Inaugural Gardening Info Day 2025

On a warm Spring morning on the final day of the Spring Plant Sale about a dozen interested learners gathered for this informational event presented by the Master Gardener Association of the Piedmont at Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve. The half hour presentations were very instructional for the newbie and experienced gardener alike. Some of the attendees were new to the area so they were interested in learning more about the area’s horticulture. Originally scheduled to take place last fall, Tropical Storm Helene postponed this event to this beautiful spring day.

The day started off with Master Gardener Elaine Allen who spoke on the various forms of propagation at the the Jess Taylor Pavilion, but for the day called “Propagation Pavilion”. Elaine shared the different techniques of increasing the amount of plants you have in your garden. One important rule was to make sure your tools are clean to avoid possible contamination.

Now that you have the plants, how to arrange them? The second class featured Master Gardener Jeannette Bull Robison, owner of The Yardisan, who spoke about landscape design. Before you can even consider planting anything, get your soil tested to see what will best flourish in the area you want to plant. After that, keep a notebook to plan and assess the successful (and not so successful) planting decisions.

Want plants that have the greatest chance of growing here? Why not try native plants? Our next speaker, Master Gardener Lori Waddell spoke about growing plants that naturally grow here in the Upstate. Lori showed examples of how cultivars of native plants have been developed to provide variety in your garden. If you want to have a wildlife friendly garden, it is important to have what the National Wildlife Federation calls Keystone plants, plants that support a wide variety of species and play a critical role in the overall health and function of the environment.

One thing that these Master Gardeners had in common was when they moved to the Upstate, since their children were full grown, where were they going to find a social circle with people of similar interests? By taking a Master Gardener’s class, of course!

Our last speaker was Garland Allen, who is in the beesiness of keeping bees. Garland spoke on the importance of bee keeping. Since native bees are waning, bee keeping is important for the production of food in this country. He brought a small hive box, explaining the various parts as well as a hive of bees.