Every year local gardening enthusiasts look forward to the annual Master Gardener Plant Sale and Garden Expo in HancockPark. This event, conducted by the Georgia Mountains Master Gardeners (GMMG) was again connected to the Mountain Flower Art Festival on May 19 and 20.
This year the array of plants for sale, all prepared and grown by local Master Gardeners, was very impressive. The quality, quantity, and variety of local plants which were available was the best yet. Master Gardeners also provided hands-on demonstrations and other instructional programs on plant issues and other gardening needs. Guided native plant walks, conducted in the new Yahoola Creek Park Area Upland Trails, were a very popular activity. Not only were visitors able to learn about trees, plants and other gardening topics, such as container and trough gardening, but new this year was the opportunity for 40 visitors to make a Hypertufa trough to take home for their own garden.
As has been the case in past years, work for the Plant Sale and Expo began months ago, as the volunteers planned the programs and nurtured the plants. Profits from sales are used to fund the various projects for the community, including ongoing support at a number of schools and other public areas. One difference this year is that many of the graduates of the recent class of new intern Master Gardeners used this opportunity to begin working towards becoming Certified Master Gardeners, which requires 50 hours of community service.
Lumpkin County Master Gardeners under the leadership of Extension Agent Greg Sheppard have been very active, volunteering their support to a variety of community activities. For more information, contact the LumpkinCounty Cooperative Extension office at (706) 864-2275.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in The Dahlonega Nugget,Dahlonega, GA, May 30, 2007.
