Friend, Mentor and Gardener
The Northern Neck Master Gardeners suffered the loss of one our most active and beloved volunteers, Diane Kean. Diane became a master gardener in 2008. Over the years she accumulated 7,307 volunteer hours taking part in or leading efforts in gardens all over the Northern Neck: George Washington’s birthplace, Stratford Hall, Farm Museum Vegetable Garden and the bare patch of ground at her condo door. Diane was also devoted to education. Working long hours at the computer she collected articles and information to inform her fellow master gardeners of best practices, new plants and tools, important garden spots that could be visited to learn more. No garden was too far for Diane. She founded and edited the monthly NNMG publication, “The Garden Post”.
Donations to the Diane Kean Memorial Scholarship Fund will be added to the $1,000 scholarship awarded by the Northern Neck Master Gardeners to a deserving Essex County student in the Spring of 2025.
To donate, please complete this form, attach your check made payable to NNMG and mail to the address shown on the form. The fund will close on March 30th, 2025.
The Extension Master Gardener Program is an educational program of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE). Working with VCE offices in Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, Westmoreland, and Essex Counties, we are able to bring the knowledge and expertise of Virginia’s land-grant universities – Virginia Tech and Virginia State University to the people of the Northern Neck.
Our organization supports a variety of programs specifically targeted to the unique growing conditions and environmental concerns of our largely rural region, which is bordered by two major river systems and the Chesapeake Bay. Activities highlighted on this website include science enrichment programs in the schools; seminars and workshops for gardeners; gardening advice; horticultural therapy for seniors; a speakers’ bureau; shoreline advisory services; and specialized gardens demonstrating basic gardening principles.
We invite you to attend our programs, visit our demonstration gardens, and come to us with your gardening questions. You can reach us by email, by visiting or calling the VCE office in your county, and by stopping by our booths at farmers markets and special events throughout the area.