Visitors to Autrey Mill Nature Preserve often note the beauty of the gardens at the heritage center. The lovely and artistic areas are the product of hundreds of hours of hard work put in by the North Fulton Master Gardeners (NFMG), who have been responsible for the development and maintenance of the gardens at Autrey Mill for the past 11 years.

The group initially focused on the garden at the Summerour House, a Victorian farmhouse built in the 1880s that was moved to Autrey Mill in 1992 and now serves as an event house.

Jim Perry, a long-time master gardener and active member of NFMG, has been volunteering at Autrey Mill since 1996. He recalls the early stages of the Summerour House garden as a real work in progress.

"I donated a lot of plants from my own garden," he says. "But little real planning went into the Summerour garden in the beginning."

It wasn't until Christine Hettinger, a student in the gardening program at Gwinnett Tech, made an offer that ended up setting the course for the Summerour heritage garden. Christine had been given an assignment to design a garden and she asked NFMG if she could do her project for Autrey Mill.

"I explained to Christine that we'd been talking about redoing the garden at Summerour House, and if she would incorporate the things we wanted to accomplish and we could afford to install it, we might use her design," says Jim. "Christine actually went out and found some funding for the project on her own, and we ended up installing the garden she designed."

Christine's plans for the heritage garden at Summerour House incorporated plants that are traditional and in keeping with the architecture of the house and the era in which it was built. She also kept in mind that the house would be used for weddings and special events when formulating her landscaping suggestions. The NFMG leveled the yard and did all of the planting.

In addition to Summerour House, the master gardeners have expanded their efforts to address other areas within the Heritage Village at Autrey Mill. These include creating and maintaining the rock and shade gardens along the path to the Country Store, landscaping at the Warsaw Church, and maintaining the entrance and the long expanse of climbing roses and iris that line the bank to the Visitors Center.

Jim notes that Eagle Scouts have been important partners in the landscaping and gardening efforts at Autrey Mill. NFMG works with the scouts on their projects to help maintain consistency in the historical and aesthetic appearance of the Preserve.

"Eagle Scouts have been terrific for Autrey Mill," says Jim. "They have completed dozens of projects such as the walkway to the Summerour House, the split mill railings around the park, and the stone stairway into the barn."

You don't have to be a master gardener or an Eagle Scout to participate in the fun of digging in the dirt at Autrey Mill. The public is invited to join the North Fulton Master Gardeners on their workday at Autrey Mill, which is generally the third Wednesday of each month beginning at 9 a.m.

"Come out, enjoy the camaraderie and learn more about gardening," says Jim. “We'll answer your gardening questions while we work."

For more information about the North Fulton Master Gardeners, their projects around North Fulton County, and their scheduled workdays, log on to www.nfmg.net or call Jim Perry at 7700-416-9321. For more information about Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center, including the Heritage Village and gardens, visit www.autreymill.org.