On a beautiful but slightly cold Tuesday, 13 SAPS members drove to Watkinsville, Georgia for a program on Conifers. The Chafins nursery specializes in conifers although not exclusively. Our day started with a brief walk through the nursery and then we went into their beautifully designed custom-built house. Flo had prepared handouts for her review of conifers species and how to identify them. Cuttings were also passed around for close inspection. We all agreed that we have not had enough experience with conifers to get adept at identification. This review was just perfect. Joe then did a graft demonstration for us. After a fabulous home made lunch we went back outside to the nursery and to try our newly acquired identification skills. What helped make this so special was the warmth and generosity of the Chafins.
If that was not enough, we went down the road to visit Piccadilly Farms; a nursery owned by retired UGA botany professor Sam Jones. We had a private tour of the grounds getting to see conifers that were 10-25 years old. The only disappointment of the day was having to leave Sam Jones and the Chafins. We were all slightly overwhelmed but what we had learned and what we had seen. There are few conifer collections and even fewer nurseries devoted to these plants. To see the nursery and then witness the collection was almost too good to bear.
Bob Gilbert
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