DMGA Visits Pinetum at Thompson Mills Forest

October 19, 2009, promised to be a sunny but chilly day for DMGA's field trip to the Thompson Mills Forest State Arboretum in Braselton.  This was our second trip to the 330 acre property which was deeded to the University of Georgia in 1980 by Lenox Thornton of Braselton.  Since 1980, 100 native tree species have been added to the 80 native species which were already there.  Currently the collection includes 90 percent of the native trees of Georgia and is visited by 4H groups, Boy Scouts, garden clubs, and others interested in trees.

On this trip we had come to visit the Pinetum—a section of the property which includes all the native pines of Georgia as well as various conifer species from around the world.

DMGA an Active GMGA Conference Sponsor

Members of the DeKalb Master Gardener Association played a large role in putting on the Georgia Master Gardener Association 2009 Fall Conference on October 17.

Our DMGA Vice President, Mary, was a Co-Chairperson for the conference, which was jointly hosted by metro Atlanta Master Gardeners from Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and North Fulton Counties.  Mary was busy months before the conference with decisions about venues, speakers, publicity, registration, vendors, decor, and other details that most attendees take for granted.

Our DMGA President, Mike, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the day.  He was the voice of the conference, efficiently and smoothly transitioning between speaker introductions, last minute announcements, and awarding many door prizes.