The Piedmont Gardeners
SCHOLARSHIP
Scholarship Information
Beginning in 1992, The Piedmont Gardeners have hosted the Annual Garden Tour of Athens to fund a UGA scholarship. The goal is to recognize outstanding students at the University of Georgia who have a special interest in ornamentals. In 2025 we established a UGA Foundation Endowment called the Piedmont Gardeners Scholarship in Horticulture. The scholarships are awarded to rising 3rd or 4th year undergraduate students majoring or minoring in the Department of Horticulture. Preference is given to students who are active members of the Horticulture Club & have a passion for ornamentals. The Piedmont Gardeners Scholarship in Horticulture Fund also accepts donations from individuals. If you would like to make a contribution to the scholarship in memory or in honor of a special person please use this link https://gail.uga.edu/commit?des=76719003
2025-26 Scholarship Recipients
Nataly Romero
My name is Nataly Romero. I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and am proud to call Cumming, Georgia my hometown. I am a fourth-year Horticulture student at the University of Georgia and currently serve as President of the Horticulture Club. I have a strong passion for ornamental horticulture and work at the Horticulture Farm as a Woody Ornamental Landscape Plant Research Student Assistant. I am especially interested in how ornamental plants can transform built environments, bringing beauty, comfort, and a stronger connection to nature into everyday spaces. In the future, I hope to start my own interior scaping business, designing plant-focused environments for residential and commercial spaces.
Faith Wert
Hi! My name is Faith Wert, and I’m a 4th year horticulture student at the University of Georgia. I have worked at UGArden as a student worker for the past year after interning there last summer. Additionally, I worked for a cucurbits lab at UGA and studied abroad in Italy to learn about viticulture. I will also be pursuing a Masters of Landscape Architecture at the University of Georgia next year.
Alayna Holgen
I, Alayna Hoglen, am in my fourth year at the University of Georgia and work part-time at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, where I help maintain the Heritage Gardens. I developed a love for plant ID when I joined the Forestry team in 4-H in high school. My love for ornamental plant varieties increased as I derived joy from identifying many plants on hikes and documenting them through the seasons. I have a sincere love for the plant world and the knowledge it holds. My current intention is to become a curator of a Botanical Garden, but owning a small ornamental nursery is my dream.