The Garden Guy

Norman Winter recently retired as Director of the University of Georgia’s Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm, in Savannah, GA. During his 38-year career, Norman also managed several other organizations in the horticultural field as Executive Director, including the Columbus Botanical Garden, the National Butterfly Center, the American Rose Society and the Texas Pecan Growers Association.

 

As an Extension Horticulturist with Mississippi State University Extension Service, he was coordinator for the Mississippi Medallion Award program, promoting outstanding plants for the state. He received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Mississippi Nurserymen Association in 1997 and the 2005 Gold Award the highest honor given by Mississippi’s Federated Garden Clubs.

 

His award-winning Southern Gardening television news segment was seen weekly by an estimated 465,000 viewers on TV and Cable outlets such as WLOX-TV, Biloxi; WLBT-TV, Jackson; WDAM-TV, Hattiesburg; WXVT-TV, Greenville; WTVA-TV, Tupelo; WTOK-TV, Meridian; WCBI-TV Columbus, WKFK-TV Pascagoula and 4 times a week nationally as part of Farmweek on RFD-TV. His Southern Gardening radio program was heard daily on over 2-dozen stations. In Columbus, GA he was seen weekly on the NBC TV 38 Dee Armstrong Show. 

 

He is currently a weekly columnist with McClatchy Tribune News Service where his garden columns are read nationwide from coast to coast and north to south, from Anchorage AK to Bradenton, FL. He is seen weekly in several Georgia newspapers such as the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and the Savannah Morning News and in each issue of Georgia Gardening Magazine

 

Norman is a sought-after garden lecturer speaking at such well known events as the Callaway Gardens Symposia, Southern Garden Symposium in St. Francisville, LA., Georgia Perennial Plant Association, Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, Little Rock Flower Show, National Garden Club Convention, Arkansas State Master Gardener’s Convention, Emy Lou Botanical Gardens, New Orleans Botanical Gardens, and Memphis Horticultural Society.

 

Norman has written four books; Mississippi Gardener’s Guide published by Cool Springs Press in Franklin, TN. The Mississippi Library Association selected it as the non-fiction “Book of the Year”. The 264-page book features over 170 color photographs and a color wheel for plant combinations. Norman’s second book is titled Paradise Found, Growing Tropicals in Your Own Backyard was published by Taylor Trade Publishing in Dallas, Texas. Norman’s third book, Tough-As-Nails Flowers for the South published by University Press of Mississippi, is available in both paper and hardback. Captivating Combinations Color and Style in the Garden also by University Press of Mississippi is his latest release.