We help people in our community learn about plants and gardening.

What’s coming up

  • Flowers - butterfly weed, coneflower, aster - at Native Plant Garden

    Aug. 22: Join our pollinator count!

    Be a citizen scientist! The NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers of Orange County invite you to join the Great Southeast Pollinator Census at our counting event on Aug. 22, 9 a.m. to noon, at the Bonnie B. Davis Environment and Agricultural Center, 1020 US Hwy 70 West, Hillsborough, NC, 27278 (across from the DMV office). The pollinator count will take place in our demonstration gardens.

    The Great Southeast Pollinator Census will capture information on pollinating insects and the plants they visit. You can count at home, in a public place, or at our event. You don’t need to be an insect expert; anyone (including kids) can count!

    Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand to help you and to answer questions about insects and plants.

    We’ll have counting sheets and fun activities for kids. Please bring a watch or phone that will help you time a 15-minute interval. Also, please bring a hat and water to drink. You can do more than one count if you wish.

    Read more about the pollinator census.

    (Photo: Butterfly weed, coneflowers and Stoke’s aster at the Natives Garden at the Bonnie B. Davis Environmental and Agricultural Center in Hillsborough. Photo by Margaret Cloud)

  • Flyer with date/time/activity information about PlantFest.

    Save the date for PlantFest

    Mark your calendar for PlantFest 2026, the annual plant sale and garden festival hosted by the Master Gardener volunteers of Orange County, NC.

    This year, PlantFest will be held on Saturday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Blackwood Farm Park, north of Chapel Hill. Parking will be available at the park entrance on New Hope Church Road.

    We’ll have a big plant sale, kids’ activities, helpful gardening exhibits, music, food, free seed packets and more!

    We’ll share details in the coming months. Watch for the PlantFest website, coming soon!

  • Photo of woman standing at table, talking to two people and pointing to soil and plant information sheets.

    Find us at farmers' markets!

    The Master Gardener volunteers of Orange County host booths at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market and at the Eno River Farmers’ Market in Hillsborough.

    We have a booth at the Eno River Farmers’ Market(144 East Margaret Ln., Hillsborough) on the third Saturday of each month, March to October. Upcoming dates: July 18, Aug. 15, Sept. 19 and Oct. 17.

    We also have a booth at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market (301 West Main St., Carrboro) - after a summer break, we’ll be back there on Sept. 12 from 8 a.m. to noon.

    At both markets, we love to answer gardening questions. We offer soil testing boxes and other information. Stop by and say hi!

    (Photo by Eric Kurtz.)