March — At a venue change to the Lilburn Activity Building, our March 20th evening meeting featured resource Specialist, Stuart Suttle of the GA Soil & Water Conservation Commission. He presented information on the agency and how those agency programs are administered in Gwinnett County and throughout the state. He included ways that the Gwinnett County Soil & Water District can partner with Master Gardeners for funding and assistance on projects.
Shrinking Violets are a BLAST!
The poet that called the wood violet “shrinking violets” did not know how appropriate that name was for this little ground hugger. Yes, it is considered a modest flower in that it is small and close to the ground, but when its seed pods shrink, and they do, they go ballistic! The seed pods shrink to release their seeds, but in doing so, the seeds are propelled to a distance away from the parent plant, a reproductive strategy. No worries about when the children will leave home; they are literally thrown out! The interesting thing about these seed pods is that they are from underground flowers. Yes, I said underground. The photos above are of the seed pods of the underground flowers. They emerge from the ground on stems about two inches long and shoot seeds out to establish a new colony away from the parent! Violets have developed several…
February 2023 Meeting
February — GCMGA hosted Joe Lamp’l at our lunch time meeting on February 20, 2023. Joe talked about Ecological Gardening and sharing his insights into the impact gardeners have on their yards and communities via the choices they make and garden practices. Joe also shared his own organic gardening practices in both his vegetable garden and his yard with an ever-expanding palette of native plants.