For the 23rd year, the North Fulton Master Gardeners will host our time-honored Garden Faire at The Grove at Wills Park in Alpharetta, GA.

Garden Faire 2024 will be held Saturday, April 20 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever! New this year, the popular annual gardening event will feature plant sales from Alpharetta’s Community Agriculture Program and the North Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society.

Garden Faire 2024 will provide one-stop shopping for gardeners – a large selection of annuals and perennials, native plants, and edible seedlings. The North Fulton Master Gardeners will have for sale the ornamental annuals they grow at the Fulton County Schools Teaching Museum Greenhouse, featuring coleus, hanging ferns, geraniums, begonias, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and a large variety of other annuals, along with flowering perennials from the Master Gardeners own precious pass-along plants. These plants typically include ground covers, flowering perennials, hostas, iris, daylilies, and many other perennial plants, along with some select shrubs and trees. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions.

We are very excited about the North Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society joining us for Garden Faire. They will feature a selection of native perennials, shrubs, vines, and trees. Approximately 2000 plants will be available for pollinator gardens and residential landscapes.

The Alpharetta Community Agriculture Program will have unique varieties of organic, heirloom, and non-GMO plants, grown from seed at Old Rucker Farm. Approximately 5000 vegetable, herb and flower seedlings will be available for home gardens.

The North Fulton Master Gardener volunteers collect vintage treasures and pass them on to visitors at our ever-popular Fleatique market. Peruse the Fleatique sale to find that interesting pot, gadget or garden tool for your home or garden.

If you bring little sprouts to the Faire, look for the Children’s Corner sign. Children can have fun potting a tomato plant, making a seed necklace, coloring pictures of flowers or even learning about worm composting from one of our partners. This free activity is available from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

This year’s Garden Faire will have educational speakers and how-to demonstrations from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, including some well-known gardening experts.

Speakers & Seminars

• 10–10:45 a.m.: Henning von Schmeling, Chattahoochee Nature Center, “Carnivorous Plants of the Southeast”. Henning has been at the Chattahoochee Nature Center for 37 years, starting as a part-time janitor in college and ending up as Senior Director of Operations. Currently, he is the Conservation Horticulturist, with a focus on Georgia native plants, as well as rare and endangered plant species from Georgia.
• 11:00–11:45 a.m.: Rick Smith, The Pruning Guru, “Everything You Need to Know About Pruning”. Featured on PBS's “Growing a Greener World,” WSB 95.5 “Green and Growing” with Ashley Frasca, UGA Horticulture Department’s Super Crew Series, and other venues throughout the southeastern United States, Rick shares his extensive knowledge of proper pruning techniques to ensure optimal plant health.
• 12 noon–12:45 p.m.: Sam Landes, Mushroom Club of Georgia, "Fungi and Their Role in Growing Plants”: Sam will introduce us to the many facets of the fungi kingdom and how they affect the natural world. Sam has been mushroom hunting since he was five years old and is the long-time treasurer of the Mushroom Club of Georgia. He and his wife, Dr. Cornelia Cho, president of the Club, travel around the country joining other mushroom enthusiasts to hunt for mushrooms.

1:15–2:15 p.m.: North Fulton Master Gardeners Interactive Small Group Presentations

In cooperation with UGA Extension Fulton County, the North Fulton Master Gardeners provide relevant, research-based horticulture education and outreach to the public. Come listen and learn from some of our gardening experts. Located in the Pavilion, the NFMG Interactive Small Group presentations will include:

• "Q&A on growing vegetables, ever-present deer issues, composting and more" at 1:15 to 1:45 p.m. by George Scesney, NFMG.
• “Four Seasons Front Door Pops” at 1:15 p.m. and “Curb Appeal Basics” at 1:45 p.m. by Kelly Mogelgaard, NFMG, Landscape Design Certificate, Emory University.
• “Creating Captivating Container Gardens” at 1:15 p.m. by Judy Peacock, NFMG.
• "Let me Solve Your Orchid Issues!” at 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. by Doug Hartong, NFMG, International Orchid Judge, member of American Orchid Society.

Our Vendors will offer a unique variety of gardening-related items and plants. We still have a few vendor slots available, so vendors may complete our virtual Vendor Committment Form to apply to participate.

How do you get to this fantastic Faire? The Grove at Wills Park is located at 175 Roswell Street, Alpharetta, GA. We recommend that you either park at the parking lot at the Alpharetta Community Center at The Grove or park at the overflow parking lot at Amana Academy (285 S Main St, Alpharetta, GA 30009) and hop on the free shuttle, which will run continuously from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm to take attendees to Garden Faire. Bring your wagons to assist in carrying away all the great plants you will find.

Once the tents are down and the vendors have gone, where does your well-spent dollar go? Proceeds from the North Fulton Master Gardeners Garden Faire go to support our demonstration gardens and many educational activities for both children and adults.

But the best part of Garden Faire is the interaction with our community members. It gives us great joy to share our gardening knowledge with you, answer all your gardening questions, and make suggestions on how to best prepare your soil for planting and what growing conditions your new plants need. Right plant! Right Place! This is your opportunity to pick our brains, and we look forward to it!

For more details on Garden Faire, check out the webpage at 2024 Garden Faire and the Facebook event at 2024 Garden Faire Event.

See you on Saturday, April 20th at our free Garden Faire at The Grove in Wills Park, Alpharetta! Happy gardening!

About North Fulton Master Gardeners: A 501(c)(3) organization http://www.nfmg.net

North Fulton Master Gardeners are volunteers, trained and certified by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, who share their horticultural training and experiences with the community by conducting classes and workshops in person and through virtual learning, as well as educational gardening projects. Our goal is to provide education, service, and inspiration in the North Fulton community. North Fulton Master Gardener project gardens include Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center, Farm Chastain, Lost Corner Preserve, Native Plant Garden at the Teaching Museum, Native Gardens and Restoration at Island Ford, and the Archibald Smith Plantation Home. In January 2023, Appen Media launched Garden Buzz, a gardening column providing unbiased horticultural information by North Fulton Master Gardeners and UGA Extension Fulton County staff. For more information, visit https://www.nfmg.net/

ContactSandra Shave, Garden Faire Chair262-366-0367

[email protected]