LadySlipper Select

03/10/2026

Mark your calendars ! Check out the dates for our Master Gardener Plant Sales .

02/24/2026

02/20/2026

Fresh organic free range eggs $7 a dozen

02/19/2026

Mission Statement for Cherokee County Master Gardeners To stimulate the love for and increase the knowledge of gardening and to voluntarily and enthusiastically share this knowledge with others Ask A […]

02/16/2026

Having fun with the new editing software.

12/20/2025

Beautiful Amarillis available

12/16/2025

Lichen is one of the easiest living things to overlook — and one of the most fascinating once you notice it.

Those soft greens, pale grays, and powdery patches on tree bark aren’t dirt or moss. They’re lichen, quietly growing right in front of us, creating a miniature world on branches, trunks, and stones.

Lichen isn’t a single plant. It’s actually a partnership between two organisms: a fungus and an alga (or sometimes cyanobacteria). The fungus builds the structure and offers protection, while the alga produces food through photosynthesis. Neither could survive as well on its own — together, they form something entirely new.

If you look closely, lichen grows in a few distinct forms.

Leprose lichen is the powdery kind. It often looks like it’s been lightly painted onto bark. These lichens lack a smooth outer layer, so they appear dusty or granular, made of loose fungal threads and algal cells. Despite their soft look, they’re surprisingly good at repelling water.

Foliose lichen is the leafy kind. It forms lobes that resemble tiny leaves or wrinkled paper. These lichens have a clear top and bottom and attach to branches with fine, root-like structures called rhizines. Sometimes the edges even lift slightly off the bark.

Fruticose lichen is the shrubby or stringy kind. These grow upright like miniature bushes or hang down like hair. Because they extend out into the air, they absorb moisture directly from the atmosphere and are especially sensitive to environmental conditions.

That sensitivity is what makes lichen so important.

Lichens absorb everything from the air around them — nutrients and pollutants alike — which is why scientists use them as natural indicators of air quality. When you see leafy foliose or bushy fruticose lichen thriving on branches, it’s usually a sign the air there is relatively clean.

So the next time you pass a tree, slow down and look closely. Lichen may be small and quiet, but it tells a much bigger story about the health of the world around us.

12/16/2025

We have a verity of unique gifts and stocking stuffers.

12/15/2025

Just finished up a small table. It is 58”x22” and 17” tall. It is made from a single piece of Spalted Maple with steel legs. Natural Finnish treated with Minneral oil. It is $350 and there is only one of them available. Merry Christmas Everyone 🎄🧑‍🎄

12/15/2025

Back in the shop today turning out serving trays. Prettiest wood i’v seen in years. 8971 Hickory Flat Hwy Woodstock ga. Prices start at $45 and go up to about $125 depending on size. Come get them a one of one gift for the person that has everything.

12/11/2025

Loving the firey red color in this piece. All serving trays are natural color treated with natural mineral oil. Food safe and they will last a lifetime. Merry Christmas everyone🎄

12/11/2025

It’s that time of year and I’m in my workshop turning out many of my handmade serving trays and we have some of the prettiest wood in years.