2012 Speakers


April—Mike Cunningham (organic gardening)


Mike Cunningham will be the guest speaker for the Douglas County Master Gardeners meeting for Thursday evening, April 5th. His topic will be organic gardening. Mike grew up on a small livestock and grain farm in Newnan, Georgia. Growing plants and gardening have been a passion from a very early age. He started selling plants, eggs and vegetables at age 14 from his family farm. He graduated from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College with an associate degree in ornamental horticulture. He operated a small nursery, called Mike's Greenhouse, from his parents’ farm. Later, he owned and operated Country Gardens Nursery in Newnan from 1988 to 2011 when it closed. He is married to Judy Robertson and has 4 sons, 3 daughters-in-law and 2 grandchildren. He continues to farm, now raising grass fed beef, organic vegetables, pasture based poultry, and raw milk.



Landscape Design
Kate Wright is an award winning landscape designer with over 14 years experience and owns ‘Bloom’n Gardens Landscape’, a design/build/maintenance firm based in Mableton, Georgia.
With over 10 years working directly in the heart of the Buckhead community, Kate has honed her skills in landscape contracting, design, and maintenance. Kate is a degreed Botanist earning her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Maine and has completed significant post graduate level work in Plant Pathology. In addition to her core science curriculum, Kate has a passion for art and took many classes in design, line, color, and dimension.

While serving in the United States Army, Kate was stationed in El Paso, Texas, and learned the importance of water conservation and Xeriscape designs. Kate uses all aspects of her education and experience to create and efficiently deliver a landscape that fits her client's lifestyle.

Kate regularly publishes articles on various aspects of landscape design and maintenance in local publications and has received certification as Georgia Certified Landscape Professional as well as a Georgia Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Professional.

 
'The Use of Hardy Succulents in Container Gardens'

Kathi Aja will be the guest speaker for the Douglas County Master Gardeners meeting for Thursday, February. 2nd. Her topic will be 'The Use of Hardy Succulents in Container Gardens'.
Kathi is a former teacher in Carroll County and now resides in Villa Rica.
After working at Triple Creek Flower Farm for 13 years, she became the manager of Triple Creeks' retail store, 'Bloomers Garden Center', in Carrollton.
Kathi has a special ability to combine colors and textures of plants to create unique containers and baskets of flowers. She conducts workshops each year for customers at Bloomers including classes ranging from 'container gardening' to 'decorating for the holidays' and she also includes workshops for children.
 

2011 Speakers

‘Heirloom and Fragrant Companions for Hydrangeas’

Jason Powell will be our speaker for the Thursday, November 3rd meeting. The topic will be ‘Heirloom and Fragrant Companions for Hydrangeas’.
Jason and his wife Shelly are the founders of ‘Petals from the Past’, a 23-acre nursery located in Jemison, Alabama. Established in 1994, the Powell`s have applied contemporary techniques in growing the finest old-garden plants along with new varieties.
Originally focused on heirloom roses, the nursery supports gardening from an educational standpoint by cultivating mature plants in display gardens for observation and by hosting monthly educational programs.
Jason received a B.S. from Auburn University in landscape design horticulture and a Master’s in horticulture from Texas A&M University. He is also a board member of the Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association. 
 

'Woody Ornamentals'

Rex Bishop will be the October 6th speaker for the Douglas County Master Gardeners. The topic will be 'Woody Ornamentals'.
Rex is currently Vice President Of Academic Affairs for North Georgia Technical College. He taught horticulture at several technical colleges in Georgia and was recognized in 2008 as the instructor of the year at North Metro Technical College. He was also named Educator of the Year by the Professional Landcare Network for his outstanding achievements as a faculty member.
Rex has written several articles for professional publications over the years and has published a textbook entitled 'A Field Guide to Woody Landscape Plants of the Southeast'. He speaks regularly at garden clubs, Master gardener groups and for green industry professional association meetings. 
 

'Fall Favorites from McMahan's Nursery'

Tiffany Jones will be the guest speaker for the Sept. 1st meeting of the Douglas County Master Gardeners. She is the manager at McMahan's Nursery, a 'rare plant' nursery, in Clermont Georgia. Her topic will be 'Fall Favorites From McMahan's Nursery: Must Have Shrubs, Trees and Perennials'.
Tiffany moved to Georgia in 1997 from southern Indiana to attend Berry College and study horticulture and biology. After college, Tiffany worked at the Atlanta Botanical Garden before making the move to north Georgia to manage McMahan's Nursery. She will bring plants for us to see and purchase. 

Steve Brady to Speak at The August Meeting
Steve Brady will be guest speaker for the August 4th meeting of the Douglas County Master Gardeners. His topic will be ‘Easy to Grow Fruits in Georgia’.
Steve retired from the University Of Georgia after 30 years as a College of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Agent and Program Leader for the Horticultural Department. He had formerly worked as the Gwinnet County Agricultural Horticulture Agent and he later worked at the Experiment Station in Savannah.

 

Hostas was the topic for the July 7th Master Gardening Meeting. The speaker, Jack Driskell is the head Gardener at Smith-Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw.
Jack is the Northwest District Director for the Master Gardener Association and has served on the boards of the Georgia Perennial and Plant Association, the Georgia Hosta Society and the American Hosta Society. He has been a Master Gardener for 20 years.

 

  

James Hembee will be guest speaker at our June 2nd meeting. His topic will be 'plant propagation'.

James has been Landscape Superintendent at the University of West Georgia for the past 17 years and a drive through that beautifully landscaped campus, any season of the year, will highlight the success of his work there.
Graduating from the University of Georgia with a BS in Agriculture, James is also a Certified Arborist, a Certified Georgia Nurseryman and an Honorary Master Gardener and Instructor. He lists his hobbies as camping, hiking, birding and gardening.
James has also been actively involved in the Boy Scouts for almost two decades and has received many recognitions, honors and awards for his contributions. But perhaps his most telling achievement in scouting is that all three of his boys are Eagle Scouts, and all three followed him to the University of Georgia.

 

  
Rachel Hendee will be our guest speaker at our May 5th meeting. Her topic will be ‘Attracting and nurturing butterflies in a Georgia Garden’.
Rachel has a BS in Animal Science and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. She has a passion to share her knowledge of plants and creatures in the garden.
Rachel is a Master Gardener and has twice been chosen Master Gardener of the Year. She has directed the Plant-A-Row-For-The-Hungry garden and served on the board of Douglas County Master Gardeners. Her volunteer services include creating school butterfly gardens; giving presentations to elementary school children on nature trails, butterflies and soil; working with the disabled in greenhouse skills and making garden and butterfly presentations on the Douglas County Living Show on DCTV Channel 23.

  

Gerri Laufer will be guest speaker at the April 7th meeting of the Douglas County Master Gardeners.
She is a horticulturist, a garden writer and a consultant advising the plant industry on a wide range of problems and activities. She is a public relations consultant and counts among her clients the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Greenleaf Nursery Company.
She launched Garden DebutR for Greenleaf, a website dedicated to the introduction and marketing of new and improved plant varieties for a large group of participating growers and plant breeders. She serves as Senior Garden Writer, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster for the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Gerri is an Adjunct Professor at the Gwinnett Technical Institute where she designed curricula for seven courses in the Environmental Horticulture Department.
The recipient of many awards and honors in the gardening and horticulture community, Mrs. Laufer is a motivational speaker who is sure to delight .

  
 

Carol Hight will be guest speaker for the Douglas County Master Gardeners on Thursday evening,  March 3rd.  Her topic will be ‘Hellebores’. After a 30 year teaching career, Carol retired and became a  Carroll County Master Gardener. She has been actively involved with the Junior Master Gardener program, the demonstration garden and  has been chairman for the plant sale the past two years.

Carol loves sharing her love of gardening with others and hopes the presentation will get others excited about beautiful hellebores.


 
 
February 3rd, the Douglas County Master Gardeners will welcome Tammi Scarbro as guest speaker. Her topic will be 'Rescuing and Rehabilitating Wild Animals'.
Tammi is a local Douglas County resident and she has always had a great passion for wildlife. She is affectionately known as the 'Squirrel Girl'.
When she is not caring for opossums and squirrels at home, she can be found at the 'Atlanta Wild Animal Rescue Effort' in Lithonia where she has volunteered her services for five years.
Tammi is certified by the International Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, and the state of Georgia as a certified wildlife rehabilitator.
Tammi will bring several animals to the meeting so feel free to bring your children to join the fun.

 

May-----Rachel Hendee—Plants to encourage Caterpillars, Butterflies, and Moths
June----James Hembree--Propagation
July-----Jack Driskell -- Hostas
Aug.----Stephen Brady—Easy to Grow Fruits
Sep.----Tiffany Jones from McMahan’s Nursery—The people from this nursery search the world for plants that will
do well in this area. No title as of yet but Tiffany will bring plants.
Oct.----Rex Bishop—Woody Ornamentals
Nov.---Jason Powell from ‘Petals From the Past Nursery’—Gardening from an Educational Standpoint—Jason will
Bring plants.