The Board of the Georgia Master Gardeners Association would like to extend a most grateful congratulations to the Augusta Master Gardeners Association for pulling off a great 2021 Annual Conference! There were plenty of issues which arose in the preparation but the final product was seamless presentations that the attendees from GA and SC thoroughly enjoyed. Congratulations are also in order for the GMGA Award of Excellence winner from Fulton County, Melissa Mattee-Murphy.
Stay tuned to this website for more info and Save the Date for next year’s 2022 Annual Conference in Fayette County.
The Conference got off to a great start with Meet and Greet on Friday evening at the Augusta Canal National Heritage Site. The history of the canal and its connection to the Erie Canal was explained the next day in the talk by Stan Byrdy. The food from Roux’s catering was delicious and everyone enjoyed getting together after over a year of staying at home. It was well attended by a total of 73 people.
Built in 1845 as a source of power, it was spearheaded by Henry Cumming and the site of several mills, including textiles. https://augustacanal.com/about-history.php
The canal is now a great place to walk, ride a bike, take a Boat Tour, or just have a nice outing.
Meadow Garden, the boyhood home of George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence was toured by 30 people on Friday and 22 people on Saturday. It connected them to this man who played a vital role in the founding of our country. It has been open to the pubic since 1901 and is one of the oldest house museums in the United States. The property is a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is owned by the Georgia State Society, NSDAR.
“Anchored in Patriotism, Education and Historic Preservation”
2021 Conference
As people arrived at the lovely Riverfront Marriott in Augusta, everyone received a nice goody bag to take home, lots of coffee and juice to drink, plus fresh fruit and rolls for breakfast. There was plenty of time to socialize and lots of space for social distancing.
The Conference was opened by the GMGA President Dr. Phil Williams and followed by a welcoming of all Master Gardeners by Dr. Sheri Dorn of UGA.
First item of business was the presentation of the 2021 GMGA Award of Excellence in Consumer Horticulture. This year’s well deserved award went to the ANR Agent from Fulton County, Melissa Mattee-Murphy. For more information, on Melissa’ accomplishments, refer to the GMGA Award of Excellence story on the GMGA website.
We had door prizes between every speaker and LOTS of good things to bid on for the Silent Auction. Very few people left empty handed.
As usual, the first speaker takes a village to get started, but it was well worth the short wait. We were given an in depth presentation of the Augusta Golf Course by Stan Byrdy.
Stan Byrdy began his career in television in 1978 as a sportscaster while attending Youngstown State University in Ohio. A veteran of 42 years in television and the media, Stan is an author, speaker and Augusta Historian. He is the winner of numerous Georgia and South Carolina AP and UPS awards and was winner of the Best of Augusta Magazine Award 12 consecutive years. Stan’s presentation on the history of the Augusta National Golf Course was very in depth. He talked extensively about the history of the Berkman Family from Belgium and the extensive nursery they developed in this location in the 1800’s. He covered some of the content of his new book, Fruitland, Long May it Prosper which is scheduled to be released in December. It was clear that he had extensive knowledge of the history of the property where the golf course now exists, including the story behind their infamous azaleas.
We used the very nice laminated Georgia Butterflies handout as Susan Meyers discussed Monarchs, Milkweeds and More. She discussed much more than the Monarch, but did talk about the Monarch decline. She had beautiful pictures of Gossamer Wings, Skippers, Sulphurs and lots of Swallowtails. Susan presented what time of year different butterflies will be prevalent in your backyard. It was very informative. For more information see: https://www.eealliance.org/monarchs-across-ga.html or https://www.eealliance.org/pollinator-habitat-certification.html
We were given the opportunity to meet several past Extension Agents who have contributed to the Master Gardener program in the Augusta/Richmond area. This presentation was done by Campbell Vaughn, the current Richmond County Extension Agent. The men pictured from the left are:
Campbell Vaughn, Charles Phillips, Clyde Lester, Sid Mullis, and Wendell Stubbs.
We would like to thanks the above members for their service to the community over the years and especially to the Master Garden Program.
During lunch everyone had an opportunity to bid on several items at the Silent Auction. It was quite enjoyable to see what the District Directors had brought from their districts around the state. Items included were to represent the diversity of their area. This was combined with several items donated from the many vendors present at the conference and items donated by the Augusta Area Master Gardeners. Between the door prizes, the auction and the plants given away by Nurseries Caroliniana, no one left empty handed.
After lunch, we were treated to another excellent presentation by Andy Cabe, the Botanical Director of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. Andy is the Horticulture Director but specializes in all kinds ot bulbs. They have introduced many unusual bulbe due to their coastal location. A visit to the gardens would be well worth the time spent. Check out the animals too.
Ted founded Nurseries Caroliniana, a retail garden center featuring rare and unusual plant materials almost 50 years ago. This award-winning horticulturist has traveled the globe, bringing back exciting new flowering shrubs and perennials for the U.S. market. Among his many accomplishments and global adventures, Ted taught Horticulture at Pyongyang University and Technology in North Korea in 2016. Ted received his BS and MS in Ornamental Horticulture from Clemson University. From 1969-1972 he taught Horticulture in the Department of Golf Course and Landscape Operations at Lake City Community College, Lake City, FL. From 1973 to the present, he found Nurseries Caroliniana in North Augusta, SC, a retail garden center and nursery offering rare and unusual material to the gardening public. In 2015, he received the Don Shadow Award from the Sothern Nursery Association for Exemplary Service, Leadership and Generosity in the Development, Promotion and Use of New and Improved Landscape Plants.
The Silent Auction had many desirable items up for bid and all were sold. AAMG Sales had an array of items and sold all of the Bluebird houses – even the display. Representing a variety of products to shop, 13 Vendors were in the hallway outside the Oglethorpe Room.
On behalf of Phil Williams, GMGA President, and the Conference Co-Chairs Sharyn Altman and Rose Marie Hardman, a hearty thanks is given to those who carried out operations as follows: Move-In and Move-Out Team, Check-In Team, AAMG Sales Team, Door Prizes Team, Silent Auction Team, Gift Bags, Book Table, Vendors, Time Keeper and Decorations.
The Board from GMGA would like to congratulate the Augusta Area Master Gardener Group for a job well done. We would also like to thank the donors that helped support and pay for this endeavor.