Gardening enthusiasts from around the area attended our meeting to meet a living legend, Dr. Michael A. Dirr.  DeKalb, Hall, Forsyth and Rockdale Master Gardeners as well as our own members were thoroughly entertained by his presentation titled “Abelia to Ziziphus…Mining the Alphabet for the Next Great Garden Plant” on March 18th. Through pictures and dialog, Dr. Dirr walked us through the Dirr Garden in Bogart and shared information on what he considers some of the best plant selections for Georgia gardens.  He brought plants he has propagated and/or grown from seed to share which were given as member door prizes  It was a highly educational and enjoyable evening. Now retired from UGA, throughout his career, Dr. Dirr has published more then 300 scientific and popular papers and articles. His teaching, lectures, seminars, garden study tours and plant introduction programs have contributed enormously to greater horticultural awareness not only in Georgia,…