In Memoriam: Marion Mistrik

By MG Michaela Barnes

Former MG Marion Mistrik was a dedicated Master Gardener in our Walter Reed USO Garden. She could be counted on to cheerfully show up every time and offer to do any chore. She passed away in 2024. We contacted her son and asked what her favorite flowers were. Here's a picture of the white peony planted in her memory in the Walter Reed USO Garden. She is missed.

L-R: MGs Yumiko Miura, Michaela Barnes, Aloha Keylor, Andrea Tasan, Edith Boehler, and Mary Olson. Photo taken by a USO volunteer.

White Oak Day 2026

People wait to talk with Master Gardeners at White Oak Day.

By MGs Cat Kahn and Sue Kuklewicz

White Oak Day once again proved why it’s one of the most anticipated MCMG community events of the year. Despite the heat, Master Gardener and HarvestShare volunteers, along with local residents, came together on June 6 with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a shared love of gardening and community connection.

The event included a seedling giveaway, a container gardening station, and tours of the White Oak Youth Garden. One attendee summed up the mood of the day perfectly, saying, I’m so excited to get these plants! That excitement echoed throughout the day.

Plant Giveaways

MGs Linda Weiss, Eniko Csikos, Terese Bouey, Alison Edwards,
and Tom Mulczynski prepare to give away plants.

This year’s event saw remarkable engagement. The seedling giveaway was bustling from start to finish, with a near‑constant line of eager residents. At the registration table, HarvestShare volunteers Ling Yu and Blair Zucker welcomed 180 households representing 678 family members. Over 85% of participating families lived in the Silver Spring area, underscoring the event’s deep roots in the community. MGs Linda Weiss, Terese Bouey, Eniko Csikos, Alison Edwards, and Tom Mulczynski spent meaningful time with residents selecting plants suited to their needs.

In total, we estimate that about 461 plants found new homes—far more than expected, especially since no seedlings were solicited from MGs this year. As one volunteer joked, “They just seem to find Cat.” Plants given out were predominantly tomatoes, peppers, and basil at the seedling giveaway tent; basil from the container gardening station; and marigolds from the Youth Garden. Even the Recreation Center staff got in on the excitement, happily adopting 19 tomato plants that might otherwise have been composted.

A Welcoming, Educational Space

MGs Robin Ritterhoff and Pat Lynch at the
container gardening table. 

This year’s layout created a true destination feel. With the large plant giveaway tent in the parking lot, the container gardening station to the right, the Master Gardener tent centered between them, and the Youth Garden behind it, visitors were drawn into a vibrant hub of activity and learning.

The container gardening table, staffed by MGs Robin Ritterhoff and Pat Lynch—two Master Gardeners with deep expertise—saw steady traffic throughout the day. Many visitors were already familiar with container gardening, but they appreciated the variety of plants and containers on display and left feeling newly inspired.

Youth Garden: Growing the Next Generation

MG Mary Lou Johnson talks
with a young visitor.

The Youth Garden enjoyed higher than usual turnout, with MGs Kara Singh, Mary Lou Johnson, and Rosemary McCabe leading tours and hands‑on planting activities. Children were delighted to pot up marigolds to take home—a small but powerful way to spark a lifelong interest in gardening.

The garden also welcomed special guests, including a young spring session gardener, Mexlie, who proudly returned to show her mother the space. At the same moment, volunteers were joined by County Executive candidate Will Jawando, who toured the garden, learned about the program, and expressed a strong interest in addressing food insecurity. Maryland State Delegate Lorig Charkoudian visited as well.  

Gratitude for a Dedicated Volunteer Team

We would like to emphasize one message: gratitude. Gratitude for the hard work, the preparation, the expertise, and the heart that each volunteer brought to the day; gratitude for the community members who showed up eager to learn and grow; and gratitude for a day that, despite the heat, felt “perfect.”

We thank all of the volunteers for sharing their expertise with the community. This was a team effort rooted in service, learning, and joy. With the HarvestMobile unloaded and another successful White Oak Day behind us, the planning—and dreaming—for next year has already begun.

All photos: Sue Kuklewicz

An Unexpected Gardening Lesson

By MG Leonard K.

Several weeks ago, I noticed a small spot on my forearm, about the size of a large freckle. It was innocuous, entirely ordinary. I assumed it was a bruise or other minor skin irritation. After six or seven weeks, it had not changed or disappeared, so I decided to have a dermatologist examine it.

The dermatologist did not think it appeared particularly concerning. Nevertheless, she suggested a biopsy “just to be safe.” About a week later, she telephoned me with an unexpected question:

“Have you recently traveled to Africa or South America?”

The biopsy showed a condition called chromomycosis (sometimes grouped under the broader category of chromoblastomycosis), a fungal skin infection caused by pigmented environmental fungi. These fungi are associated with soil, decaying vegetation, wood debris, mulch, compost, and similar organic material. They can occasionally enter the skin through tiny cuts, scratches, punctures, splinters, or thorn injuries and often so minor they go unnoticed.

As gardeners, we work constantly with exactly these materials:

• compost piles,

• mulch,

• decomposing leaves,

• woody debris,

• potting soils, and

• fungal-rich organic matter.

We can’t know the precise source of my exposure, but environmental contact through gardening and compost handling appears most plausible. Fortunately, these infections are usually localized, and when identified early, can be treated with a simple outpatient excision. Left untreated, they may slowly enlarge and become more difficult to eradicate, requiring more burdensome treatment.

My experience serves as a gentle reminder to others to be mindful of small lesions and spots. There should be no cause for alarm. Cases such as mine are uncommon. Nonetheless, awareness is valuable.

Gloves can protect skin from disease.
Image generated by MG Len Friedman using ChatGPT.

Of course, some sensible precautions for gardeners may include:

• wearing gloves when handling compost or thorny material,

• cleaning scratches and punctures promptly,

• protecting forearms when working in dense vegetation, and

• paying attention to skin lesions that persist for weeks without healing.

As Master Gardeners, we know humans are participants in the ecological web. Perhaps we don’t want to get quite so close to some organisms!

Additional Scientific Notes

Chromomycosis/chromoblastomycosis is most often caused by darkly pigmented (“dematiaceous”) fungi such as species within the genera Fonsecaea, Cladophialophora, and Phialophora. These organisms are more commonly reported in tropical and subtropical climates, but environmental exposure can occur elsewhere, including North America. The infection is usually acquired by traumatic implantation into the skin rather than by inhalation or person-to-person transmission.

Common features include:

• slow growth,

• persistence,

• nodules or plaques,

• pigmentation, and

• in some cases, crusting or wart-like lesions.

Diagnosis is generally made by biopsy and special fungal stains.

Suggested References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Fungal Diseases (https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/).

DermNet NZ — Chromoblastomycosis (https://dermnetnz.org/topics/chromoblastomycosis).

Merck Manual Consumer Version — Fungal Skin Infections (https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/skin-disorders/fungal-skin-infections).

American Academy of Dermatology (https://www.aad.org/).

President's Letter - June 2026

MCMG President Linda Barrett

By MG Linda Barrett

As the weather heats up, so do the volunteer opportunities throughout MCMG.

Just as a reminder, you can access all the latest information about MCMG events, dates, and times on our calendar on Gardeners-Connected.groups.io. Please email Karen Donato (find her email address in VMS) to add events to the calendar.

Our annual spring potluck picnic is on June 4 at the Derwood UMD Extension Office. Please be sure to bring a potluck item to share for lunch at noon. If you were recognized for your five, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years of service, we will distribute Years of Service pins before the picnic from 11:30 am-noon.

Our new intern class will begin on June 9, with classes mostly in person. The Intern Job Fair will be on Monday, June 25 at Derwood. Committee chairs will create informational displays, and interns can sign up for activities they want to volunteer for.

The Bay-Wise committee is back to work, performing site visits to certify county landscapes as Bay-Wise and providing recommendations for more sustainable landscapes. If you would like to have your landscape certified, go to our MCMG Bay-Wise webpage. 

I truly appreciate everyone's commitment to MCMG's mission, and hope you’ll volunteer for upcoming activities. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Linda

Master Gardener Years of Service Recognition 2026

By MG Linda Barrett

Congratulations to the Master Gardeners celebrating 15, 20, 25, or 30 years of service. They've worked side by side to achieve the MCMG mission “to educate residents about safe, effective, and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities.” We offer them our thanks for the many hours, days, months, and years of sharing their garden knowledge and expertise.   

15 Years of Service (class of 2011)

MG Marsha Barnes has been a valued volunteer with Therapeutic Horticulture (TH) for the past 15 years.	MG Dorothy "Darlene" Nicholson has co-led the Derwood Demo Garden, coordinated and photographed the Weed Book and Bug Book, in addition to leading the start-up Explorers adolescent group started by the police department.
MG Lily Bruch enjoys working with the vegetable team in the Derwood Demo Garden.	MG Kim Robinson has worked on many programs and continues with the Plant Clinic at Brookside Gardens.
MG Mary Hagedorn’s volunteer activities have included Close Encounters with Agriculture, Speakers Bureau, and Grow It Eat It.	MG Shelley Rae Rudick loves participating in the environmental track of Close Encounters With Agriculture, and the Urban Garden program.
MG Kathy Kircher has led the TH program at Kensington, and the annual holiday centerpiece-making workshop.	MG Terri Valenti specializes in large scale events: Grow It Eat It, Discovery Day, the semiannual plant swap, and volunteering at White Oak Garden.
MG Susan McCaffrey is a steady presence at the Brookside Plant Clinic on Sundays.	MG Cindy Walczak enjoys the great variety of MG activities, and volunteers with plant clinics, special events, and the Bay-Wise Program.
MG Katie McIe has served as a Board member, the Olney Farmers Market Coordinator, and is currently the keeper of our VMS Records.	MG Janet Young was MCMG President in 2014 and 2015, led a research project to identify the best broccoli, and is currently co-coordinator of the Olney Farmers Market Plant Clinic.
MG Yumiko Miura enjoys working at the Healing Garden at USO and finds joy in planning the monthly TH sessions for patients at Walter Reed.

20 Years of Service (class of 2006)

MG Joy Adler Back in the day there were fewer volunteer options — the “telephone room,” a burgeoning Speakers Bureau, and a few hands-on garden sites. Joy enjoys volunteering at the Davis Library, Kensington Farm Market, and especially, the weekly “mucking-about” at Nature Forward.	MG Ilse Konigshofer began her MG internship in the DDG shade garden and the Brookside Gardens Plant Clinic. She continues to volunteer at Brookside alongside other MGs exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, and offering guidance to the public.
MG Lynn Furrow has volunteered at plant clinics, TH, and Harvest Festival. She really enjoys interacting with the public and other MGs at plant clinics.	MG Marcia McComb loves fielding questions at the Gaithersburg Plant Clinic. She is a pro at teaching others to make Tussie Mussies at the Harvest Festival, and she volunteers every year at CEWA. If that wasn’t enough, she has been the Coordinator of the TH group at Asbury Assisted Living since 2010.

25 Years of service (class of 2001)

MG Susan Bell brings her passion for garden design and landscaping to her MG volunteer work. She has been presenting to garden clubs through the Speakers Bureau. Susan has written for the The Seed, and actively volunteers at several MG events.

MG Janine Trudeau is passionate about connecting people to nature. She has worked with CEWA, getting kids outside and helping them make connections to where their food comes from. She enjoys teaching her local community and neighbors about native plants, plant and animal best habitats, and enticing them to come out and enjoy the wonders of the natural world.

30 Years of Service (class of 1996)

MG Eric Wenger has enriched the MCMG program with his knowledge and expertise in gardening. He is an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) specialist for turfgrass and ornamental plants. He shares his knowledge generously with other MGs and through the Speakers Bureau, giving presentations to garden clubs, schools, and professional industry seminars on general gardening, IPM, lawn care, and garden pests.

Master Gardeners Celebrate Earth Day 2026

By MGs Pela Soto and Sreemoti Mukerjee Roy

One of our busiest times as Master Gardeners comes around each April, on or near Earth Day. Earthday.org claims that Earth Day is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event each year. Here are a few of the events that Montgomery County MGs supported with their volunteer efforts around Earth Day 2026, which was officially on April 22.

Rockville Villages

MG Holly Ketchel at the Go Green Festival.

MG Holly Ketchel staffed the Ask a Master Gardener table at Rockville Villages' first annual Go Green Festival on April 18. As a Class of 2025 Master Gardener, it was only her second plant clinic. She spoke to 52 people in three hours! 

Walter Reed

MGs Monica Medrek and Edith Boehler at Walter Reed. 

MG Edith Boehler reported participating in a very successful Earth Day event with an MCMG table at the entrance to the service member food court on the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) on April 23. She thanks MGs Monica Medrek, Johleen Cannon, and Patti Connell for joining her in staffing the table. Also at the event were the US National Park Service, Montgomery County Recycling, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and a couple of WRNMMC service groups.

Edith said that they distributed over 100 houseplants and baby parsley plants to service members and staff. As in past years, service members and staff were excited to see them.  Several people talked about their successes with the plants they got last year, and were looking for a different plant to try. Our MGs had many conversations about how to care for house plants and how to propagate house plants when they do well.

National Institutes of Health

L-R: MGs Nena Thayer, Anne Brooks Rudzki, and Susan Terrillion.

MG Anne Brooks Rudzki described participating in a large Earth Day/Bring Your Child to Work Day event at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on April 23 along with MGs Nena Thayer, Susan Terrillion, and Edith Boehler. The MCMG table was one of many set up in a tent on an NIH lawn. Anne said the event had a real festival feel. They counted 250 visitors to the table, including many kids. They gave out over 50 plants, mainly herbs and a few houseplants propagated by MCMG volunteers. They also displayed a photo of the National Library of Medicine Herb Garden at the NIH along with maps to get there, and explained the MCMG’s role in maintaining it. People generally didn't know the garden was there, but were interested in walking by or having lunch there. The MGs also had many conversations about growing herbs and vegetables, and answered questions about why various plants died over the winter.