Speaking Programs

Master Gardeners develop programs and offer gardening-related talks to community groups. The following is a list of gardening topics available from Escambia Master Gardener volunteers

  • Air Layering
  • Accessibility Gardening
  • Butterfly Gardening for the Coast South
    Learn about the varieties of butterflies that frequent our area and how to recognize their eggs and caterpillars. Discussion includes plants you can include in your garden to entice these lovely creatures.
  • Conservascaping
  • Camellias
  • Coleus
    Coleus, grown for its foliage, is easy to grow and comes in a large variety of colors that will enhance any garden setting. It is great in containers as well as in large plantings. This presentation will illustrate both shade loving and sun tolerant version of the colorful coleus.
  • Container Gardening
  • Daffodils for Northwest Florida
    Learn which daffodils are recommended for our area and how to grow them.
  • Introduction to the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program
    How to make your yard Florida Friendly
  • Garden Rooms
  • Herbs
  • Garden Pathways
    Pathways through the garden – often not considered, but essential to a beautiful and functional garden. This presentation considers pathway types, materials for construction and construction guidelines. Examples of good (and bad) path designs will be reviewed.
  • Hostas for Warm Climates
    There are hundreds of hostas available, learn which ones will work best for you. These shade loving plants can be grown in the south with a few simple steps. Learn how to add these lovely plants into your garden.
  • Low Impact Gardening
  • Native Plants, Native Shrubs
  • Perennials for the Gulf Coast
  • Perfect Soil
    What is perfect soil? And if you don’t have that in your garden, what can you do to make the soil you have even better. This class will discuss soil types, especially those in Escambia County, what can be done to improve sandy or clay-based soils and plant selection for certain soil types.
  • Pruning Crape Myrtles
  • Pruning Trees and Shrubs
  • Rain Gardens
  • Raised Beds
    If your native soil is not in the best condition, raised beds could be for you. Raised beds provide excellent location for plants by improving draining, reducing compaction, and making plantings easier to reach. Think of the places you could add vegetables or flowers to your garden with raised beds.
  • Caring For Roses
    Roses are undoubtedly one of the most popular flowers in the garden landscape. Learn about varieties that grow well in our area, fertilization, pest and disease control, and the importance of “scouting” your roses to catch any problems early. Yes, you can grow roses! 
  • Pruning Hybrid Tea Roses
    Roses are important for Valentine’s Day, but not for the reason you think. That’s the ideal time in north Florida to prune your roses. This class will teach you why pruning is important, how to prune, and how pruning can influence blooms. Make your roses better by learning pruning details.
  • Growing Roses Made Easy
    The guide to growing roses, this presentation will teach everything you need to know to grow roses and review a variety of roses and their attributes. Also included will be instruction on how to plant bare root roses. Why not include some of these wonderful roses in your garden?
  • Rose Selection
  • Rose Insects and Diseases
  • Spider Mites
    Would you recognize a spider mite if you saw one? You may have damage plants from them and not know the cause. Learn to recognize the symptoms of these creatures and you will be able to quickly treat them to help your garden grow.
  • Steppables®
    Interested in groundcovers that can handle foot traffic? Stepables® are plants that can handle some foot traffic, fill in areas, and help complete the look of your garden.
  • Stormscaping
  • Tool Sharpening and Maintenance
  • Weeds