2026 Fling Into Spring
Nature's Wonders Symposium
Saturday, March 21st 9AM-3PM at the Thomasville Garden Center
Did you know that pollinators are responsible for about 1 in every 3 bites of food we eat? Butterflies, like other pollinators, (bees, birds, and bats) play a major role in producing fruits, nuts, and vegetables by moving pollen between plants. How can we help these small but mighty creatures who put food on our table to continue surviving and thriving in our community? Well... come participate on March 21, 2026 in Thomasville Garden Clubs’ Fling Into Spring with Nature’s Wonders, a symposium about local butterflies and ways to keep them healthy by installing native plants in your garden. So grab your kids, neighbors, and friends to join us for a full day of fun and activities.
Our Sponsors
Our Speakers
Stephen Strickland
Nursery Manager/Grower
Stephen Strickland's interest in plants began in 1993 when his father purchased 50 acres in Southern Grady County, a property rich in native species and diverse ecosystems. This early exposure sparked a lifelong interest in native plants and wildlife.
In 1997, Stephen launched his professional career at Wight Nurseries' Square Deal Division, where he started out in the maintenance department; then transitioning to hands-on field tasks such as order pulling, trimming, and plant spacing. By 1999, he advanced to the irrigation department, and in 2001, he became Plant Health Supervisor at Wight Nurseries' Hawthorne Trail Division during its transition to Monrovia. In this role, he oversaw irrigation, weed control, and collaborated across departments to ensure optimal plant health and operational efficiency.
Stephen joined Flowerwood Nursery in 2006 as Production Manager, where he led all aspects of growing, pruning, planting, irrigation, and production planning. His leadership and expertise earned him the role of Location Manager in 2016, following the retirement of his mentor, Jim Rinker. Stephen plays a key role in maintaining Flowerwood's reputation for quality, including its signature patented Encore Azalea. He has also gained 6 years of experience as the head perennial grower for Flowerwood's Cairo location, and its expanding perennial program.
In 2024, Along with his work and dedication at Flowerwood; Stephen's passion for growing plants and desire to give back to nature inspired him to launch Strickly Native. It's a small nursery dedicated to growing premium native wildflowers with a focus on pollinator-friendly species. He produces his plants from locally harvested seeds and propagates from cuttings as well as division. Among his favorites are Asters, Ironweeds, Rudbeckia, native Salvia, Asclepias, coneflowers and passionflowers - species that play a vital role in supporting pollinators. His mission is to inspire gardeners and homeowners to incorporate native plants into their landscapes, highlighting the ecological benefits and beauty they provide.
Tom Faircloth
Speaker/Presenter
Thomasville, Georgia native, Tom Faircloth, has combined his love of
photography and of nature to share vivid images of the South Georgia and North Florida flora, landscapes, sunsets, unusual cloud formations, seashells, sand dunes, tides and ocean currents. During the scourge of Covid in early 2020 when he and his wife first quarantined themselves, Faircloth began focusing his photographic interests on various pollinators in their natural habitats in his pollinator
garden. Since that time, he has broadened his quests. His current collection of photographs, captured by the camera of his Samsung cell phone, now includes a diverse array of butterflies indigenous to the South Georgia and North Florida region. These include Fritillaries, Sulfurs, Skippers, a wide assortment of Swallowtails, including the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (the State Butterfly of Georgia), the Queen,
the Viceroy, the American Lady and his preferred butterfly: the Monarch. In addition to butterflies, Faircloth photographs other pollinators and garden friends of the butterfly – a variety of bees, wasps, dragonflies, frog, lizards – and anything else found on host plants in his Thomasville
garden.
Encouraged by friends, neighbors and family, Faircloth has issued a limited edition of signed archival-grade art prints of seven of his butterfly photographs. He also offers a collection of note cards featuring sixteen different Monarch images, in two packs of eight cards each.
Marge Willis
Speaker/Presenter
Marge Willis is a Master Flower Show Judge (Emeritus). Her talents has won her many local and National Garden Club, Inc. Flower Show Top Awards including the NCC Award of Design Excellence Award. She is a former Thomasville Garden Club, Inc. President, Camellia District Director and served on The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. Executive and Finance Board as Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary and 4th Vice President, Flower Show Awards Chairman, Engagement Calendar Chairman and the GCG Board of Trustees of the GCG Headquarters located in Athens. She enjoys creating arrangements for her church and other venues. She has present flower arranging programs in Georgia, Florida and Alabama and loves sharing her talents with others. Marge always jokes around about the fact that she believes that she has a brown thumb instead of a green thumb. Her motto is “I arrange the pretty flowers, I don’t grow the pretty flowers”. Your afternoon with these two ladies will be filled with fun and laughter as you go through the steps creating a beautiful arrangement for your home.​​
Mary Tomlinson
Mary Tomlinson is a Master Flower Show Judge. She has won many local and National Garden Club, Inc. Flower Show Top Designer Awards in both the Design and Horticulture Divisions. Mary has presented programs of flower arranging throughout the state of Georgia and is always willing to share her talents and interest. She enjoys creating beautiful arrangements for her church and to those that need to have a smile. Mary is a former president of Thomasville Garden Club, Inc. and has served on both the Camellia District Board as Co-Director and The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. Board as Yearbook Chairman and the Engagement Calendar Co-Chairman along with serving on the Trustees Board of GCG Headquarters located in Athens.
Speaker/Presenter
Penny Daniels
Penny Daniels will be leading the Children’s Workshop and is a member of Briarcliff Garden Club. Penny taught in the Thomas County School System for 30 years. She is a former president of Briarcliff and is the Youth Chairman for our club and the Thomasville Garden Club, Inc. She serves on the Camellia District Board as the Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl Poster Chairman and Youth Poetry/Youth Essay Chairman.
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Claudia Mason
(Bluebird House sessions) grew up on Susina Plantation of Grady County, where she learned to have a appreciation for our natural resources and nature. She has been an avid bird enthusiast with a special love for the Eastern
Bluebird. For the past 20 years she has turned her yard into a haven for not only bluebirds but all feathered wonders. Through this love of bluebirds she has learned about their habitat and build houses for them to hatch babies.
Children’s workshop ($20/child, Open to Public)
K5-5th Grade
9:30am till 1200 noon (lunch provided)
Building a Bluebird House ($25/child limited to 10 children/session)
K5 – 5 th Grade
Two Session: 10:30am till 11:30am ~ 1:30pm till 2:30pm
