Pictured are, first row, kneeling, Mary Beth McCown, Trish Kennedy, Lynn McGinnis; second row, Debbie Taylor, Lyn Benson, Cynthia Siegel, Susan Seale; third row, Jesse Earp, Marinda Nguyen, Greg Grant, Janice Smith and Larry Hutson. Not pictured are Jane Coker and Billy Moore.

2020 was certainly an interesting year.

Like almost everyone else, the Smith County Master Gardener Association had to cancel, alter, and recreate how we served and educated the public on horticulture happenings. The association persevered and held a hugely successful “From Bulbs to Blooms” conference (virtual) and online bulb and plant sale with curbside pickup; all the while socially distancing and maintaining safe protocols. A YouTube channel was also created to bring the public informational videos on gardening and horticulture. You can subscribe to the channel by searching Smith County Master Gardeners on YouTube.

2021 is slowly finding its way back to some sort of normalcy. Meetings can now be held in person with a virtual option for those still wishing to practice distancing protocols which was the format for our graduation and award ceremony. Fifty Master Gardeners recently met for an outdoor picnic lunch with Smith County Horticulture Agent Greg Grant, Smith County Master Gardener Association president Mary Jo Madden and past president Debby Watkins recognizing Smith County Master Gardeners who were instrumental in the success of promoting the vision of the Master Gardener organization in a most trying 2020. Awards presented were as follows:

Longevity Awards were given to Brenda Strong for 20 years of active membership and Ann Smith for 15 years of active membership.

Texas Organics received the Friend of SCMG award.

Certificates of Appreciation were given to: Allison Morrow, Janie Fowler, Mary Hamlin, Anne Pattullo, and Cindy Harrington for their support in SCMG activities.

The Helping Hand award was presented to Liz Wiley for constantly stepping up to fill the needs of the organization.

The No Problem Award was awarded to Susan Stone for her work with the Help Desk.

The Golden Glove Award was given to Chris Steavenson for all the work he has performed in the group’s demonstration gardens.

The Public Awareness award was presented to Andie Rathbone for her work as administrator of the Facebook page and Jean Smith for getting the SCMG newspaper columns to the Tyler Paper every week.

The President’s Award was awarded to Henry Burch for all his work as Treasurer for multiple years.

Project of the Year Award was received by Brenda Strong who moved the SCMG bulb sale from an in person to an online event due to the limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The intern with the most volunteer hours was Janice Smith with 90 hours and the Master Gardener with the most hours was Debby Watkins with 807.75 hours.

The Agent’s Award was presented to Mim Hershey for outstanding help with the bulbs during “From Bulbs to Blooms.”

Intern of the Year was awarded to Susan Seale and The Master Gardener of the Year was awarded to Terri Gerber.

Jim Powell, Clayton Turner and Pat Turner were honored with Lifetime Member status for their outstanding work with the Smith County Master Gardener Association.

Thirteen interns, having completed a year of service to the Master Gardener program are now certified Texas Master Gardeners. They include Lyn Benson, Jane Coker, Jesse Earp, Larry Hutson, Tish Kennedy, Mary Beth McCown, Lynn McGinnis, Billy Moore, Marinda Nguyen, Susan Seale, Cynthia Siegel, Janice Smith and Debby Taylor.

The Master Gardeners of Smith County are specially trained volunteers who provide horticultural information and help to the citizens of Smith County, working through the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, Smith County office. In 2020 certified Master Gardeners and interns donated 10,000 volunteer hours and accumulated 1944 continuing education hours.

For more information about the Smith County Master Gardener Association, visit https://txmg.org/smith/, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel or call 903-590-2980. Classes to become a Master Gardener in Smith County are planned for later in 2021.

The Smith County Master Gardener program is a volunteer organization in connection with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.