Spring is on its way and the Georgia Mountains Master Gardener’s and Lumpkin County 4-H 2019 Plant Sale has officially started.

The sale is the primary fundraiser of the year for GMMG, and proceeds will go to the 4-H program, to establishing and maintaining gardening projects throughout the Lumpkin and Dawson County areas, helping to fund the Junior Master Gardener’s program, providing college scholarships and hosting educational gardening presentations throughout the year to the public.

The plant descriptions, photos and order form are available online at www.gammg.org or at extension.uga.edu/county-offices/lumpkin/4-h-youth-development.html. 

The plants have been professionally grown in specialized nurseries in north Georgia, and only leave their greenhouses the day before they will be picked up by the purchaser.

The deadline for submitting the order form and payment is March 15.

Plants will be available for pick up on one day only this year, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13 at the Lumpkin County Roads/Recycling Department, 1646 Red Oak Flats Road in Dahlonega.

Also at the pickup site purchasers will have the opportunity to browse hundreds of additional blooming plants that will be available for purchase that day and are not on the order form. There will be lots of spring favorites just in time for Easter.

A new opportunity will also be available this year, as GMMG will be selling raffle tickets for one lucky customer to receive an unusual and gorgeous five-foot Japanese maple.  The drawing will be in mid-April. 

Also available is the “Gardener’s Journal” created by the Georgia Mountains Master Gardeners to be used as a handy and fun way to keep a record of garden plants and maintenance projects. It is not year dated so it can be reused in successive years to improve garden record keeping.

Details are available online or you can call the Lumpkin County Extension office at (706) 864-2275 for further information.

The Master Gardeners will also hold their first program of the year which will be “Using Native Plants in your Landscape” presented by Suzanne Brosche.

The program will be held from 7-8 p.m. March 11 at the Lumpkin County Parks and Recreation, 365 Riley Road in Dahlonega. The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.