Elizabeth Dean of Wilkerson Mill Garden entertained and enlightened us with her presentation on hydrangeas at our January meeting. GCMGA members and guests followed up the presentation with a field trip to learn more and shop! Elizabeth provided a tour and educational demonstration. After learning more about the selections available, many of us took advantage of the opportunity to acquire a variety of hydrangeas and companion plants in order to establish them for the spring blooming season. Elizabeth’s advice is to plant early and, although there is the possibility of a late freeze in March, it is manageable with young plants.
After touring Wilkerson Mill, we traveled to Nearly Native Nursery for a picnic lunch, workshop, and tour. Nearly Native Nursery is a specialty nursery that promotes and propagates southeastern native plants for all types of landscapes. They offer a wide variety of native plant life that is tough, versatile, and a beautiful alternative to exotics. Jim and Debi Rodgers were our hosts and provided an educational presentation to increase our knowledge of natives, ways to incorporate them into traditional landscapes, and the benefits to our environment.