From Staff Reports

PLAINS — A Spring Gardening Symposium is planned for Friday, May 5, at the Plains Community Center. This event is being sponsored by the Plains Chautauqua, the Plains Historical Preservation Trust, the Magnolia District of The Garden Club of Georgia Inc. and the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail.
The morning session will feature speaker, Terry Johnson from the Community Wildlife Project, which is co-sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and The Garden Club of Georgia. He will speak on “The Art of Butterfly Gardening —Nectar and Host Plants.” Celeste Richards, executive director of the American Camellia Society and Massee Lane Gardens, will speak on camellias and companion plants.
A plant sale begins at 9 a.m. at the Plains Community Center featuring host and nectar native plants for butterflies, three species of native milkweed, annuals, and some hanging baskets, and will continue for the duration of the workshop. Experts will be on hand to assist  with your selection of native perennials, shrubs, and milkweed which is vital for the Monarch butterfly. Planting demonstrations and proper care of plants will be featured in the afternoon session.
Lunch, snacks, and drinks are included in the $20 fee which also covers the cost of supplies.
Following lunch, you can attend breakout sessions: Donna Vincent from Vincent Garden will demonstrate proper planting techniques, and Annette Wise with the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail will make several container gardens that will be used to attract butterflies. You may want to attend the session on how to make a Hero Garden or a Fairy Garden to encourage little gardeners!
There will also be a few surprises planned plus door prizes!
Because of Rosalynn Carter’s interest in pollinators and native plants, a Native Azalea has been named in her honor by Ernest Koone from Lazy K Nursery in Pine Mountain. The Azaleas are being grown out now.  Massee Lane Gardens has also named a camellia in honor of Rosalynn Carter.
Registration for this workshop is required and space is limited.  To register, visit www.rosalynncarterbutterflytrail.org , or call Annette Wise at 229-824-4567 or Willie Maxwell at 229-938-5830.  The Plains Community Center is directly behind Plains Inn and Antique Mall.  Parking is adjacent to the Plains Community Center.