Interview with Katherine Rindt, EMG
(February 2026)
Q1) Tell us about how you became interested in becoming an Extension Master Gardener.
When I was getting ready to retire and wondering what I would do with my time, Richard Stromberg told me that, if I became a Master Gardener, he would have plenty to keep me busy. Luckily, when I retired in April, 2003, there was a class starting soon in Shenandoah County, so I signed up.
Q2) When and how did your love of plants and nature start?
I think I was born with a love of plants and nature. Both my grandmothers were avid gardeners and I spent time with them working in their yards. My maternal grandmother bought and planted things she found in catalogs and advertisements. When we moved into her house, after she died, my mother and I worked hard to keep the garden up to her standards.
As a young adult, I was introduced to hiking and camping, when I married into a family that liked outdoor adventure. My father-in-law instilled in me a love of the woods and a sense of stewardship for the environment, which has continued to grow over the past 56 years.
Q3) You have a strong connection with the Warren County community and Warren Heritage Demonstration Garden. Tell us about this project and how it has evolved over the years.
I started working in the garden at the Warren Heritage Society right after my EMG class. The gardens had become quite overgrown and Marsha Burd developed the renovation project, shortly before she became County Coordinator. We found the original garden design plans in the Heritage Society archives and used them to restore the garden beds with period plants.
Next, we installed an herb garden for the docents to use in their cooking demonstrations in the property’s colonial kitchen. Then we created brochures with the plants and design plans, to be handed out by the Heritage Society. This whole renovation project took several years, and by then I was hooked! When Marsha moved to Maryland, I took over as project lead.
As EMGs, we partner with the Heritage Society to help them fulfill their mission of preserving history and educating the public. Over the past two years, we have planted the Three Sisters Garden at their location. This garden honors the local Native American heritage of this area, provides gardening activities for children during the Festival of Leaves and the Heritage Society history camp, and hosts presentations on various gardening topics for the public.
Q4) I know you have taken on many different roles in our NSV EMG unit. How have you served the Northern Shenandoah Master Gardeners?
I have served as Vice President, worked on the nominating committee, succeeded Marsha Burd as the Warren County Volunteer Coordinator, and I also served as the project lead for the Warren County Help Line.
Q5) For what other projects have you enjoyed volunteering? What makes an engaging project?
I like helping people with plant questions and problems. So, I have always enjoyed working at the Help Line and at information booths. I like doing research to learn new things. I also like to get my hands dirty. The combination of these two aspects – research and active gardening – will keep me hooked on a project!
Q6) As a gardener with many years of experience, what positive changes have you seen in consumer horticulture? What concerns might you have?
One of the biggest changes I have seen is the increased public awareness of how damaging the use of chemicals can be for our health and the environment. As a result, there is now an increased use of integrated pest management to solve problems, rather than just spraying whatever is in the garage or shed to kill bugs. Another significant change is that more gardeners are planting native plants to encourage pollinators and birds.
I am concerned about invasive plants and invasive insects destroying our native plant populations. Gardeners can be vectors of introduction of both these threats into an area.
Q7) Tell us about how you spend your free time, when not in the garden.
Volunteering with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club is my other job. My husband and I are the maintainers of two sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT), one in the Thompson Wildlife area and the other in Shenandoah Park.
I also support my husband in his volunteer role as District Manager of all the trails and shelters from Rt. 50 to the northern park boundary near Chester Gap. We hike the trails to chainsaw and cut back extra vegetation that other trail maintainers cannot remove with hand tools.
I also like to hike with family and friends just for fun. When I am stuck in the house, I like to read, knit and crochet. Like most knitters, I tend to hoard yarn. Anyone need any yarn for a project? (Interview by EMG Susan)
Interview with Kathy Doyle, EMG Emeritus
(October 2025)
Q1) When and how did you first develop a love of plants and gardens?
In my early twenties, I lived in a house made up of apartments, and there was a yard in the back that was unused. I dug up an area and planted a few things; I don’t even remember what. My neighbor, a 90-year-old man, came over to inspect what I was doing, and he said, “Well, you’re no gardener.” That was my start!
However, I didn’t start gardening properly until I was much older, in my forties. I had a vegetable garden, and my husband oversaw any flowers that needed to be planted. I had no concept of native and invasive plants. At that point, I knew very little about gardening and just did whatever I thought was right.
Q2) Why did you decide to become an Extension Master Gardener (EMG)?
Actually, I wanted to take the Master Naturalist class – but it fell on nights when I was working. The gentleman I spoke with suggested the Master Gardener class instead.
That was the first time I heard about the EMG class, with its focus on gardening and plants, but it fitted in well with my love of nature.
Q3) What areas did you specialize in as a volunteer EMG?
I was used to working with children in Head Start and the public schools, so I gravitated to children’s gardening. I have always said that children are “my people.” I used to do a Science Club at my house when my older son was in elementary school and, when my younger son came along, he wanted a club too, so we started a Nature Club.
I have always loved researching activities to do with children. I was retired by the time I became a Master Gardener, my own children were long gone, and I was no longer working with young children in school.
So, it seemed natural that, as an EMG, I would seek out activities involving children.
Q4) Please describe one project that you especially enjoyed in your EMG activities.
I have to say that I really enjoyed working with two other Master Gardeners in heading up the Garden Fest event for two years. It was out of my wheelhouse but working as a team was so inspiring and so much fun.
I never considered myself much of a leader; however, being in the EMG program really helped me to step out of my comfort zone and take on responsibilities that I had never considered before. When you can divvy up those responsibilities with a team, the ideas flow, and you end up achieving so much more than if you had done it as a lone wolf.
Q5) As an Emeritus EMG, what do you plan for future activities, in the garden or elsewhere?
My heart is with children and families. Since I retired, I’ve volunteered at the Strasburg Library doing Baby Rhyme Time and Preschool Storytime every week. I love being around babies and young kids and interacting with parents and caregivers. It’s a joy.
I’ve recently started working as a Blue Ridge CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate). This is a more serious endeavor and a whole new experience for me, since we work with children in need of services (CHINS) and kids in foster care. We gather information about the children and their families to share with each guardian ad litem and judge, so that they can make informed decisions on the future of children at risk.
I’m also planning some projects in my own garden, such as trying to get rid of those pesky tree-of-heaven trees and autumn olives – but that could be a life’s work! I’m getting pretty good with my chainsaw. I’m also trying my hand at growing more native flowers and I aim to eliminate more and more of our lawn. (Interview by EMG Judith)