A good crowd showed up to the grand opening of the Beasley Knob Native Plant Garden on July 16 following a collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service’s Blue Ridge Ranger District, the Georgia Native Plant Society North Georgia Mountains Chapter, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and the Towns-Union Master Gardener Association.
The atmosphere was just as bright as the weather. Organizers provided snacks and water to combat the heat. Greeters directed guests to the proper location off the Beasley Knob Trail. And local musician Kevin Crabb delighted by playing the banjo and singing at the entrance of the trail leading to the garden.
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U.S. Forest Service Wildlife Biologist Laura Brown welcomed guests, encouraging them to talk with the experts present that day to learn more about native plants and how they might flourish in home gardens.
“This is a ‘Connect to Protect’ demonstration garden,” Brown said.
That means the garden is on display for the public to enjoy so people can feel more familiar with native plants. By seeing their beauty up close and personal, they may feel more inclined to protect them and utilize them in their own landscaping projects, bringing back pollinators and encouraging healthy ecosystems across the county.
“The broader plan for this 10-acre site is to restore it to a native meadow and be able to utilize this acreage as a seed source to provide for local restoration projects,” Brown revealed.
The garden is located on the old Satterfield Farm site, so much of the area is cleared of trees. Once the plants in the garden go to seed, they should spread out and propagate the area on their own. In time, the entire field should look as vibrant as the original garden, which only takes up a 20-by-30 patch and is fenced off to protect it from being dug up by invasive wild hogs.
More on the purpose of the new garden, taking the lead on promoting native plants can inspire initiatives to plant them elsewhere. Native plants in general are good for the environment, Brown said, and they maintain the integrity of ecosystems that humans must share.
“Ultimately, the benefit is to put more native species out on the landscape, and in doing so, you’re benefiting our native wildlife species, including pollinators,” she added, explaining that pollinators help plants survive, provide food for other animals and even assist humans by stimulating crop growth – or simply decorating their homes.
Guests did express joy upon seeing the aster, bee balm, blazing star and other inspiring flora in the garden. Take, for example, friends Mary Ann Teal and Price Craft, who drove up from Mableton near Atlanta to check out the garden.
For her part, Craft was impressed with the wide variety of flora on display, and Teal admitted, “We’ll drive up for anything to do with nature,” while searching for insects hiding in leaves.
Beetles, multiple species of bees, ants, spiders, butterflies, moths and even a lightning bug were spotted already taking advantage of the new habitat provided by the garden.
One thing that would-be visitors should keep in mind is that the gate granting access to the Beasley Knob Off Highway Vehicle Trail is closed from January to March and can also be shut due to inclement weather.
Otherwise, there are no set hours of operation, and anyone is free to come and see the garden whenever they’d like. The only stipulation is that visitors close the door when they leave to keep the hogs from getting in and rooting all of the plants up.
The physical address of the garden is Beasley Knob OHV Trails, 153 Alfred Hughes Road in Blairsville. The old Satterfield Farm has a pavilion with grills and bathrooms, so folks are encouraged to make use of the place and continue to spread awareness of the beauty and importance of native plants and wildlife.
