If you enjoy plants and community service, you may want to consider becoming a Master Gardener. South Metro Master Gardener classes will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-4:30 p.m. beginning January 7, 2008 through March 19, 2008.

A $100 fee is charged for the handbook and other supplies. Certification as a Master Gardener requires class attendance, passing exam grades and 50 hours of volunteer service to the University of Georgia Extension in Fayette County during the first year and 25 hours per year thereafter. Fayette County residents are given first priority. Classes include the following topics: annuals, perennials, trees, turf, plant physiology, entomology, landscape principles, pathology and more.

For more information on the Master Gardener Program or to obtain an application, visit the Fayette County Extension office at 140 Stonewall Avenue, Suite 209, Fayetteville or call 770 460-5730, ext. 5412. The deadline for applications is Thursday, Sept. 20. Interviews will be scheduled the weeks of October 8 and 15.