For the past few years, the Annual Tucker Garden Tour organized by the Tucker Historical Society has been the highlight of late spring garden activities in our area and has been held in conjunction with the Georgia Hosta Society Cut Leaf Show and Sale. The GHS will hold its annual show on May 16th at the Wesley Center of Tucker First United Methodist Church but it is with great sadness that we report the following information from the Tucker Historical Society web site.

“Tucker Historical Society regrets the cancellation of this year’s garden tour. Tucker Historical Society is currently working on building its membership, an important part of putting on the tour. We will be working on the 2010 tour this summer and we ask all of you in the Tucker community to let us know of “that special garden” you always wanted to see as a possible addition to our tour. If you know of a garden, or you are interested in joining our membership (no dues involved) please send us an email. Tucker Historical Society continues to create history related events for the community. We are a small but great group of folks interested in preserving the history of Tucker. For more information, please send us an email to tuckerhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.”

Popularity: 45% [?]

Once again, our area is blessed to host the 5th Annual Dekalb Master Gardeners Association Spring Plant Sale. The sale is populated with plants from local area plant rescues, donated plants from member’s gardens and also an assortment of garden related items. The DMGA Spring Sale has consistently provided a great variety of plant material at extremely good prices and this year should be no different.

The 2009 sale will be held on the last Saturday in April, the 25th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The sale will be held in the parking lot of Northlake Mall, near LaVista Road on the Macy’s side.

In addition the the plant bargains and wonderful growing advice, the DMGA plant sale also offers a offers a way for our community to give back the group that established the butterfly garden at the Old Tucker Courthouse in 2008.  Designed by Regina Lorenz, this garden provides plants for the complete life cycle of a variety of butterflies.

More information about the Dekalb Master Gardeners Association and their activities can be found by visiting the website DMGA.org.

Popularity: 44% [?]

With spring right around the corner the good news for both gardeners and home owners alike is the lessening of watering restrictions Tucker residents have faced since the drought started in 2006.

It was announced on March 3, 2009 that Dekalb County will now allow the use of ’soaker’ hoses for plants. The Department of Watershed Management stressed that “plants” in regards to the new allowance refers to trees, flowers, vines, and shrubs and does not mean lawn grass or turf. Irrigation of personal food gardens remains unrestricted.

Soaker hoses are connected to a typical outdoor faucet and manufactured and sold specifically for delivering water slowly and directly to the soil around the base of individual plants by allowing water to seep from it in a manner that minimizes evaporative losses, pooling, runoff, and wetting of plant foliage.

Each household, business or property owner may use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to water existing landscaping, one hour per day, three days per week, within the hours of 12:00 midnight to 10:00 am as follows: Odd-numbered addresses may water Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and even-numbered addresses may water Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Details can be found at Dekalb Watershed.

Popularity: 32% [?]

The Tucker Historical Society will host its 7th Annual Garden Tour on May 17, 2008.

If you have never been on the Tucker Garden tour, it is highly recommended. Advance tickets are $12.00 and increase to $15.00 on the day of the event. The tour includes five of the most beautiful gardens in Tucker and the surrounding areas and also features Tucker Artist Guild “Artists in the Garden”.

More information can be found at the Tucker Historical Society.

Popularity: 35% [?]

The Georgia Hosta Society hosted its 19th annual Hosta Show & Sale Saturday May 17th, 2008 at The Wesley Center of Tucker First United Methodist Church Association building.

The weather was outstanding and vendors sales were very brisk beginning at 8:30am. The GHS vendors included many local and regional growers of hostas, ferns, Japanese maples and other companion plants in addition to vendors that offered unique garden accessories and the Georgia Daylily Society.

The show was well organized and had a record number of entries for the Artistic Exhibition. As one of the oldest local Hosta Societies in the United States, the GHS holds the distinction of having the most local shows of any group within the American Hosta Society. GHS holds these shows as an educational project to help introduce the general public to the genus hosta. Hosta leaves are displayed in vases and are judged by panels of judges accredited by The American Hosta Society.

The Hosta Show and Sale was held on the same day as the “Tucker Garden Tour” hosted by the Tucker Historical Society and allowed gardening enthusiasts a rare opportunity to combine a plant show, garden tours and shopping in one day.

Popularity: 39% [?]