0011 - Friends First Friday

Join us each month at the State Botanical Garden as we have a unique educational opportunity for our friends. Each month features a guest lecturer who will bring you updates to all things garden and plant related. Sponsored by the Friends of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

February 7 – Dorothy Doughty’s American Birds

Please join us as Grace Moorman explores the life and art of master sculptor Dorothy Doughty (1892-1962), focusing on Doughty's American Birds series, her artistic process, and her celebration of the connection between art and nature. Doughty is best known for her work with the Royal Worcester porcelain manufactory where she designed numerous sculptures of birds and flowers. She was an avid lover of nature, claiming that one of the happiest ways to live was to spend a life working closely with nature.

Grace Moorman, Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum Curator, joined the State Botanical Garden in January 2024 as she was finishing her master's degree in art history at the University of Georgia. She received her bachelor's degree in art history from the University of Mississippi in 2020. Previously, Grace worked as the Assistant Manager of Exhibitions and Collections at the University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses, where she helped digitize the entirety of the David M. Robinson Memorial Collection of Antiquities, curate exhibitions of all kinds, and manage a collection of 20,000 objects.

March 7 – Who is Oconee Joe? Look into These Waters and Tell Me What You See

Are you curious about the natural and cultural history of the Oconee River? Join us as we welcome David Titshaw with Oconee Joe Paddle Co. David is well known for leading kayaking tours throughout the Upper Oconee watershed from Athens downstream to Lake Oconee. He also has a vast knowledge of the history of Native American communities along the Oconee River. Come and learn more about the river that flows through the State Botanical Garden.

April 4 – UGA Hort Farm

Have you ever wondered about what’s happening on Hog Mountain Road in Watkinsville? As one rides by, you can see unusual plants, shrubs, flowers and fruits. Ryan McNeill, superintendent of the UGA Durham Horticulture Research Farm (aka Hort Farm), will discuss the behind-the-scenes research that takes place there.

 Ryan grew up in Lithonia, Georgia, and first came to Athens as a biochemistry major at UGA in 1992.  He changed majors after getting a position as a student worker at the Botanical Garden and stayed on through graduation.  He was the first curator of the Heritage Garden which opened in early 2000. He left the Botanical Garden in 2004 but came back to the University in 2005 to serve as the superintendent of the Durham Horticulture Research Farm in Watkinsville.

While working here, he received his Master of Science in Horticulture (UGA) and is currently a PhD candidate working on ways to improve the somatic embryogenesis of American chestnuts.  He lives on site at the Durham farm with his wife, Carri, and their daughter, Molly.  He is active in the Georgia chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation as well as Keep Oconee County Beautiful.

May 9 - Snakes of Yards and Gardens - Berkeley Boone

Just the mention of the word 'snake' can elicit a response from people. Let's look at some of the more common species found in Athens and the surrounding Piedmont area. With live examples of both venomous and non-venomous species, come learn what makes snakes so fascinating, and a key part of our environment, as well as how to co-exist with them in your personal landscape.

Berkeley Boone is a herpetologist who has been working with reptiles and amphibians since he was very young. He has been an environmental educator for over 30 years and uses live animals in his presentations. He lives in Watkinsville, and has worked at the Savannah River Ecology Lab, Sandy Creek Nature Center, and Bear Hollow Zoo. Currently, he works for the Department of Natural Resources.

June 6 – Where is the Founders Memorial Garden? – Gareth Crosby

Gareth Crosby is the Director and Curator of the Founders Memorial Garden for the College of Environment and Design at UGA. She manages the day-to-day garden work, rentals, publicity, development and building maintenance. Gareth will talk about the Founders Memorial Garden, a local secret garden that is loved by UGA students, staff and local Athenians alike.

Gareth gained her Master of Fine Art in Landscape Design at the Conway School of Landscape Design and has worked in both public and private gardens in Athens since 2010. Much of her focus has been on useful plants in sustainable landscape design and plants of cultural importance to the state of Georgia. Prior to joining the College of Environment and Design, Gareth was Curator of the Heritage Garden at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia for nine years. At home she has two children and a husband. They grow a small vegetable garden that produces excellent strawberries, garlic, onions and asparagus as well as other seasonal annuals. Her orchard is 90% heirloom apples, and she stewarded the Georgia Heirloom Apple Collection while at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. She is a crafter and shepherdess, growing cashmere goats for their luxurious fiber, which she combs from their coats, spins into yarn and then uses to knit items for family and friends. She is also fascinated by dye plants and the magical process of indigo dye.

July 11 - Meet Me at the Garden – Cora Keber

The garden, in partnership with the Cognitive Aging Research Education (CARE) Center, has been piloting a program called Meet Me at the Garden. This program is designed for people with dementia and their care partners. Dyads come together for socializing, learning about environmental topics, and exploring the outdoors on a sensory walk. Keber will share the history of the partnership, the structure of the program, and goals for the future. Participants will get to engage in some programmatic activities for fun, learning, and connection. 

Cora Keber has been working at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia since the summer of 2007. She has held various positions over the years and has been the director of education since 2016. In this role, she oversees educational programming, implementation, and evaluation for pre-K through lifelong learners.

August 1 – Before There Was the Garden – Roger Collins

Roger Collins has always enjoyed exploring Georgia's landscape and history and is an avid participant in the Thursday morning Nature Ramblers at the State Botanical Garden. He has a passion for researching land use history in the Athens area and surrounding counties. His research includes finding old tax maps, aerial photos, and analyzing tree rings and land formations to interpret the land. Join us as Roger presents a fascinating program on the history of the land the State Botanical Garden occupies as well as the surrounding nearly 2000 acres. He will share information about the three generations of the White family who owned the land. This is the family that created the mill village of Whitehall and built the mansion on the forestry school property of the same name. You will learn how the property eventually came to be a part of UGA.

Roger is a graduate of UGA’s Henry Grady School of Journalism. After working on newspapers in South Carolina and Tennessee, he returned to Georgia to serve as editor of The Oconee Enterprise in Watkinsville. For the past 40 years he followed a career in residential construction as a home builder, electrical and plumbing contractor. He is now semi-retired and lives on Lake Oglethorpe in Oglethorpe County.