The recent drought may have slowed some gardening plans, but it won’t stop Lincoln County gardeners from learning more about their passion.

At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer on W. Monticello Street will open its doors to the public for a fall gardening event hosted by Wildwood Garden Club and Lincoln County Master Gardener Association. Speaking at the event will be Gail Barton, author of “Basic Gardening: A Guide for the Deep South.” Alderwoman Shirley Estes said Barton is an expert on native plants.

“She is a graduate of Mississippi State University,” Estes said. “She was the head of the horticulture department at Meridian Community College for years.”

Estes said that there are plants that can handle the drought just fine, but people in Lincoln County are accustomed to having plenty of water and favor plants that need it.

“It’s been brutal,” Estes said. “It’s made me work extra hard, with pulling my hose around and also using my irrigation system more than I usually do. I saw a lot of casualty throughout. Our dogwoods are suffering, and I’m hoping the drought just put them into an early dormancy rather than killing them. Time will tell.”

“We got so much water in the spring that all of our plants had shallow roots rather than having to go down deep into the ground for moisture, and that makes them more prone to suffer from the drought.”

Despite the dry summer, Estes said gardening can still bring people together.

“I call gardening my organic tranquilizer,” Estes said. “I have been exposed to gardening since my grandmother in the 40s, who was a master at gardening and mixing ornamentals, vegetables, and fruit in the same space, with a flock of chickens roaming throughout it all. You can have a conversation with almost anyone about gardening, whether they have a garden, or wish they did, or plan to begin.”

According to Estes, Wildwood Garden Club is a group of women interested in learning about gardening. She said they’ve been meeting since the 1970s.

“It’s a broad group of women,” Estes said. “Some retired, some very young and just starting to garden, some experts, and some novices. We’re very interested in education and getting speakers who can expand our knowledge of a field that we love.”

Estes said that the Lincoln County Master Gardener Association is connected to the Lincoln County Extension Office, itself a branch of the Mississippi State University Extension Office.

“This is our 15th year,” Estes said. “I was actually in the first class. The Master Gardeners get a few weeks of training, much of it directed from MSU. The main thrust of Master Gardener is education in the community for children and others.”

Estes said there are about 25 Master Gardeners in Lincoln County. Along with public gardens, tree planting, and holding events for children like the fourth grade watermelon contest, Estes said LCMG also goes into peoples homes or answers questions over the phone on request, in collaboration with Lincoln County Extension Director Rebecca Bates.

Estes said Wildwood and LCMG host a fall gardening event every year, featuring a variety of speakers.