The Allen County Master Gardener volunteers will meet at the Bluffton town hall on Wednesday, Aug. 15.  

The group will tour the recently completed Mayor’s Garden prior to the meeting and hear from the garden’s designer, Nanci Mistovich, on how she helped the village achieve their goals for the new garden space.  

The Mayor’s Garden was designed not only to enhance the existing Mayor’s Tree but also to complement the elegant red brick of the Town Hall building.  The common plants used in the garden were chosen for easy maintenance and drought tolerance, as well as their attractive appearance in all seasons.  More than 250 plants are present in the garden.  

Probably the most unique and whimsical feature of the Mayor’s Garden is the reuse of old manhole covers that the village no longer needs.  The Bluffton Service Department helped locate and transport 19 manhole covers that now have a new home in the garden.  Each of the covers was scraped and cleaned prior to being placed in the garden in a stepping stone pattern.  

After the meeting, the Master Gardener volunteers will travel to the Bluffton Community Garden, which is managed by the Gardeners of the Bluffton/Pandora Area.  This year the Community Garden includes a new pollinator garden that will be a primary focus of the visit. 

The Allen County Master Gardener Volunteer group has more than 60 active members from all over the county.  

Each volunteer completes extensive training through the Ohio State University Master Gardener Volunteer Program, which is designed to meet the consumer horticulture needs of Ohio citizens.  

Volunteers utilize their expertise to teach people more about plants and pests, their culture, and their importance to the environment and to our quality of life.  

Local members of the group are Victoria Zeits, Nanci Mistovich, Mark Simmons, and Pete and Sara Badertscher.