'Georgia Gardener' Brings Show and Fun to Gwinnett

It was early Saturday in Suwanee, and Walter Reeves was discussing naked women.

He asked his which record albums were known for having naked women on their album jackets. Some people quickly correctly replied "Tijuana Brass" (the woman in the cake) and "Blind Faith" (the girl holding a silver spaceship).

Then the questioning moved to beer.

Which brand of beer first featured the pop-top? Schlitz, someone correctly answered.

Eventually, the "Georgia Gardener's" remote WSB broadcast moved back on the air, and back to lawn and garden matters, the core subject. The off-air trivia questions were to keep those attending engaged while the studio folks relayed news, weather, traffic, etc. Prizes were given for correct answers.

Reeves' regular Saturday show is a multi-hour moveable feast, which set up in Suwanee last week. And it brought several regulars and at least one newcomer.

It was a return visit to Suwanee for Reeves. "There's a lot of them," Reeves said of his Suwanee visitors. "They keep coming through the doors. I'll think 'we'll have 20, and I look up and there's more.' " By 9 a.m., the Suwanee crowd had grown, with many standing. (The broadcast ran 6-10 a.m.)

But much of the time indeed is spent on the air, and the in-store crowd can be a part of that, too.

One caller had recently moved to Covington from Los Angeles, and wanted to know if he could grow avocados here. The audience chuckled beford Reeves responded, "Avocados will not grow in Atlanta. No tropical plants will grow here."

The Suwanee gathering included Nan Wade, who lives near Suwanee Station. "I'm not a gardener," she said Saturday, though she still is a regular listener and learned of Reeves' whereabouts when she tuned in. "He is the nicest man. I just love listening to him."

Another local and Reeves devotee who turned out was Carol Hitchcock of Duluth -- despite having a stress fracture in one foot. "(Reeves' show) is the only program my dog doesn't bark at," she explained.

Reeves' broadcast team included sidekick Shannon Pable, a Buford resident. She noted that she has a background in electrical engineering, but got into gardening and lawn care because she tired of traveling. She has worked with Reeves "on and off, for 10 years."

Reeves also touched on topical events with the store crowd, such as the drought conditions that are again affecting Lake Lanier.

"Four or five years ago, Lanier was dropping like a stone, and it's dropping like a stone now," he said. He advised listeners to add soil conditioner -- "it acts like a sponge."

The trivia sessions are spread throughout the morning, and the crowd got more animated. Question: "What radical leader said upon receiving a federal indictment, 'This is the greatest honor I could possibly receive?' " The wisecrack response: "Bill Clinton." Reeves smiled and said, "We're getting mean now."

His philosophy is simple. "Gardening should be fun. It should not be obsessive. If you are not playing, you are not enjoying gardening."

He also said you should be willing "to set some cash on fire" -- spend money.

And the show concluded as it began. "We have had a happy time," Reeves said.