Master Gardeners of the North

We are having a fun day planting lettuce with the kids @ Healthy Kids Day

Master Gardeners of the North will be at YMCA of the Northwoods today for Healthy Kids Day! Stop by our table to plant a pot of Lettuce 🥬 to take home & grow your very own salad! 🥗

🎉 HEALTHY KIDS DAY IS ALMOST HERE! 🎉
Join us THIS SATURDAY from 9AM–2PM at the YMCA of the Northwoods for a FREE family event filled with fun, activities, community partners, giveaways, and hands-on experiences for all ages!
🚁 TIMED ACTIVITIES 🚁
🕘 9AM — Helicopter Landing
🏊 10AM–1:30PM — Open Swim
🌊 10:30AM–12PM — Pool Slide
🏃 11AM–11:30AM — Chase the Hodag
💃 12PM–1PM — Dance Classes (every 15 minutes)
🐶 1PM–2PM — Dog Training & Safety Demo
🍎 12PM–2PM — Healthy Snacks
🎉 ONGOING ACTIVITIES 🎉

🚑 Emergency Vehicle Exploration 🚨 HUGE EVENT HIGHLIGHT 🚨
Come explore real emergency response vehicles and meet local heroes:
🚑 Ambulance
🚒 Fire Truck
🚓 2 Squad Cars
🤿 Dive Team
🚁 Life Link Helicopter Landing & Exploration
PLUS:
🏃 Chase the Hodag Event
🎨 Crafts & Activities
🏊 Open Swim & Waterslide
🏕 Camp Open House
🍎 Healthy Snacks
🛍 Vendor Fair
🏓 Pickleball & Obstacle Course
🎶 Dance/Zumba Activities

🎁 FIRST 100 attendees receive a FREE Healthy Kids Day swag bag featuring:
✔ Culver’s water bottle
✔ Free scoop token
✔ Event guide
✔ Limited edition t-shirt featuring the Chase the Hodag art contest winning design
🎟 BONUS GIVEAWAY:
Everyone who registers at the event is entered for a chance to WIN 1 FREE YEAR of YMCA membership!
💥 Thinking about joining the Y?
Activate a membership during the event and your JOIN FEE IS WAIVED!
📍 YMCA of the Northwoods
🗓 Saturday, May 30
⏰ 9AM–2PM
💙 FREE TO THE PUBLIC
Bring your family and invite your friends — we can’t wait to celebrate Healthy Kids Day with our community!

Have you always wanted to become a WI Master Gardener?
Here's your chance! Master Gardeners of the North will be offering 2 - $300 scholarships for the 2026 Wisconsin Horticulture - Extension Foundations in Gardening Course. This is an online self-paced course beginning Sept. 6, 2026. Click the link below for more information about the course.

If you are interested in applying for a MG of the North scholarship, please reply to this post, send a private message in Messenger or email [email protected]
All applications must be received no later than June 19, 2026!

Growing and Caring for Plants in Wisconsin: Foundations in Gardening Growing and Caring for Plants in Wisconsin: FOUNDATIONS IN GARDENING An online, complete-at-your-own-pace introductory course where you learn key concepts for selecting, growing, and maintaining plants – from trees to houseplants to vegetables (and everything in between!)  What will I learn? | Ov...

On Tuesday, May 19th, Master Gardeners of the North and friends will meet at The Rhinelander Area Food Pantry Garden starting at 4 PM. The garden is located on Thayer St. directly across from the entrance to Hodag Park. There may be detour signs, but right now you can get through on Thayer St and the garden is considered "local traffic". If not, use Mason St. Don't worry about being on time - come whenever you can! We'll be preparing the garden for spring planting and enjoying the camaraderie of your fellow gardeners. Our host, Tom Jerow, and Jan Sarkuskas always look forward to your help getting the garden prepared every year. This annual event is mostly fun, involving a little bit of work. We'll have jobs for all abilities.

At 6 PM we'll have a short program, followed by one of our famous potluck picnics! Please bring a dish to pass, your own utensils, and a folding chair. Watch for weather updates on Monday evening/Tuesday morning.

Habitat Green Team Program
We'll learn more about Northwood's Habitat Humanity's efforts in our communities. Humanity Northwood's Green Team plants grass around each Habitat house and include a donated tree or shrub. Current locations that need grass planted are the first two builds in Rhinelander, the St Germain Build, and the first Sayner build. Ideally, the Green Team would plant grass at the Rhinelander and Sayner locations before these homes are dedicated in early July (you are MORE than welcome to attend these dedications!).

Celebrating Earth Day 2026 at Nicolet College in partnership with the Northwoods Community Garden!
Master Gardeners of the North had fun demonstrating sustainability by using egg shells with starter plants & we had some very creative artists, as well!

Bats and The Night Garden: Northwoods Edition.

The good news is that there is some recovery of bats in our landscape. White-nose syndrome was devastating to our hibernating bat populations, especially the little and big browns, with up to 97% of individuals perishing. Join Marcia Obukowicz, a local state bat ambassador, as she shares research she’s involved with in Oneida and Vilas counties. She will highlight the acoustic findings gathered right here in our area and discuss the importance of lighting, landscaping, and gardens in the bat recovery process.

Marcia is a state Bat Ambassador and a Wi Master Naturalist with 11 years of experience, having completed over 1000 volunteer hours. She has collaborated with state and county officials to acoustically monitor all the state routes and county lakes targeted in grants here in Oneida County over the past 6 years.

Master Gardeners of the North meets on Tuesday, April 21, at 6:00 pm at Nicolet College’s Northwoods Center, Room 207, 5364 College Dr., Rhinelander, WI. As always, our programs are free and open to the public—bring a friend and enjoy an evening of fun & learning.

Master Gardeners of the North will meet on Tuesday, March 17, at 6:00 pm at Nicolet College’s Northwoods Center, Room 207, 5364 College Dr., Rhinelander, WI. As always, our programs are free and open to the public—bring a friend and enjoy an evening of fun.

Clematis are excellent perennials for adding a vibrant vertical element to your garden. This program will go beyond just a refresher on pruning types. It will cover planting techniques, lighting needs, and common diseases. An overview of recently introduced cultivars will help you successfully grow the ideal clematis in the perfect spot.

Jeanette has been a certified Master Gardener since 2011. She joined the Master Gardeners of the North in 2016 and currently serves as the board's treasurer. She enjoys growing daylilies and especially hostas, and she is starting to explore vegetable gardening. She is a strong believer in “there is always room for one more plant”!

"Getting wild with native Plants" Master Gardeners of the North will meet on Tuesday, February 17, at 6:00 pm at Nicolet College’s Northwoods Center, Room 207, 5364 College Dr., Rhinelander, WI. As always, our programs are free and open to the public—bring a friend and enjoy an evening of fun.

This month’s program will feature three speakers from the Northwoods Gateway Chapter of the Wild Ones. Wild Ones promotes native landscapes through education, advocacy, and collaborative action. We’ll learn about native plant communities and their role in supporting pollinators, wildlife, and biodiversity. We will also discuss incorporating native plants into existing plantings and the process for establishing new native plant beds—both the why and the how.

Our programs are free and open to the public. The program will be rescheduled if the Rhinelander School District closes.