The Aiken Master Gardeners Association broke new ground July 19 with a question-and-answer session, a free event offering insight into any gardening topic visitors bring up, from spotted rhododendron leaves and poison ivy to pesticide safety and ants that eat rhubarb.
The midday “lunchbox” meeting saw four panellists – Gloria Wade, Mark Kingsley, John Williamson and Keightley Green – answer questions according to their areas of expertise. This was the first time the Society has hosted such a panellist-led meeting.
“We're here to serve the people throughout Aiken County and beyond,” Wade said. “We're here to answer your questions. This is a way for us to get known locally and let people know we're here.” She added that she hopes to hold similar panel sessions in the future.
Association member John Carman estimated that about 20 Master Gardeners and visitors attended, along with about 70. “The high turnout is a testament to the high level of community interest in this opportunity to obtain and share information about horticulture in Aiken – the cultivation of plants,” he said.
The association's educational meetings are held at noon the third Friday of each month from February through November at the old Millbrook Baptist Church chapel, 223 S. Aiken Boulevard. The theme varies from month to month, “so it's a different theme every time,” Wade noted. The speaker on Aug. 16 will be Greenwood County Horticulture Agent Stephanie Turner, who will speak about “Growing Great Annuals.”
For more information, email amga29801@gmail.com or call 803-508-7739.
