A group of Moore County Master Gardener volunteers, accompanied by Agricultural Extension Agent Taylor Williams, recently visited Seagrove Orchids, where they learned about orchid cultivation and care, and Possum Run Garden Center, in Robbins, where they learned about poinsettia production.

Previous field trips have included Piedmont Biofuels, in Pittsboro, to learn about clean and renewable fuels; the Chatham Mills Pollinator Paradise Garden, a demonstration garden in Pittsboro that educates the public about pollinators, such as bees, which are relied on for food production, and the plants that support them; the greenhouses at Pinehurst Resort, where most of the Resort's flowers and plants are grown for both their outside flower beds and all the indoor containers in the hotel, spa, golf club and other resort owned properties; the Carrboro Farmers' Market, which supports local farmers and artisans and makes locally grown food available to the community; Homewood Nursery and Garden Center in Raleigh, which frequently serves as a learning area for university horticulture students; Logan Trading Company in Raleigh, which facilitates getting fresh produce donations to local families in need; Niche Gardens in Chapel Hill, which specializes in pesticide-free wildflowers and native plants; SEEDS (South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces, Inc.) in Durham, which has established the Community Harvest Program of community gardens, school-based gardens, and a multiuse demonstration garden; Green Hill Farm in Chapel Hill, which specializes in hybridizing and introducing new hosta cultivars; Aberdeen Florist, where a tour of the greenhouses was featured; and the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, which has a large collection of landscape plants adapted to conditions in the North Carolina Piedmont.

For information about the Moore County Master Gardener program, contact Taylor Williams at (910) 947-3188.