In this undated photo, a Piedmont Azalea is shown growing in the Coastal Plain Research Arboretum on the Tifton campus of the University of Georgia.

TIFTON, Ga. — The South Georgia Native Plant and Wildflower Symposium has blossomed into a must-see event for gardening enthusiasts.

The annual symposium brings together people with a desire to learn more about landscaping with native plants and wildflowers and native plant experts from across the Southeast.

This year’s event will be held Wednesday at UGA’s Tifton Campus Conference Center.

“Many people aren’t aware of the plants that are native to this area, or to the South. That’s what this conference is all about,” said Amy Carter, agricultural research coordinator for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on the Tifton Campus. “Many of those attending have been here almost every year since the first symposium in 2001. Their gardens are their passion.”

As part of Carter’s work at UGA, she manages the Coastal Plain Research Arboretum. At the conclusion of the event, she will lead a walking tour of the arboretum.

Among the native plants to see in the arboretum are azalea, elysium, viburnum, buckeye and holly.

The daylong event will feature six speakers, including Jenny Cruse Sanders, the vice president for science and conservation at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Sanders will discuss the Atlanta garden’s native plant conservation program. Kris Braman, a professor of entomology at the UGA-Griffin Campus, will speak on beneficial insects and their importance to a garden.

“Not all insects are bad,” Carter said. “Many people are tempted to go into their gardens and kill every insect they find. Some of those insects are probably helping. I’m really excited to hear what Dr. Braman can teach us about that.”

Landscape architect Rick Huffman, of Greenville, S.C., will kick off the event. He will speak on his life’s work: creating ecologically-sound landscape designs. Dan Miller will finish the day with his presentation on “Growing Native Azaleas from Seed.”

The symposium will last from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, go to the www.sgnpws.org website or call (229) 391-6868.

Clint Thompson is information coordinator for the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

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• UNHAPPY: John Brown, of Bolwarra Heights, stands on the median strip proposed for a community garden.

A leaked email between Maitland City Council management and ­councillors has been implicated in plans to scuttle a community garden. 

The internal document, leaked to the public and obtained by the Mercury, advised that an East Maitland site was unsuitable for the garden and that councillors should reserve any commitment to it. 

Council general manager David Evans circulated the email to ­councillors and high-ranking staff members ahead of a crucial meet and greet at the William Street site, where the garden was to have been built on the large median strip.

“Should you accept the invitation, I suggest that caution be exercised in expressing any position on this proposal, and certainly prior to further ­consideration of an informed council position on community gardens in ­general,” Mr Evans said in the email.

Garden advocate John Brown said the email was a substantial blow in a campaign to deliver Maitland its first community garden. 

“I don’t know if he’s overstepped his bounds,” Mr Brown said.

“[But] I think the email has scared the councillors off.”

When asked about the email, Mr Evans said he had not interfered in the duty of councillors elected to represent residents. 

“No, the caution given was general advice suggesting councillors gather all the relevant information before making any kind of comment or commitment,” he said. 

“Similar advice is given when dealing with other issues.”

In the email, Mr Evans explained to councillors he had been made aware of the invitation to councillors.

The long-standing general manager said community gardens warranted consideration but added that traffic was a major issue at sites such as William Street.

Mr Brown said council’s position was a major setback.

“It may be six months, possibly years, before a community garden will happen,” he said.

“It’s disappointing the gardens are on hold, but we have to keep the lines of communication open.”

A member of The Greens, Mr Brown started the campaign for a community garden last year in a non-political push calling on the support of all Maitland residents.

A petition collected 167 signatures of support, two thirds of them in the immediate vicinity of the East Maitland site, and gained momentum with corporate support.

Organic Feast director Brent Fairns had suggested the William Street site opposite his store and pledged materials as well as the storage for tools.

The East Maitland NAB branch expressed interest in making a cash grant and committing staff on a monthly roster as part of a community-building strategy. 

Rainbow’s End Landscaping also said it could help and the site could have been fenced for free.

“I really believe this is a great opportunity lost,” Mr Brown said. 

Mr Evans said a framework had to be developed before any community garden could be assessed and that process could identify potential sites.

Despite a layer of snow blanketing the ground, a myriad of various types of flora were springing up at the Dr. Lillian Vitanza Ney Renaissance Center.

On Saturday, the second annual Grow Jamestown Garden Fair was held at the Center, providing area residents with a much-needed glimpse into what spring has in store for the community.

The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., was coordinated by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation and several of its partners, including Cornell Cooperative Extension and volunteers from Lutheran Social Services. According to Peter Lombardi, executive director of the JRC, the garden fair is intended to teach the benefits of gardening from a personal and public standpoint.

Article Photos

The second annual Grow Jamestown Garden Fair featured several displays with information for private and public gardeners.
P-J photos by Gavin Paterniti

“The purpose of the event is to number one, provide education through workshops,” said Lombardi. “It’s a combination of businesses that have something to do with gardening and landscaping, and organizations that are trying to promote it as a public interest. I think anyone who comes here can, from the businesses, learn about how they can improve their own gardens, and talk to landscapers about how to improve the appearance of their homes-which is really important to neighborhood revitalization in Jamestown. And then, from the non-profit organizations, they can learn about (a variety of) food- and gardening-related projects in the community and how they can get involved with them.”

Lombardi said that the idea to host a garden fair in Jamestown came from a similar event, which was held in Warren.

“Sharon Reed, from Cornell Cooperative Extension’s master gardeners program, had talked about how Warren’s cooperative extension had a program similar to this,” he said. “And there was a desire to have something similar to that in Jamestown. So this is sort of loosely modeled after that Warren County event, although I think it’s grown bigger. We’ve surpassed last year-and we have twice as many workshops and definitely more vendors.”

There were a total of eight individually-themed workshops, running from 10:30 a.m to 1:15 p.m. The workshops were provided by: Chautauqua County Master Gardeners; Bruce Robinson; Dan Stone; The Home Depot; JRC; and Creating Healthy Spaces.

According to Mary Maxwell, JRC’s neighborhood project associate, the workshops were designed to teach the dynamic nature of gardening.

“I don’t want people to think that gardening is something they can do for two months and be done,” said Maxwell. “It’s a piece of art that, for me, has been a lifelong process.”

Lombardi said that the garden fair has the material to appeal to gardeners of all ages and skill levels.

“(Gardening) is a multi-generational, multi-skill level activity,” he said. “And I think you can see that on display at an event like this. It’s a good way of getting people to connect with each other at an event like this or in the community.”

Due to the success of the garden fair’s inaugural year, which attracted approximately 300 people, more businesses, vendors and organizations have signed on to participate in this year’s event.

Participating businesses included: Big Tree Landscaping Nursery; Bloomquist’s Landscaping; Marlinski Landscape Stonework; Mike’s Nursery; Roberts Nursery; and The Home Depot. Food and crafts were made available by: Downtown Jamestown Farmers Market, including the Busti Cider Mill and Small Meadows Farm; Bruce J. Robinson Photography; Evergreen Forge; Frederes World of Woodcraft; Paula Coats Pottery; Recreations by Deb; and Planet Earth Catering, which catered the event.

The event was supported by organizations including: BOCES’ Work Experience Program; Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy; City of Jamestown Parks Department; Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County; Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work Play; JCC Community Garden; Jamestown Audubon Society; Jamestown High School’s “Gardeners of Weedin'” club; Jamestown Renaissance Corporation; James Prendergast Library; St. Susan Center’s Giving Garden; and The Resource Center.

Americans have embraced recycling and are enthusiastic about cleaner energy sources. Yet when it comes to caring for their outdoor environment, many people still use less earth-friendly tools and techniques. So what’s standing in the way of Americans going green in their gardens and landscapes?

One answer may be the common misconception that eco-friendly products and practices don’t work as well as less environmentally conscious ones – such as chemicals that repel common garden pests, but can also cause groundwater contamination.

“Advances in environmentally responsible products have made it possible for homeowners to effectively care for their gardens and landscaping, while protecting the environment at the same time,” says Elizabeth Summa, president of Repellex, which makes eco-friendly lawn and garden products.

Some greener gardening tools are time-honored, like rotary lawn mowers. Others are leading-edge, such as pest-control products that are eco-friendly. Here are a handful of environmentally safe, effective ways to keep your landscape and garden green this spring and summer:

Responsible repellent – Deer, rabbits, squirrels and gophers – animals munch on landscaping and garden plants because they’re hungry and the vegetation tastes good to them. Eco-friendly repellents, like those made by Repellex, use taste aversion and natural ingredients like pepper, dried bloodmeal and egg to make non-edible plants less appealing to foragers. Repellex Systemic Tablets deliver a dose of pepper to the roots of plants – just place in soil, water and walk away. The flavor gets absorbed through the roots into non-edible plants, making them taste unappealing to garden pests. For edible plants, Repellex Fruit Vegetable uses a combination of putrescent eggs and plant extracts to keep animals and insects away from fruits and vegetables all season long. Log on to www.repellex.com to learn more.

Friendlier mowing – Long before combustion engines made it possible to mow your lawn quickly and easily, people relied on rotary mowers – also known as reel mowers. Environmentally responsible gardeners have rediscovered these people-powered mowing machines. Reel mowers have many positive attributes: they are pollution-free, quiet and very economical to operate. Modern reel mowers are lighter, smaller and with fewer working parts that require maintenance and repair. They’re also a great way to exercise; walking behind a rotary mower burns more calories than pushing a self-propelled mower.

Organic fertilizing – Chemical fertilizers are a well-known source of groundwater contamination, yet some form of additional nutrients is almost always necessary for successful gardens and lawns. The EPA says composting can eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers and results in higher crop yields. You can compost food waste from your own kitchen, as well as grass clippings and other yard waste. Composting your own organic waste at home not only reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, it can provide you with an effective, eco-friendly and essentially free way to fertilize gardens and flower beds. For lawns, you can find a variety of organic fertilizers – based on natural ingredients rather than chemicals – at most hardware, big box stores and garden centers.

Kinder weed control – Weed killers are also well-known contaminants, and can be hazardous when used around small children or household pets. Before you bring out the spray bottle, consider weed-elimination alternatives that are kinder to the environment. Some very effective options include using a mixture of vinegar and water, boiling water and even pulling weeds by hand. Removing weeds by hand also adds a health benefit for you – you’ll burn more calories pulling weeds than simply spraying them.

Bug-free without bugging the environment – Chemical insecticides can be harsh on the environment – not to mention skin if you use a chemical repellent to ward off mosquitoes and other biting bugs. Instead of chemical insecticides, consider natural alternatives. Repellex’s Mosquito Tick product keeps mosquitoes, ticks and other insects off you by keeping them out of your lawn and garden. The all-natural repellent sprays on your lawn, garden, patio, deck and home exterior to ward off these disease-carrying insects.

Choosing to go green with your lawn and garden care doesn’t mean you have to give up effectiveness. With the right tools, it’s possible to accomplish your lawn and gardening goals while protecting the environment at the same time.

Belfast — On Tuesday, April 9, at 6:30 p.m. Rebecca Jacobs from the Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District will present a slide show and talk on Rain Gardens in the Abbott Room of the Belfast Fee Library.

This program is the last in the series of three evening presentations co-sponsored by the Belfast Garden Club and the Belfast Free Library on the topic Water in the Home Landscape for Beauty and Conservation.

Rain gardens are shallow gardens which contain flowering plants and grasses that can survive in soil soaked with water from rainstorms. They help reduce the rapid flow of storm water, and thus protect lakes and other bodies of water from pollutants washed from roofs and paved areas. They are not permanent ponds, but act as filters and temporary holding areas for the infiltration of storm water into the soil, while providing attractive landscaping and increased habitat for butterflies, birds and beneficial insects. Jacobs will discuss how to design, choose the best plants for and maintain a rain garden in one’s own landscape.

Jacobs comes to Knox-Lincoln SWCD with a wide range of experience in the field of conservation. Moving to Maine in 2006, Jacobs was able to share her love of horticulture and all things outdoors in her role as education coordinator for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Since that time she has moved on dividing her time professionally with her own business in landscape design and horticultural services, Gabriella’s Gardens, and as education/outreach coordinator for Knox-Lincoln SWCD.

Belfast Free Library is located at 106 High St., Belfast. The talk is free and the public is encouraged to attend, light refreshments will be served.

The Belfast Garden Club is committed to promoting both beauty and the conservation of natural resources in public spaces and home gardens. For more information contact Ann Mullen, 207-338-9125 or belfastgardenclub.org, or the Belfast Free Library at 338-3884 ext.10.

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