gardens at the North Park site are nestled within the grounds of the 80th Division Monument, which honors the veterans who served in that division of the U.S. Army.
“A 4.7-inch field artillery gun, which is flanked by a large semi-circle stone wall behind it, points outward toward the intersection, beckoning the onlooker to view the rows of mass plantings of colorful in-ground flower trial beds that demo new and emerging field research plants from the Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension program,” said Szakal.
The memorial area is laced with an array of specialty gardens planted and tended to by the Masters Gardeners, including the Moon Garden, Pollinator Gardens, Herb Garden, Herbal Tea Garden, Sensory Garden and Wet Garden, plus a peaceful meadow behind the memorial.
The Garden in the Park event will offer something for all age groups and levels of gardening interest and experience. The day’s program will include kids’ activities, Master Gardener speakers, a native plant giveaway and tours of the gardens.
Five special speakers will present half-hour garden talks on the following topics: “Caterpillar Café,” “Landscaping in Deer Country, Dahlias,” “Tea Time in the Garden Herbs” and “Some Tips When Using Pruning Tools for the Gardener.”
The presentations will begin at 9:45 a.m. in the speakers’ tent and run through 12:30 p.m.
Community groups also participating include the Friends of North Park, providing children’s activities and tours of the arboretum in collaboration with the Pine Creek Land Conservation Trust, along with the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, Russellton Bee Works, Pittsburgh Sakura Project, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, McCandless Environmental Action Committee, and Allegheny County park rangers and naturalists.
The Master Gardeners will provide complimentary scoops of Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream to top off a sensory walk in the park.
Parking is available throughout the park and in designated areas adjacent to the demonstration gardens. A few special parking spaces will be available for individuals with disabilities.
Master Gardeners volunteer their time to plant, care for, and oversee the gardens and answer the public’s questions on Wednesday and Friday mornings. The public is invited at any time to ask questions about pests, plant problems, soil health and general gardening and landscaping, Catullo said.
For more information, visit extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener.
Natalie Beneviat is a Trib Total Media contributing writer.