CORVALLIS, Ore. — When a powerful ice storm damaged an aging Norway maple in Treasa Street’s yard, she didn’t realize it was the beginning of a costly chain reaction.
“It begins with a conversation. Volunteers engage and it brings education to gardeners. These gardeners then hear from other gardeners and they’re not alone in what they’re seeing and needing.”
The storm was followed by a hot summer. Within a year, branch after branch failed.
“We had to cut the whole tree down, which is very expensive,” said Street, an Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener volunteer in Portland.
The loss changed more than the view from her window. Plants that had thrived for years in cool shade were suddenly exposed to direct sun. A mature rhododendron declined. Water use increased as she replanted and adjusted.
“We’re having to replant everything based on a completely different environment,” Street said. “The problem is still being solved and paid for. It’s a long process just losing that one tree.”
Street’s experience is one of hundreds shared through Garden Future, a statewide initiative of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program designed to help gardeners respond to the effects of climate change.
The project began with a grant from Oregon State University Extension Service and the College of Agricultural Sciences and has grown into a multi-year effort that pairs volunteer training with public outreach and practical tools for climate resilient gardening.
“Climate change education is a priority topic for the Master Gardener Program,” said Brooke Edmunds, an OSU Extension community horticulturist in Marion and Polk counties and associate professor of practice in the Oregon State University Department of Horticulture.
“Master Gardener volunteers are increasingly fielding questions related to the effects of climate change,” Edmunds said.
Starting with three questions
Garden Future centers on three questions posed to gardeners across Oregon: What are Oregon gardeners observing? What changes are they making in response to what they’re seeing? What information do gardeners want?
The questions are shared at plant clinics, farmers markets, plant sales and community events, often by Master Gardener volunteers wearing buttons that read, “What’s your Garden Future?”
“We’re not leading on the outset with climate change,” said LeAnn Locher, outreach coordinator for the statewide Master Gardener Program. “We’re simply asking, ‘What’s your Garden Future?’ It’s a back-and-forth conversation. We’re listening.”
The engagement survey has become a statewide needs assessment. Since the public launch in 2025, Garden Future has received more than 1,200 responses from 25 counties. Overall, 88% of Oregon respondents report experiencing climate change in their gardens, Edmunds said.
What gardeners are seeing
Survey responses show gardeners are noticing more extreme weather, more water challenges and more stress on plants, especially trees and shrubs. Gardeners also report shifts in timing and seasonal patterns, Edmunds said.
“Folks are noting … changes in phenology,” she said, describing how plants respond to weather conditions. “Folks are noticing shifts in the timing of when spring leaves are coming out, or when soil is warming up.”
Locher said the stories point toward practical steps gardeners are already taking and share with one another.
“People trust people,” Locher said. “Stories that are shared by fellow gardeners are way more powerful than just giving you the facts alone.”
Gardeners say they are switching to drought-tolerant plants, increasing mulch use, installing more shade structures, adjusting irrigation methods and modifying planting schedules, according to the survey.
Street has been making similar choices since her tree came down.
“I am focusing on plants that are drought tolerant,” she said. “I don’t want my water bill to be excessive. So, really focusing on picking the right plants for our yard and planning for the future.”
Turning listening into resources
As Master Gardener volunteers asked for more training and outreach materials, Edmunds said, the program worked to create centralized resources that counties could use consistently.
“Our program has been teaching ways to create resilient landscapes and promoting water-wise gardening practices,” Edmunds said. “But we did not have centralized outreach materials and curricula for county program coordinators to use.”
In 2024, a statewide team organized the project, set parameters, formed work teams and created outreach materials. Teams met regularly, held feedback sessions with Master Gardener volunteers and divided tasks across the project’s major components.
A public outreach team developed the Garden Future name and brand, worked with a graphic designer to create outreach pieces and established a page on the OSU Extension website.
The team also created a playlist on the Master Gardener Program YouTube channel and launched email campaigns to keep gardeners in the conversation.
A curriculum development team drafted an online module with practical information on climate change relevant to gardens and landscapes. The course is still under revision and will serve as baseline training for Master Gardener volunteers, Edmunds said. It is also planned for the Professional and Continuing Education catalog as a fee-based course for the public to generate income for the statewide Master Gardener Program.
An outreach kit development team created a suite of materials for local programs, including seven regional handouts with low-water plant recommendations, a companion tabling activity on redesigning landscapes with regionally recommended plants, a branded presentation template, a Jeopardy-style game and prize wheel, a pull-up banner for tabling events, and giveaway items such as stickers, buttons and posters.
Counties have continued to adapt the materials for local needs, including tailoring plant lists for plant sales, Edmunds said.
Reaching gardeners statewide
Since the public launch in 2025, educational information on climate resilience has been published on the Garden Future website. The main page has been viewed 4,800 times, and the resources subpage has reached more than 1,600 gardeners, Edmunds said.
Garden Future sends conversational-style emails monthly to gardeners who choose to sign up. Since launch, about 4,900 emails have been sent, and the project has published seven videos featuring Oregon gardeners sharing how climate change is affecting their gardens. The videos have received more than 1,600 views.
County Master Gardener programs used the Garden Future kits at 155 outreach events in 2025, with 23 county programs participating.
What gardeners want next
When Garden Future asks gardeners what information they want most, responses point to clear priorities: plant lists, water conservation techniques and fire-resistant landscaping. Gardeners also say they want more connection and education.
“They want plant lists,” Edmunds said. “They want to know what’s going to grow well in their garden. They’re making a big investment.”
Garden Future will continue developing new educational materials in response to requests from the public and Master Gardener volunteers, Edmunds said.
In 2026 — the 50th anniversary of the Master Gardener Program in Oregon — the team plans to share results nationally and expand collaboration with other Oregon State programs, including work on climate grief programming and the climate-resilient gardening course.
“It begins with a conversation,” Locher said. “Volunteers engage and it brings education to gardeners. These gardeners then hear from other gardeners and they’re not alone in what they’re seeing and needing.”
