by Mary Lyn Paolella and Christine Williams, Fulton County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers
This article is part of Garden Buzz, a series from Appen Media and the North Fulton Master Gardeners, where rotating columnists explore horticulture topics like herbs, insects, and wildlife conservation. Find all Garden Buzz articles here.
If you are a gardening enthusiast, come see us at the 25th anniversary of the North Fulton Master Gardeners’ annual Garden Faire! This free event will be held at The Grove at Wills Park on Saturday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are excited to be partnering with Alpharetta Community Agriculture Program/Old Rucker Farm, the Georgia Native Plant Society-North Metro Atlanta Chapter and the City of Alpharetta Recreation, Parks and Cultural Services.
Garden Faire 2026 will provide one-stop shopping for garden enthusiasts with a large selection of shade and sun perennials, native plants, indoor plants, tomatoes and other culinary offerings, as well as two horticultural education sessions and a space for children’s gardening activities.
This year, the Master Gardener volunteer team is focused on bringing the community a wide breadth of passalong plants from their gardens or the gardens of friends, family and neighbors. These passalong plants include a variety of ground covers, perennials, hostas, irises and daylilies, along with some select vines, shrubs and trees. Look for interpretive signage over many of the plants that provides tips on caring for them.
The UGA Master Gardeners Extension Volunteers’ primary mission is horticultural education and environmental stewardship. These volunteers will be on hand to help with your gardening questions and needs. This is your opportunity to pick their brains — and the Master Gardeners love that! Look for their booth, volunteer T-shirts, Master Gardener aprons or distinct name tags.
Through the marketplace, you will find garden-related vendors offering hard-to-find plants — including sweet-smelling roses, colorful native azaleas, lush hostas, succulents, daylilies, begonias, camellias, hydrangeas, pollinator plants, trees, shrubs, carnivorous plants and other natives — as well as nature-inspired pottery, gardening gifts, seeds, tools, birdhouses, feeders, educational offerings and more.
Adding to the festive atmosphere:
- Two educational talks on gardening topics with expanded Q&A sessions
- Food vendors providing light bites
- More plants than you can imagine
- The Fleatique, showcasing gently used, secondhand garden and home treasures
- A booth dedicated to garden-related crafts produced by North Fulton Master Gardeners
- Live music from Cedar Hill Bluegrass Band
If you bring young ones, look for the Children’s Gardening Corner in the center of the action from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Children will be engaged in a hands-on gardening craft, coloring activity or perhaps learning about carnivorous plants.
Garden Faire will feature two Garden Talk sessions hosted by expert speakers:
- 9:30-11 a.m.: Steps for Successful Garden Design, Selection and Installation — Keying off Your Vision
- 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Vegetable Gardening 2.0 — Good Practices from Soil to Seed to Sustenance
In addition to extended Q&A segments at each talk, attendees can expect a door prize or two and packets of seeds. The Garden Talks are free; registration is recommended.
How do you get there: The Grove at Wills Park is at 175 Roswell St., Alpharetta, Ga. Park at the Alpharetta Community Center or follow signs to overflow parking at Amana Academy, 285 S. Main St., Alpharetta, Ga. 30009. A free shuttle will transport attendees to and from Garden Faire, running continuously from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a short break from noon to 12:30 p.m.
A limited number of carts and wagons will be available for those who forget to bring their own. A secure area is available to hold purchases near the Alpharetta Community Center parking lot while you retrieve your car.
This event is a major fundraiser for all participating partners. Proceeds support educational activities for children and adults, community outreach, and restoration of public gardens and green spaces. The North Fulton Master Gardeners also fund annual scholarships to the University of Georgia School of Horticulture, Gwinnett Technical College Horticulture Program and the Georgia 4-H Foundation Collegiate Scholarship Fund.
We look forward to seeing you at Garden Faire on April 11 at The Grove at Wills Park in Alpharetta!
North Fulton Master Gardeners, Inc. is a Georgia nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to educate its members and the public in horticulture and ecology to promote and foster community enrichment. Master Gardener Volunteers are trained and certified by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Learn more at nfmg.net.
Visit North Fulton Master Gardeners at these events throughout the year
- Alpharetta Farmers Market (starting April 18)
- Sandy Springs Farmers Market: Diggin’ in the Dirt kids’ activities
- Crabapple Festival in Milton this fall
Learn More
- Garden Faire website
- Register for panel-led Garden Talks
- Garden Faire Facebook
- NFMG Instagram @NorthFultonMaster Gardeners
About the Authors
A Master Gardener since 2021, Mary Lyn Paolella has always had a passion for plants and nature. As a child, her dad would take her to his garden in the fields of North Carolina where she first experienced the value of multigenerational “passing along” of plants and knowledge. Mary Lyn is an enthusiastic dahlia grower and gardening explorer.
A lifelong nature lover, Christine Williams relishes getting dirty. From a young age, she loved exploring in any nearby woods, meadows or open fields. A Master Gardener Extension Volunteer with Fulton County since 2011, she received her Certificate of Native Plants from the UGA/State Botanical Garden of Georgia in 2024.
