When Danielle Green of the Atlanta Zoo spoke to our group in the spring of 2012, Margaret immediately worked to accept her invitation to visit and set up a field trip. In October, we all had a great time and Danielle is a very knowledgeable, sharing tour guide! We learned about appropriate horticulture for the zoo. I had never really considered that there were plants that should not be in a zoo, not only for the animals but also for the visitors to the zoo. The education about different types of bamboo needed for the pandas; overwintering plants; plants appropriate for our zone – we all learned a lot of good information. Absolutely worth the trip! Related Images:
August 2012 GCMGA Meeting – “Creating a Garden for Winter Beauty”
The guest speaker for the August meeting was Arty Schronce, Director of Public Affairs for the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Arty publishes “Arty’s Garden” for the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin and a weekly Q&A column. His articles and photographs have appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines, and books. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, and a lifelong gardener. Making gardens more ecologically friendly and biologically diverse is a special interest to Arty, and his garden in the Cabbagetown neighborhood of Atlanta is an oasis for wildlife. His presentation on “Creating a Garden for Winter Beauty” provided interesting ideas to make sure our gardens are beautiful during drab winter days. Related Images:
Southern Highlands Reserve Field Trip – July 23, 2012
An adventurous group of Gwinnett County Master Gardeners traveled to Southern Highlands Reserve located in western North Carolina. At an elevation of 4500’, summer is later there and we enjoyed cooler weather and different flora. The average temperature for this date is still in the upper 70’s! The wildflowers were in bloom and there was plenty of shade to make this July field trip a pleasure. The Reserve’s 120 acres are dedicated to celebrating the natural history of the Southern Appalachian Highlands, and was well worth a beautiful drive with friends to just inside our neighboring North Carolina. The Highlands’ Core Park is home to destination gardens such as The Woodland Glade, The Azalea Walk, The Wildflower Labyrinth and Vaseyi Pond. These are manicured display gardens planted with native species and their cultivars. The Reserve is home to a vast array of naturally occurring native plants and one of the largest natural stands…