Several members of our staff provide educational presentations for civic and community groups.
Hills & Dales Estate is pleased to offer educational programs to community groups including garden clubs, master gardeners, church groups, and other types of civic organizations. In addition to offsite programs, groups can also choose to hold their program at Hills & Dales Estate. If your group would like to have a lecture, demonstration, or workshop on site, please list Hills & Dales Estate as the requested location. Onsite programs are usually delivered at the Visitor Center or in our workshop space. A facility fee is charged for this option and tables, chairs, and set-up are provided.
Fees for out-of-town programs consist of a modest donation to the estate and travel cost. In the case of demonstrations, a charge for supplies is also included. Hands-on workshops are only done onsite, with pricing similar to our public workshops. We cannot accommodate offsite workshops at this time. If needed, the estate can provide a screen, projector, and laptop. A sound system is also available for larger groups.
If you would like a representative of the estate to present a program for your group, please complete this form. Information on presenters and topics is listed below. Please try to submit your request at least 60 days before the presentation. Thank you for your interest in a program from Hills & Dales Estate.
Available presentation topics include:
Horticulture – Container Gardening Savvy; Composting At Home; From Seed to Plant with Success; Getting Orchids to Re-Bloom; Heirloom Plants for Garden Fragrance; Hills & Dales Estate’s Signature Plants; Making a Succulent Wreath; Planting a Cutting Garden; Proper Tree and Shrub Selection and Planting; Floral Design Techniques; Tricks of the Trade for Growing Herbs; Pruning 101 for Woody Ornamentals; Rediscovering Heirloom Plants; Creating a Dry Streambed; Boxwood Blight; Heirloom Bulbs and Tubers for Your Garden
History – A Living Legacy: The Story of Hills & Dales Estate; Callaway Mills: Creating Citizens and Building Communities; The Artistic Creations of Fuller E. Callaway Jr. and Adah Mendenhall Awtrey; Callaway Impacts on Troup County Education
We are always creating new programs, so please inquire if you have a specific request.
David Brown
Before coming to Hills & Dales in 2014, David taught high school horticulture for 30 years and was then an adjunct instructor at Southern Crescent Technical College for 8 years. Squeezed in there somewhere, he also owned and operated his own floral shop! David has a BS degree in Horticulture and Agriculture Education from Purdue University and uses his wealth of experience and knowledge as our Greenhouse Manager and Floral Designer. He currently lives in Fayette County.
Tina Eturralde
Tina worked at Hills & Dales first as a volunteer for four years. Her passion for gardening led her to a career change and a full time position on our horticulture staff since 2004. After achieving lifetime membership in the Georgia Master Gardener program, Tina went on to earn a Diploma in Environmental Horticulture from Columbus Technical College in 2010. She resides in Coweta County.
Jeremy Oxford
Jeremy holds a BSA degree in Horticulture from the University of Georgia and has been at Hills & Dales since 2012. Before joining our staff, he honed his horticulture skills in the landscape industry for several years and is also a Certified Arborist, a valuable credential for his work here. Jeremy is originally from Snellville, Georgia but now calls LaGrange home.
JoHannah Biang
JoHannah’s extensive horticulture experience ranges from ornamentals, to vegetables, to fruits, medicinal herbs, and even mushroom cultivation. Over the years, she served as farm manager at the UGArden, the University of Georgia’s student community farm where they teach students how to grow their own food using organic practices. She also worked in a plant propagation lab and in the Trial Gardens at UGA where she loved seeing all the newest annuals and perennials, growing them out in the greenhouse, and then later planting and evaluating them for our climate in the Southeast. Additionally, JoHannah completed a horticulture internship at Callaway Gardens where she worked on the trails, in the Sibley and butterfly center, the vegetable garden, and even propagating native azaleas. She now serves as Horticulture Manager at Hills & Dales Estate.
Chris Smith
Chris earned his BS in Landscape Design from Auburn University, after which they retained him as Manager of the Plant Science Research Center. Prior to joining our horticulture staff he also garnered experience as Assistant Superintendent at Grand National Golf Course and then as Manager of Grounds at LaGrange College. Chris has been a horticulturist at Hills & Dales Estate since 2001 and resides in West Point.
Carleton Wood
Carleton is the Executive Director of Hills & Dales Estate. Prior to assuming his current role in 2002 he worked at the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, NC and Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens in New Bern, NC. Carleton has a B.E.D.L.A. from North Carolina State University and a M.S. in horticulture from the University of Georgia. He is an active member of the Southern Garden History Society and lives in LaGrange.
Haley Merciers
Haley Merciers has served as the Assistant Tour and Programs Coordinator at Hills & Dales Estate since October 2018. Prior to her employment at the Estate, Haley held positions at the Troup County Archives, The Georgia Historical Society, The Newnan-Coweta Historical Society, and the Mighty Eight Air Force Museum. Haley attended Georgia Southern University, where she earned both a B. A. and M. A. degree in History and a Graduate Certificate in Public History. Haley’s interests include local history, military history, and women’s history, and she loves being able to share stories of the Callaway family with visitors to the estate. Haley lives in LaGrange with her husband and two young daughters.
