Two Yachats master gardeners honored by OSU Extension Service

Two Yachats women are among 40 people across Oregon being honored by Oregon State University Extension for their work as master gardeners.

OSU Extension has named Marlene Shapiro as Lincoln County’s master gardener of the year, and Carita Edson as winner of its “behind the scenes” award for Lincoln County.

In announcing the honors, OSU Extension said Shapiro is famous for the 10-foot tomato plant she grew in the Yachats Demonstration and Community Garden greenhouse and has been integral to the Lincoln County Master Gardener Association in countless ways. OSU said Shapiro has served on the board and multiple committees and has volunteered at three of the five demonstration gardens.

“She is a prolific grower of plants as well as a hands-on organizer for the annual plant sale,” the announcement said. “Her organizational and leadership skills benefit not only the Roundtable Gardening Series, but also the program overall.”

OSU Extension is honoring Edson because she “is a hard-working and knowledgeable gardening presence in the Yachats community garden, keeping a watchful eye on the garden thanks to her daily walks.”

Edson has served on the chapter board, as co-coordinator of the children’s gardening program and participates in many greenhouse and garden activities from weeding to watering to planting spring seedlings, the announcement said.

The honorees are among the nearly 3,000 master gardeners who work with OSU Extension to share their knowledge of sustainable gardening practices across 27 Oregon counties. In 2019, volunteers put in 221,423 hours.

The OSU Master Gardener program and the Oregon Master Gardener Association, a nonprofit that supports the program, sponsor the annual awards, which are decided on by a committee of Gail Langellotto, statewide Master Gardener coordinator, the OMGA president-elect and past winners of the Statewide Behind the Scenes award.

The statewide Master Gardener of the year is Barbara Davidson of Jackson County and the statewide Behind the Scenes Award went to Michael O’Loughlin of Yamhill County.