Lyn and Kathy Chandler

Some things are good on their own, and even better as a pair. That is surely the case with our April Volunteers of the Month, Lyn and Kathy Chandler.

Both are retired educators, and they have a limitless passion for providing educational opportunities for people of all ages who visit Lockerly.

Kathy is chair of our Education Committee and is, much to our regret, serving in her last year as a Trustee. She took up the work of revitalizing the Woods Museum and added a Visitor Center in the process. The heat and air conditioning unit had already been secured as a donation by the Chandlers working together. With the help of the Education Committee and Dirt Diggers, the Museum will serve as a starting point for visitors and school field trips.

The Museum now tells the story of Rose Hill, the families who lived here, E.J. Grassmann and his founding of the Arboretum, and the role Rose Hill now plays as a setting for weddings, special celebrations, meetings, and educational programs.

Kathy is also one of Lockerly's most adept recruiters. When the Board of Trustees took on a challenge to recruit more people to become Friends of Lockerly, she recruited her husband, Lyn, to help. The response has been tremendous! As the former principal of Baldwin County High School, an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, and Chair of the Baldwin County Board of Education, Lyn has used his countywide network to add 10 new memberships (so far) to our Friend of Lockerly roster.

Working as a finely tuned team, the Chandlers told the story of Lockerly and the work on the Woods Museum to Keith Rheinhart at Lowe's, and before we knew it, a cabinet donated by Lowe's was being carried into the Woods Museum Visitor Center!

Inspiring children and adults to be curious about plants and their environments was a lifelong passion of the Arboretum's founder. Clearly Kathy and Lyn Chandler share this passion for providing educational opportunities to learn about the natural world around us. 

Please join the Lockerly Arboretum Foundation Trustees, volunteers, and staff to celebrate the re-opening of our Woods Museum and new Visitor Center on Thursday afternoon, April 7th at 4:00. The Chamber of Commerce will join us for a ribbon cutting, and everyone is invited to enjoy permanent and temporary exhibits.

 

Displays including hands-on samples for children and adults

It takes months of planning, potting, and watering, but April is finally here, which means our plant sale is just 20 days away! The backbone of our event is of course healthy and beautiful plants, shrubs, trees, herbs, and heirloom vegetables. We are also adding some new features that we think will make our event unique to

 Middle Georgia.
 

	GCSU sttudents from the Grassmann Ceramics Studio will join us on Thursday

First-Ever Friends of Lockerly 
On Thursday afternoon, April 21st, we will have plants for sale to anyone who is a current Friend of Lockerly. If you received your membership renewal notice this month please don't delay sending it in, because we need it by Friday, April 15th. We'll begin selling plants at 1:00 that day, and be open until 6:30.

That afternoon, from 4:00-6:30, students in the Ceramics program at GCSU will join us and serve freshly brewed coffee and tea in cups inspired by the natural shapes and beauty of Lockerly and Rose Hill. We'll have light refreshments then, including a variety cold beverages.

Dirt Digger Rae Wade has been helpful with locating some yard art containers and displays for us to sell this year. We've also invited vendors to share their garden inspired wares and products during this year's sale. Dirt Digger Linda Poyner will be selling fun and eclectic yard accessories made with thrift store finds. On Saturday artist Sarah Mikkelson, Redthread Knits of Macon's new art organization, Ampersand Guild, will be in the gardens spinning yarn. If you love great bbq plan your trip for lunch on Saturday because Trey Owens will be here selling lunch plates. Check our web site for a complete list of vendors and their schedules.

Before the sale we'll post a list on our web site with the plants we'll have available, and we'll note where quantities are limited. A little rain can be great for keeping our

	Gorgeous color coming to our Plant Sale this month

inventory looking fresh, but April weather can be fickle. That may prompt us to adjust our inventory if the forecast calls for bad weather during the sale. If there is something you "must" have, please come as soon as your schedule allows so you won't be disappointed.  No plants will be sold, or set aside, before our plant sale hours on any of these three days. We'll be open from 1:00-6:30 on April 21, 9:00-5:00 on April 22, and 9:00-3:00 on Saturday, April 23rd.

If you want to enjoy fresh coffee or tea with the Ceramics students at GCSU, and get a jump start on your weekend gardening by buying plants during our Friends of Lockerly members' sale, you can become a Friend, or renew,  here. If you have questions about your Friend of Lockerly status, please contact Vicki Folendore  by email at [email protected] or call 478.452.2112.

 

Bird Feeders are a Year Round Treat
 

Bird feeders are a great way to supplement the natural foods growing in your backyard and stage bird activity for easy viewing. In winter, when natural food sources are scarce, backyard feeders are most appreciated. Migratory birds use feeders to refuel during the spring and fall. Birds nesting and raising young in the summer use feeders for a quick and easy food source. Backyard bird feeders are used by a wide variety of birds and bring year round enjoyment for gardeners and bird watchers.
 

Re

Suet feeder

searching the favorite foods of the species you want to attract and the feeder styles they like best will improve the nutritional content of the food being provided. Black oil sunflower, safflower, white millet, and thistle seeds are all preferred types of birdseed. It's best to buy each seed type separately and in bulk. Seed mixes often contain empty seed hulls and undesirable seed types.

Tube feeders are good for black oil sunflower seeds, mixed seed and safflower seeds. The ports of a tube feeder are suited for smaller birds like wrens, chickadees, grosbeaks and titmice. Hooper or platform feeders are used for cracked corn, safflower and sunflower seeds. They attract all the same species that visit tube feeders, plus larger birds like cardinals and blue jays. Thistle seeds can be used in tube feeders or in mesh bags. Thistle feeders make seed available only to small-beaked finches, redpolls and pine siskins. All above ground feeders should be hung 5 foot off the ground and 3 foot from a window.

Flock to the remainder of Debbie's gardening tips on our web site