White County Master Gardeners
- searcylivingads
- Jun 18
- 4 min read
By Jennifer Webb
Photos by Searcy Living Photography
This was no ordinary backyard.
A Japanese maple towered over me in the front yard, a rare and expensive tree. This was the biggest one I had ever seen. I only recognized it because I still mourned losing the one in my front flowerbed five years earlier. Little did I know, the best was yet to come.
My phone rang, and the voice on the other end beckoned me to come to the backyard. I felt like I had entered the Secret Garden when I passed through the gate. There was a heated spa, a beautiful sitting area, a shop, and everything else was immaculately tended flower beds. Pops of color stood out among green plants.
I looked around, turning my head in every direction as I walked forward. It was entirely picturesque.
This was the backyard of longtime master gardener, Mrs. Sue Ekdahl, who stood up to wrap me in a hug even before I finished introducing myself. I felt like one of “hers” before I even sat down.
“Master Gardeners go quietly about making White County more pleasing to the eye.”
– Sue Ekdahl, White County Master Gardener
She explained to me that her backyard is one of five gardens on tour for the state-wide Master Gardener Meeting, hosted in Searcy this year. Several members, including her, maintain demonstration gardens at their residences.
The Arkansas Master Gardener program is sponsored by the University of Arkansas and has chapters in many Arkansas counties. The county extension office serves as the head of each county’s Master Gardener Program. Their mission is to “extend research-based information through demonstration and education programs, using horticulture best practices, strengthening communities and families throughout Arkansas.”
While that may sound rather dry, it looks spectacular in action.
To become a Master Gardener, each volunteer must complete 40 hours of horticulture training and complete 40 working volunteer hours, and 20 learning hours in the first year. After the first year, each volunteer is required to provide 20 working hours and 20 learning hours.
“My involvement with the Master Gardener Program began 15 years ago, upon retiring from my teaching career. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of learning from our talented White County group, as well as participating in workshops in various counties throughout the state. This program has been a truly enriching experience, and I feel grateful to have been a part of it for so long.”
– Janice Stewart, White County Master Gardener
The trainings are often done through zoom classes and in-person workshops on a wide variety of topics. The volunteer hours are usually completed on public projects around town.
For White County you can find Master Gardener projects at Spring Park, The Presbyterian Garden, a hidden little flower garden at Unity Health South Campus, Pioneer Village, Black House Arts Center, Hope Restore, El Paso Library, Daniel Park in Beebe, and many more.
A lot of blood, sweat, and effort is quietly put into each place. For Pioneer Village, the volunteers make sure that each plant that goes into it is authentic to the period. Volunteers spread mulch, plant, water, weed, and trim dead branches.
It’s a lot of work, but it’s work that comes with great joy. They are always willing to mentor new volunteers, photograph projects, answer gardening questions for the community, collect soil samples in residential areas, help and judge the horticulture entries at the White County Fair, and often put on educational classes.
Sometimes that looks like training for other master gardeners, and other times it looks quite different. Mrs. Sue once had a group with second and third graders at the park. She took several maple trees, and the kids dug all the holes and planted the trees. Most of the trees are still there, and it taught the students a lesson about taking pride in their work and hard work leading to results that you can see for years to come.
Through their contributions, they form friendships and find people with like passions. Harding instructor and Master Gardener, Beverly Froud, says she often has students complete some of their required service hours with the Master Gardeners because they “paint such a good picture of aging well.”
Master Gardeners are about giving back to the community and sharing their skill set through mentorship. The older Master Gardeners who are in their 70s, 80s, and 90s rejoice to see younger Master Gardeners come in who are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s (or younger). It’s about sharing their God-given talents and passions with others and knowing that they are leaving a place better than they found it.
As I sat in Mrs. Sue’s backyard paradise while she shared her 20+ year journey with the Master Gardeners, I realized that it’s not about the outward beauty of the plants. It’s about finding peace, remembering loved ones, sharing knowledge, sharing passion, and showing God’s love to others. It’s about the opportunity to give back to the community and for each person to have an opportunity to make an impact on the world around them, leaving it just a little better than it was before.
“There is so much to love about the Master Gardener group. They’re such a kind and welcoming bunch of people who provide a great source of community for those who choose to be involved. They’re always willing to teach and mentor those of us who are still learning, and they’re deeply committed to the various projects through which they beautify and give back to the community. If anyone has been considering joining, I would enthusiastically encourage them to take the leap and sign up for the next training offered!”
-Beverly Froud, Master Gardener and Harding University Instructor
Read the full issue below.
