On Saturday morning, attendees arriving at the First Baptist Church Gainesville were given handsome black swag bags imprinted with the Conference logo and filled with goodies. They found vendor displays brilliant with plants, flowers, bulbs, birdhouses, stationery, and many other goods to delight a gardener’s heart.

The 2023 GMGA conference was a great success with the theme of Cultivating Our Gardens – Beauty, Wildlife & Edibles, in Gainesville, Hall County, on October 13 and 14.

The Georgia Master Gardener Association (GMGA) hosted its annual conference the first weekend in October. Part of the festivities is the presentation of the Award of Excellence to an Extension Agent who coordinates a county-level Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program.

GMGA hosted a field trip to historic Oakland Cemetery in downtown Atlanta on November 15th. Twenty master gardeners broke into two groups and each had their own private tour guide to learn about the trees, plants and famous local residents of Oakland.

The story of the HOPE Gardens at Robin AFB continues. In Sept. 2020, Col. Brian Moore, the Robins Installation Commander joined with about two dozen team members in the dedication of the new H.O.P.E. Garden at Warner Robins.

A large group of GMGA members enjoyed the educational tour on Lake Lanier on September 20 with Jason Ulreth, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and Executive Director.