Plant people

by Vanessa Infanzon

After a group from the Extension Master Gardener Volunteers in Mecklenburg County visited Cindy Trlica’s gardens during Wing Haven’s spring garden tour in 2010, they suggested she become a Master Gardener. “That got me thinking,” Trlica says. “I started talking to them about the program. I decided when I retired, I’d apply.”

Trlica didn’t waste any time after retiring in 2015 from Bank of America’s marketing department — she applied to the EMG program online, interviewed and became a trainee. During interviews, she was asked about her past horticulture and gardening experience, along with her specific gardening interests.

“Some people specialize in vegetable gardening,” Trlica says. “Some people specialize in perennials and native ferns. Some are more about trees, pruning, pests, growing from seeds.”

Applicants to the program don’t need to be experts, but they must have a willingness to learn and an interest in educating others about gardening and horticulture. Members answer questions at booths set up at large retail stores with gardening centers and speak to community groups and gardening clubs about specific gardening topics. They also host library workshops and install plants in the community. In 2022, the program encountered 13,000 Mecklenburg residents during their work.

By the end of 2016, Trlica earned her EMG certification after 80 hours of training between January and May and an additional 40 hours as an intern. To remain an EMG, she volunteers at least 20 hours and participates in 10 hours of continuing education a year. She also serves on the advisory team for Mecklenburg County’s program.

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The statewide Extension Master Gardener Program has operated under N.C. State University since 1979, six years after Washington State founded the first program. Its mission is to recruit, train and engage volunteers in sharing research-based horticulture information through various educational and service opportunities.

Mecklenburg is one of 83 counties in North Carolina with an EMG program. The program started in the late 1980s with just 10 EMGs and has grown to 126, with 33 more in the current training program. Funding for the nonprofit comes from the N.C. State Extensions Program, Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation, grants and donations.

EMG supports the Davidson Farmers Market, Matthews