NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Mecklenburg County

08/17/2026

Check our website for more details: https://mecklenburg.ces.ncsu.edu/news/the-great-southeast-pollinator-census-in-mecklenburg-county/

08/14/2026

Join us in some citizen science! Let’s count the bugs!!

Help Keep Charlotte Beautiful and Charlotte's Bee City Committee spot more pollinators than any other city in the south! Come out to our three public gardens, receive a token at each site, and turn in two or more of them to Birdsong Brewing after the event for a free beverage or Bee City Charlotte sticker! 🐝🦋🌻

- Time and date: Saturday, August 22, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
- Locations: Veterans Park, Reid Park, and Tuckaseegee Arboretum & Gardens.
- Learn more and register here or the link in our bio: https://bit.ly/4hdVWKQ

08/14/2026

You can't count the "Life on a Leaf" if you don't know the leaf! 🍃 For the Census, identifying your plant to the species level is a must. Here we've planted watermelon and it took on a life of its own. We included some flowers close by to encourage additional pollinator activity.

07/30/2026

Do you want to add the plant of the month to your garden? Here’s are a few quick tips and reminders for when you’re ready to plant your giant coneflowers!🪏

For more information about the giant coneflower visit the NC State Plant toolbox at https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rudbeckia-maxima/

07/14/2026

Did you know❔ The 2026 NC Wildflower of the Year is the Big-Headed Aster (Symphyotrichum grandiflorum)! These flowers are a great source of nectar to our pollinator friends well into late fall and early winter🦋 If you’d like to add these gorgeous violet-purple flowers to your personal native landscape or pollinator garden, the North Carolina Botanical Garden can send the seeds directly to you for free📬 Simply send a self-addressed, stamped business-letter envelope to: 2026 NCWFOY
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Campus Box 3375, UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3375 ________________________________________________source: https://ncbg.unc.edu/2026/01/08/2026-nc-wildflower-of-the-year/

07/10/2026

Our new sign is up in the Freedom Park Demonstration Garden! Come check it out to learn more about the space and to see what’s growing🌻 For more information about the NC State Extension Master Gardener℠ program and their work please visit https://mecklenburg.ces.ncsu.edu/nc-state-extension-master-gardener-program/

07/09/2026

July's pollinator plant of the month is the Giant Coneflower. Stay tuned to learn more about its benefits to the ecosystem, how you can use it, and a guide to growing it in your own garden! 🌻

For more information about the Giant Coneflower or any other plant go to plants.ces.ncsu.edu to access the Plant Toolbox.

07/08/2026

Tucked away in Charlotte’s urban landscape the residents of the Reid Park neighborhood and the Extension Master Gardeners℠ have created a thriving vegetable demonstration garden. Check out the pics above to see everything that they’re growing in this small but mighty space!

07/07/2026

Extension Master Gardener℠ (EMG) volunteers do wonderful work across Mecklenburg County, and the Edible Landscapes program is one of the ways they’re making a difference. Today they worked alongside community volunteers to harvest and w**d the edible landscape and orchard at Hope House Foundation in Huntersville. Hope House provides housing and support services for single women and women with children experiencing situational homelessness to help transform their lives and provide a path forward. Our partnership gives their residents access to fresh food right on site. We’re very grateful for our EMG’s and community partners like Hope House who make this work possible, and look forward to returning again next week! ________________________________________________
🪏If you’d like to volunteer to help at the Hope House garden please visit volunteersignup.org/M9MAC