Urban Horticulture

• Volusia County Master Gardener Volunteer Program

  The Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program is an community service outreach program composed of UF/IFAS Extension certified volunteers who are trained to provide research-based horticultural education to Florida residents. Participants of the program must complete a 80-hour plus training course provided by the University of Florida and Volusia County Extension office. Hours may vary.

  After they are certified, Master Gardeners work through their county Extension office, contributing 75 volunteer hours within the first year of certification, 35 volunteer house and 10 continuing education hours each subsequent year in accordance with statewide program bylaws. Certified Master Gardeners serve their communities by answering gardening questions from local residents, participating in community and school garden projects, supporting youth activities, and more. To become a Master Gardener, you must have an interest in gardening, a desire to help others in your community, and a dedication to complete the training and service hours.

  Applications are accepted once per year (late August to early September).  The annual training takes place beginning in January at the UF/IFAS Extension Office (Ag Center) in DeLand.  Training schedule is subject to change, however it typically is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm for about 7-8 weeks.   If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener please contact Brittany Council-Morton or Cyndi Rabey at (386) 822-5778.

  Volusia County Master Gardener Volunteer Projects:

  Community Gardens:

  • Derbyshire Place Community Garden -Holly Hill
  • Ormond Beach Community Garden
  • Pictonia Community Garden - Holly Hill
  • Spring Hill Boys & Girls Club Garden
  • Spring Hill Community Garden - DeLand

  Satellite MG Clinics:

  • DeBary Regional Library
  • DeLand Regional Library
  • Deltona Regional Library
  • Edgewater Regional Library
  • New Smyrna Beach Regional Library
  • Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center
  • Port Orange Regional Library
  • Sugar Mill Gardens

  School Gardens:

  • Blue Lake Elementary
  • Burns Science and Technology Charter School
  • Citrus Grove Elementary
  • Longstreet Elementary
  • Beachside Elementary
  • Palm Terrace
  • Read-Pattillo Elementary
  • School Gardens - Other
  • Spruce Creek Elementary
  • Sugar Mill Elementary
  • Westside Elementary

  Annual Plant Faire

  Our annual fund raising event - we offer many varieties of plants, trees, flowers, shrubs and more.  Our next Plant Faire will be March 18, 2023

  Spring Edible Sale

  Our Master Gardeners began a Spring Edible Sale in 2021.  We offer varieties of edible plants to grow in your spring garden as well as early bloomers such as azaleas and camellias.   Next sale will be February 18, 2023.

• Plant Clinic

  UF/IFAS Extension of Volusia County offers free plant clinics that are open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am-3pm. Our Residential Horticulture Extension Agent and Master Gardener Volunteers work together to assist with plant identification, disease diagnosis, insect identifications/problems, and other services related to trouble shooting gardening and/or landscape problems. Please note, some sample may require further assistance in which we will collect and contact you once a prognosis has been confirmed.

  Submitting Samples

  Photo(s)

  Clear, in-focus photos of the problem spots will help with diagnosis. Make sure photos are in focus to include one image of the whole plant and some close-ups of the problem(s).

  Soil Sample(s)

  Soil Tests should be submitted to the UF Soil Lab. Please refer to our Soil Testing page for information and forms. 

  • Soil samples should be removed from several locations in your garden area at a depth of 6"; mix all samples from that garden area in a bucket and provide a pint of soil for analysis including pH (acidity). Do not include debris such as leaves, sticks or large stones in your sample. You can use any kind of paper bag or zip top bag for your sample.
  • Learn more about soil sampling
  • Sample forms and test bags are available at our office and various libraries in the county to better meet the needs of the community members.  Please call your local library to see if they have any kits available or stop by your local extension office to pick up a kit.

  Plant Sample(s)

  Samples should include healthy material and material showing issue(s) to be identified. Bring material in a labeled plastic bag and, if possible, collect on the same day as the plant clinic, otherwise keep sample refrigerated.  Plant material samples should include flowers, live lives, and roots if possible.  Bring a sample which includes as many features as possible of the plant you want to ID or problem you wish to be diagnosed.  Use a plastic bag to maintain the mosture of the tissues.  Do not add a wet paper towel or water to the plastic bag.  Brig it to our clinic office the day your collect it, otherwise keep it refrigerated until you can bring it to our office. 

  Sod Samples

  Soil samples should be about 1 foot square with mostly green turf and some brown turf to determine what pest may be eating your yard. Use a plastic or paper bag, shoe box, or any suitable container to bring the sample to our office. The fresher the material is, the easier it is to diagnose the problem.

  Insect Sample(s)

  Samples should be placed in a jar or other suitable clear container. Collect more than one specimen if possible. Insects may be dead or alive. Please do not submit samples in Ziploc bags.  Insects may be killed and preserved in alcohol.

  Not able to attend a plant clinic?

  No problem, you can email our Urban Horticulture Agent, Brittany Council-Morton at bcouncil1@ufl.edu or the Volusia County Master Gardeners at MasterGardener@Volusia.org or submit through the electronic submission form at the bottom of this page. Please include clear, detailed photographs.

• Florida Friendly Landscaping

  Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) is the state of Florida’s premier Extension program that promotes sustainable alternatives to “conventional” landscaping, providing guidance on low impact, environmentally friendly, science-based landscape practices that use less water and reduce pollutant loading to Florida waters. Since 1994, FFL has served Florida as a partnership between the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension (UF/IFAS Extension) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

  The FFL approach is based on the 9 FFL Principles:

  1. Right Plant, Right Place
  2. Water Efficiently
  3. Fertilize Appropriately
  4. Mulch
  5. Attract Wildlife
  6. Manage Yard Pests Responsibly
  7. Recycle
  8. Reduce Storm Water Runoff
  9. Protect the Waterfront.

  The overall goal is to reduce nonpoint source pollution through proper fertilization, irrigation, and pesticide use on residential and commercial landscapes.

  FFL promotes its nine principles through three main programs that target diverse audiences.

  • The Florida Yards and Neighborhoods (FYN) program works directly with homeowners.
  • The Florida-Friendly Communities (FFC) program collaborates with local governments, builders and developers, homeowners associations (HOAs), and community/property managers.
  • The Green Industries Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) program targets landscape professionals to deliver legislatively required training in fertilizer and pesticide application, as well as landscape irrigation methods that save water.

  Over 51 counties statewide deliver FFL public outreach through County Extension offices with the FFL Program Coordinator and/or Extension Agent. FFL is also closely aligned with the UF/IFAS-funded Florida Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) program, which has a statewide network of MGV coordinators distributed across 60 counties and over 4,000 MG volunteers who spend 50 percent of their public outreach time on FFL topics.

  In a typical year county-based FFL programs conduct in excess of 4,000 FFL workshops for over 150,000 homeowners and MG volunteers have direct contact with hundreds of thousands more. County-based FFL home irrigation assessment programs annually account for several hundred million gallons of home irrigation water savings.

  In addition, county-based UF/IFAS Extension agents provide the legislatively mandated GI-BMP training to landscaping professionals. The GI-BMP program also trains and certifies qualified volunteers from the green industry, government and education to teach the GI-BMP classes. Since its start in 2002 the GI-BMP program has trained over 66,000 professionals in the proper use of landscaping BMPs.

  • Learn more on the state-wide Website:
    Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM Statewide Program Webpage
  • Landscape Plant Selection and Design Guide:
    Florida-Friendly Plant Selection & Landscape Design Guide
  • Fertilizer Ordinance and Resources:
    Volusia County Fertilizer Ordinance

  To reduce the amount of non-point source pollution contributing to our waterways June 1st to September 30th Volusia County has established a fertilizer blackout period.  Fertilizers containing nitrogen or phosphorous are prohibted during this time.  Ordinance 2014-09 applies to ALL homes and businesses in Volusia County, excepting Deltona, which has it's own fertilizer ordinance.  Gardens and compost are exempt from the ordinance. 

• Gardening Solutions

  UF/IFAS Extension's Gardening Solutions program can help you discover the incredible array of plant species common in Florida yards, including groundcovers, flowers, edibles, shrubs, trees and, of course, weeds. And if a green lawn is your goal, we offer advice on choosing, establishing and maintaining turfgrass and alternative groundcovers.

  • Visit the Gardening Solutions Page.

   

• Planting Edibles by Month
  • UF/IFAS Extension Gardening Calendar
• What's Flowering This Month

  

• Planting Herbs by Season

   

  

• Online and Distance Learning Opportunities

  UF/IFAS Extension Online Learning is a central source for online training and professional development opportunities related to agriculture, natural resources and communities. The online format of these continuing education and non-credit courses and educational modules provides flexible and convenient learning options that can be completed from anywhere and are available 24/7. New research-based courses and modules are continually added to the catalog of offerings developed by UF/IFAS experts.

  • Catalog
• Gardening, Lawn, and Landscaping Books for Sale

  About the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore

  
  The mission of the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore is to aid in the presentation and distribution of research-based educational and consumer resources developed by UF/IFAS faculty and Cooperative Extension professionals. The UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore is a service provided by IFAS Communication Services in support of the programming efforts of IFAS and the State of Florida Cooperative Extension Service.

  See what lawn, garden, and landscaping books are on sale now!

• Apps
  • Mobile and Web Applications from the UF/IFAS Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology
    Gardening information is now at your fingertips with our mobile web tools!
• Events
  • Visit our Calendar to find Current Classes and Events
• Electronic Plant Clinic Submission Form