Welcome to the Georgia Perennial Plant Association
Founded in 1987, the Georgia Perennial Plant Association (GPPA) is a non-profit organization of trade professionals, master gardeners, and home gardeners. Our vision is to unite gardeners, beginners to professionals, to share knowledge and promote beautiful, healthy, sustainable gardens. We strive to educate, inspire, and instill a passion for learning and sharing gardening journeys through speakers, social activities, and field trips. Join Us wherever you grow!
Making a lasting impact one gardener at a time!
In the News
*January Speaker Meeting rescheduled due to weather to January 29th, 7:00 PM.
GPPA Donates to McFarlane Nature Park
In 1995, GPPA provided a $900 grant to McFarlane Nature Park to establish a 280-foot-long perennial border, which remains in place today. That seed grew into a sustaining feature of the park. In 2023, The McFarlane Nature Park established an endowment fund with the goal of reaching $100,000 to provide financial security to the park. Georgia Perennial is pleased to announce its continued support for the park and its endowment fund through a $1,500 pledge in 2026.
McFarlane has always been horticulturally centered, while providing an 11.2-acre nature park to the community for its use at no charge. Scouts, churches, families, and community groups all meet at McFarlane, with nearly 100 scheduled activities annually in addition to daily casual use. The Park holds at least one specimen of every tree native to the Piedmont. An extensive collection of native azaleas grows throughout the park. A small long-leaf pine grove has flourished. Recently, a small meadow was established to encourage the growing of native plants for the insects and birds that depend on them.
January Speaker Meeting
Riz Reyes, Assistant Director of Heronswood Garden and founder of RHR Horticulture & Landwave Gardens
Revisiting Old and Discovering New Perennial Favorites: A new chapter in Heronswood Garden.
January 29th at 7:00 pm - Zoom Only
Members will be sent a link to join the Zoom meeting two days prior to the event.
A guest pass can be purchased through January 24 here: Guest Pass
Presentation Description: Join us as we welcome horticulturist Riz Reyes for an update on the renowned Heronswood Garden, designed by plant explorer Dan Hinkley. Reyes offers a look at the notable plants it made famous and the direction the garden is taking, now owned and operated by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. Heronswood is one of the few, if not only, botanical gardens owned and operated by a native indigenous tribe. Riz will discuss their efforts to preserve the gardens, acquire the perennial plants introduced by the garden, and make the gardens more accessible to the general public.
Bio: Rizaniño (Riz) Reyes is a horticulturalist, speaker, and educator. Growing up in the Philippines, Riz spent his childhood on a fruit plantation managed by his father before moving to the Pacific Northwest at age seven. After arriving in the United States, Riz learned the names of the new and strange flowers and continued to nurture his love of horticulture. He sought every opportunity to learn as much as he could about horticulture. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Horticulture and Urban Forestry from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.
Riz also travels both near and far to source extraordinary garden plants. He continues to expand his garden, whether it's plants from a neighbor's garden, ones he collected in the wild overseas, or ones he picked up at a local neighborhood plant swap or the world's greatest flower show. He enjoys exploring and learning not only about the cool plants he encounters, but also about the fascinating people he's met over the years who have influenced and inspired his broad plant palette.
Riz currently serves as the Assistant Director of Heronswood Garden in Kingston, WA, where he seeks to inspire the gardening community with its plant collections and charismatic landscapes, to educate them on the connections between plants and people, to encourage them to protect plants and their natural habitats, and to appreciate the great diversity of plants and the people who care for them. Riz has also published a children’s non-fiction book released in March 2022 titled Grow: A family guide to plants and how to grow them in the hope of inspiring the next generation of gardeners.
