Middletown Residents Recognized for Dedication as 'Master Gardeners'

Two Middletown residents were recognized for logging thousands of hours as certified Master Gardeners.

Barbara D’Augusta has logged more than 1,000 service hours and Marian Busetti has more than 2,000, according to a Monmouth County news release announcing the new class of Master Gardeners. 

Graduates can share what they’ve learned by holding lectures, demonstrations and school and community gardening projects. They can also answer calls on the county’s “horticulture helpline,” according to a news release.

A total of 31 new graduates completed the Master Gardeners program and were recognized during a graduation ceremony at Jumping Brook Country Club.

The Master Gardener program is conducted throughout the United States and Canada and provides “many hours of intense horticulture training,” according to the county. Then, graduates are able to give back to their communities.

“This Master Gardener class worked with the best in the horticultural field – faculty from Rutgers University and Brookdale Community College and professional staff at the Monmouth County Park System and the Cooperative Extension while completing their training,” said Bill Sciarappa, agricultural and resource management agent for Monmouth County’s Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office, in a statement.

More information about the program is available through the county’s website or by calling 732-431-7260.