Gilmer County Master Gardener Volunteers

Brad Davis REGISTRATION FORMSaturday, August 6, from 9:30-12:30 – United Community Bank

We are excited to announce our first design workshop. Professor Brad Davis from UGA College of Environment and Design will be here in Ellijay for this special event.

Registration and a $20 fee is required for this event.  Forms will be available at the Farmers Market or you can download and print it. Registration Form

Professor Davis will present examples of successful strategies using native plants and will share lists of native plants for the Southeast that offer the most visual appeal for home gardeners. Participants are encouraged to bring their own photographs of landscape areas in need of improvement and solutions for these will be developed and discussed during the workshop.

Brad E. Davis is a licensed landscape architect, Associate Professor and BLA Program Coordinator in the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia.  He holds a B.S. in Biology with a minor in vocal performance from East Tennessee State University, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University. Before joining UGA in 2007 he practiced for six years in Florida and Tennessee in the areas of high end garden design, land planning, and urban design. He teaches planting design, plant identification, and various design studios including an advanced studio on therapeutic gardens for health care settings. His 2011 article in Health Environments Research and Design Journal entitled “Rooftop Hospital Gardens for Physical Therapy: A Post Occupancy Evaluation,” identifies unique design considerations for rooftop gardens in healthcare facilities, as well as design criteria unique to physical therapy patients. His research was cited in the 2014 book Therapeutic Landscapes: An Evidence-Based Approach to Designing Healing Gardens and Restorative Outdoor Spaces, by Clare Cooper Marcus and Naomi Sachs.

His primary research focuses on the study of southeastern native plants with goals of increasing awareness, adoption, and acceptance of a more natural and environmentally healthy aesthetic. In support of these goals he is engaged in propagation trials of native plants for introduction into the green industry, and also studies of public perception and acceptance of naturalistic planting design. These efforts will lead to a more robust palette of native plants available to the designer and the homeowner and strategies for implementation and long term care. He is currently coauthoring a book on plants for southeastern landscapes entitled: Plants in Design: A Guide to Southern Landscape Plants, from the University of Georgia Press, scheduled to be in print in 2017.