Botanical Garden Hosting Annual Farm and Forest Festival and Plant Sale

October 20, 2008

Where can you see a chicken tractor, beautify your home, try delicious locally-grown produce and burrow like a gopher tortoise?

The Georgia Southern Botanical Garden will celebrate the bounty and beauty of autumn with the Farm and Forest Festival and Plant Sale on Saturday, Nov. 1. The event, an annual tradition, will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Garden, 1505 Bland Avenue in Statesboro.

Trees, shrubs, flowers, herbs and other plants specially selected for our climate and soil will be available for purchase, along with gardening advice and suggestions.

‘Blueberries, sparkleberry, hazelnuts, chard, and kale are among the edible plants that will beautify your home and energize your taste buds,” says Garden assistant director Robert Randolph. ‘Oaks, black gum, Japanese maples and other species of trees will provide shade and value to your property.”

A huge assortment of other plants will all add color, texture and beauty to your home. ‘Now is the best time of the year to plant,” says Randolph. ‘Plants have a chance to establish good root systems during the fall and winter.”

‘I LOVE it,” says Farm and Forest Festival fan Micah D’Arcangelo, age 6. ‘There’s so much fun stuff to do!”

This year, the Festival will feature activities planned by the Georgia Southern University Leadership and Recreation class led by Dr. Brent Wolfe. Fun will include ‘Bee” A Scavenger; Can You Dig It? Gopher Tortoise Obstacle Course; Pitcher Plant Basketball; A Farmyard Fair of Games Galore; What a Pretty Picture ? Painting with Natural Dyes; A ‘maze”ing Cotton; and A Cornucopia of Fun ? Corn Husk Dolls, Popcorn and More.

‘The Festival is a wonderful way to spend time with your children,” says Garden educator Kathy Tucker. ‘The children make and do wonderful things, and learn about the natural world at the same time.”

The Festival and Plant Sale offers plenty for adult visitors as well. The Statesboro Farmers’ Market will be at the Garden, with gorgeous local peas, greens, tomatoes and other mouth-watering produce for sale. Handcrafted cheeses, baked goods, jams, and crafts will also be available. The Farmers’ Market, which began last year at the Garden, has grown steadily through the summer and will continue through November.

‘Usually held in downtown Statesboro, the Farmers’ Market returns to the Garden to celebrate its roots and to participate in one of the most fun events of the season,” says Garden board member and Market founder Debra Chester. ‘The Garden provides a wonderful, green atmosphere that connects all this wonderful produce to the land from which it came.”

This year’s Festival and Plant Sale will also provide an opportunity for a peek at the new developments happening at the Garden. The Garden is currently building a new Heritage Pavilion. The next year will see a new Farmyard Courtyard complete with fountain and new Heritage Gardens designed to unify the Garden and share the lush history and biology of the South Coastal Plain.

‘The Garden belongs to the community,” says director Carolyn Altman. ‘I’d love to show folks what’s happening in this great green jewel in the center of our community.” Altman will be available for informal tours and to answer questions during the Festival.

Children are welcome to wear their Halloween costumes. Other activities include music, a silent auction for a child’s play table designed by Savannah College of Art and Design students, an opportunity to preorder poinsettias for the holiday season, and much more.

A drop-off for senior and disabled visitors will be available just inside the Garden gates.? Parking is available at the Garden. Carpooling is encouraged.