Author: Margaret Bergeron

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,…

To welcome Spring 2011, Gwinnett Master Gardeners boarded the County van and multiple carpools from around the County for a field trip to Piccadilly Farm and Specialty Ornamentals.  Piccadilly Farm is a tradition and a wonderful adventure and owner Sam Jones led us along the paths to explore and learn. The gardens and nursery featured hellebores, perennials, native flowers, camellias, unusual shrubs, and dwarf conifers.  Following the tour, the shopping began!  After a break for a picnic lunch we loaded our treasures and traveled on to Specialty Ornamentals.  Flo Chaffin, owner, identified new and unusual plants that are not easily found in the trade and answered our many questions about getting the right plant in the right place! Following the tour we purchased our “must haves” to bring year round interest and enjoyment to our own gardens.  It was a relaxing, beautiful spring day in the gardens with fellow gardeners! …