Hartman Arboretum

The Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Association, Inc. (SWIMGA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the community about proper horticultural practices. Our mission is to educate members and the general public on horticultural techniques, demonstrate proper gardening, lawn care, and pest control techniques recommended by Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, and provide service to the community through improving the environment, helping others to build and maintain gardens, and empowering the community to a healthy lifestyle through gardening.

Our History

The Master Gardener program was first developed in the early 1970s in Washington State. An Extension Horticulturist was overwhelmed with questions from residents about gardening, lawns, trees, and other horticultural topics. He thought that it would be great to train some interested volunteer gardeners to help him field these questions, and thus the Master Gardeners were born. The Indiana Master Gardener program was started by Purdue University in 1975. SWIMGA was established in 1988, with a group of nine members, and later formalized under the name "Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Association, Inc." in 1992 to serve the counties of Vanderburgh, Warrick, Gibson, and Posey.

Our Services

As a member of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, SWIMGA offers a range of services to the community, including:

• Educating the public on horticultural techniques through workshops, demonstrations, and educational events
• Demonstrating proper gardening, lawn care, and pest control techniques through our Master Gardener Display Garden and other community gardens
• Providing service to the community through improving the environment, helping others to build and maintain gardens, and empowering the community to a healthy lifestyle through gardening

Our Programs

Some of our notable programs include:

• Our annual Plant Sale, which offers a wide variety of plants for sale to the public
• Our biennial Fall Conferences, which feature educational presentations and demonstrations on horticultural topics
• Our Garden Walk "Tour de Fleur", which allows the public to tour beautiful gardens in the area and learn about different gardening techniques
• Our Demonstration Days, which offer hands-on training and education on gardening and horticultural topics

Our Community Involvement

SWIMGA is committed to giving back to the community through a variety of programs and services. Some examples include:

• Assisting Habitat for Humanity in landscaping the yards of newly built homes
• Participating in community events such as Arbor Day, Ag Day, Earth Day, and Recycling and Tox-Away projects
• Partnering with local schools and scouting organizations to educate youth about gardening and horticulture