Clippings | Jan - April 2019 by Atlanta Botanical Garden

Atlanta | Gainesville | January â&#x20AC;&#x201C; April 2019

Atlanta Blooms wows! Storza shimmers with art Conifer Garden facelift

picture perfect

| Atlanta President’s Message When I meet people and they learn about my role at the Garden the first comment is usually “Aren’t you lucky,” and the second is about the Garden’s remarkable growth over the last 16 years. Both, of course, are true and something to be proud of. But what most don’t realize is that with the growth in displays and facilities have come equally phenomenal growth in our plant collections and horticulture program – both of which have been anchored by two esteemed leaders for more than 30 years: Mildred Fockele, Vice President, Horticulture and Director of the Gainesville Garden; and Ron Determann, Vice President, Conservatories. They are two of the best in the field, and through their leadership the Garden has amassed one of the world’s most diverse and well documented plant collections. Now these two are assuming new roles so that they can fulfill their professional dreams and work on new priorities. Ron will become Emeritus Vice President, Conservatories and focus his energies on expanding our plant collections and international collaborations. The Garden will reap great benefits from his new role, and I look forward to new plants and partnerships as he travels the world. Mildred will now give her undivided attention to the Gainesville Garden where this year she will oversee the opening of a new Children’s Garden and launch an exciting new festival and other programs. While managing this wonderful and flourishing Garden, Mildred will also direct our International Plant Expedition Program and new plant evaluation nursery. This all brings me to more good news: I am pleased to introduce our new Vice President, Horticulture & Collections, Andrew Bunting. Andrew has served as Assistant Director and Director of Plant Collections at the Chicago Botanic Garden. He will now oversee our horticulture operations as well as both outdoor and indoor plant collections. This is a transformational moment for the Garden as Andrew is known worldwide for his horticultural expertise and strong focus on plant collections. Working collaboratively with Ron and Mildred, Andrew will take our collections, displays and horticulture to a new level. He will also be a very strong external advocate for our international role in plant collecting and will collaborate with other world partners to connect people to plants and promote the important work that we are all doing. I look forward to connecting you to the plant world that Ron, Mildred and Andrew inhabit! Mary Pat Matheson The Anna and Hays Mershon President & CEO

Turning a page New Imaginary Worlds salutes Alice in Wonderland

Imaginary Worlds makes an encore this spring with new storybookthemed plant sculptures, including ones from Alice in Wonderland, joining many favorite installations from 2018 dressed in all-new attire. Imaginary Worlds first debuted in 2013 and proved such a hit that the exhibition returned the following year, again drawing a blockbuster response. Last summer, the Garden presented a revival, this time around the fantasy theme, Once Upon a Time, featuring 14 installations of the giant topiary-like sculptures at both the Midtown and Gainesville locations. “Our guests loved this show so much we just couldn’t end the story there,” said Garden President & CEO Mary Pat Matheson. “So we’re back for the final chapter.” This spring’s Imaginary Worlds, presented May 11 – Oct. 27 at both gardens, features a massive installation from Alice in Wonderland in Atlanta’s Skyline Garden. The favorite children’s tale plays out with a sleeping Alice relaxing in the Garden, while an enormous chess board and oversized card characters occupy the event lawn, with a giant Cheshire Cat poised nearby. A giant White Rabbit is floating in the pond in an upside down umbrella. In addition, many of the 2018 sculptures will be outfitted with different plants, staged in surprisingly new locations or both. Many of the larger-than-life sculptures – designed with the centuries-old horticultural art of blanketing steel forms with a mesh fabric, filling them with soil and covering them with groomed plants – were custom made for the Garden by the exhibition’s creators, International Mosaiculture of Montreal®.

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Atlanta | PHOTO: PARISH KOHANIM

Picture perfect Orchid Daze flashes with artistic floral photography Warm up winter and bring on spring by exploring the exquisite beauty and fragrance of Orchid Daze, the Garden’s annual floral extravaganza, Feb. 9 – April 7. For this year’s event, the Garden is partnering with Atlanta-based commercial and fine art photographer Parish Kohanim, whose stunning photographic interpretations of orchids will illuminate the exhibition throughout. The Fuqua Conservatory and Fuqua Orchid Center will feature tropical orchids and Kohanim’s photographs in displays that highlight the diversity of color, fragrance and pattern within the orchid family. Winner of many national and international awards, Kohanim has become renowned after three decades of producing breathtaking color and black and white photography. “What inspires

me most is nature,’’ Kohanim, whose gallery opened in 2003, said recently. “I have non-stop admiration for the glory that is all around us.” The floral fireworks begin in the Conservatory Lobby, where visitors will stroll among towers of vibrant orchid flowers rising from floor to ceiling, with delicate Oncidiums dancing below and playful moth orchids hovering overhead. Regal Cymbidiums in pink, yellow and orange will line the path. In the connecting corridor to the Orchid Center, spectacular yellow and flame-colored orchid chandeliers will sparkle overhead like Roman candles. The mood changes in the Orchid Atrium, where visitors will bask in the tranquil warmth of a lush oasis of

Learn more about the Garden’s renowned orchid collection at atlantabg.org/clippings. bamboo. At every turn, nodding slipper orchids, fragrant Cattleyas and jeweltoned Vandas will emerge from among the bamboo culms to delight the senses and engage the imagination. Finally, the heavenly fragrance of hundreds of Pansy Orchids will greet visitors as they enter the Orchid Display House, where, as always, the exhibition is surrounded by the Garden’s outstanding permanent collection of species orchids. Becky Brinkman, Fuqua Orchid Center Manager

love is in the air Celebrate Valentine’s Day by enjoying cocktails, dancing and desserts in the most romantic setting in town – the Garden! Valentines in the Garden, set for 7 – 11 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, features decadent chocolates and other scrumptious sweets while visitors sip cocktails from cash bars, dance to live entertainment and explore Orchid Daze by night. The annual exhibition, from February 9 - April 7, highlights thousands of blooms in the Garden’s nationally renowned collection of species orchids. For ticket information, visit atlantabg.org. 3

| Atlanta

COLOR

EXPLOSION Atlanta Blooms!

Every year the Garden strives to make its spring bulb festival Atlanta Blooms! even better than the year before, with special attention paid to colors and flow so that guests are wowed and delighted. Last year, more than 20,000 bulbs were planted in a woven pattern in the new Anne Cox Chambers Flower Walk alone. This spring’s displays of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus will

not disappoint when its rainbow of color comes to life in March and April. The Flower Walk will be resplendent with dozens of different bulb varieties, ranging in color from pink, purple and white to orange, peach and red. Some fan-favorite tulips that will be making an encore include the hot pink ‘Fancy Frills’, purple-pink ‘Del Piero’ and bright orange ‘El Nino’ – standouts that

were just too good not to repeat. New additions among mixes and colors are the fuchsia ‘Royal Ten’, red ‘Yosemite’ and Springtime Dance Mix. All over the Garden, whether old varieties or new, Atlanta Blooms! will be a stunning spectacle not to be missed. Amanda Campbell Bennett, Display Gardens Manager

“Narcissus Garden” reflects nature

Yayoi Kusama, Narcissus Garden, 1966-present, 1,400 stainless steel spheres, overall dimensions vary by installation, each sphere 11 7/8 in.

Long past Garden Lights, Holiday Nights, the Garden will continue to sparkle this winter as famed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden – featuring some 1,400 stainless steel spheres – is presented in Storza Woods. The Garden is partnering with the High Museum of Art, which is presenting Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors through February 17, featuring six of the 89-year-old artist’s iconic infinity rooms filled with displays of LED lights, inflatables, yellow pumpkins and more. In conjunction with the touring exhibition, the Garden is presenting the installation Narcissus Garden – originally installed in 1966 and one of Kusama’s most famous works – in the Gardens in Storza Woods through spring. There, the mirrored surfaces of the tightly arranged spheres will create an infinite reflection of the beauty of the surrounding nature, including some of the city’s oldest hardwoods, along with the brightly colored Saffron Tower neon sculpture.

Atlanta |

Conifer facelift

Renovations add new, unusual tree varieties Recent renovations to the Dwarf and Rare Conifer Garden, home to many one-of-a-kind species of trees and shrubs, have given a facelift to this unique collection. The garden, just outside the Fuqua Conservatory, was started in 1994 to demonstrate the diversity of conifers and evaluate new species for suitability in the Southeast. Since then, the conifer collection has been evaluated and renovated several times to create a world-class collection of trees. The garden features a mix of common dwarf conifers that local homeowners can successfully grow in their city-sized yards and rare, one-of-a-kind specimens that conifer enthusiasts will appreciate. The garden showcases 270 individual plants in an area of only 6,000 square feet. Recognized by the American Conifer Society as a designated reference garden, it features representatives from all continents except Antarctica and all conifer families. Half of all conifer genera, or groups of species, and more than 100 species call this garden home. During last year’s renovations significant improvements to the plant collection and infrastructure, including irrigation, were made in the space,

which also serves as gateway to the Skyline Garden. A more efficient computerized watering system coupled with a 90,000-gallon rainwater collection reservoir under the entrance driveway and a new water collection reservoir that stores 25,000 gallons of well water reduce demand on city water. Last year, the Garden received a grant from the American Conifer Society to further evaluate the conifer collection for diversity of species, hardiness in the Southeast and whether the plants stay truly dwarf in this climate’s heat. These funds were crucial in helping the Garden procure replacement trees for those that no longer fit the criteria for the reference garden and to replace others that have died or were damaged in storms. Other recent efforts have been to add more companion plants, such as grasses and perennials, to make the garden more visually appealing while guiding guests to the Flower Walk and Skyline Garden. The Garden was able to add 90 conifers, 26 new conifer species, four new conifer genera and companion plants. New introductions and unusual conifers that thrive in the Southeast include Forrest Fir (Abies delavayi var. forrestii), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus

decurrens ‘Berrima Gold’), Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica ‘Dinger’) and Cheshunt Pine (Diselma archeri ‘Red Dwarf ’). Significant support for the renovation of the garden, which honors Nancy Fraser Parker, was provided by the Fraser-Parker Foundation. Jim Smith, Senior Horticulturist Irina Rieppi, Assistant Horticulturist

| Atlanta

Saffron Tower Chihuly sculpture finds permanent home

Saffron Tower, Dale Chihuly’s 30-foot-tall yellow neon sculpture that lends a welcoming beacon to visitors in Storza Woods, has found a home in the Garden’s permanent art collection. The sculpture, on loan from the artist since first shown in the Garden during the 2016 Chihuly in the Garden exhibition, has been acquired with the generous support of community gifts and donations. “We are thrilled to announce this beautiful piece of art will join other sculptures by Dale Chihuly in the Garden as a legacy to his wonderful exhibitions here,” said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden’s President & CEO. The Garden first introduced Chihuly’s work to Atlanta in 2004 during a blockbuster exhibition that doubled the Garden’s visitation and membership levels, setting the stage for dynamic growth and a reputation as an idyllic setting for presenting world-class art. In 2016, the Garden presented an encore exhibition of the Seattle artist’s work, including Saffron Tower, which emits its warm glow from more than a half-mile of glass and 312 hand-formed neon tubes. The sculpture joins several other popular Chihuly works in the permanent collection. The blue and white sculpture in the Levy Parterre fountain has become a Garden icon, while the Nepenthes Chandelier in the Hardin Visitor Center is inspired by the pitcher plants emphasized in the Garden’s plant conservation work. In addition, a series of Chihuly drawings hangs prominently in Longleaf restaurant. The Saffron Tower acquisition was made possible by leadership support from the City of Atlanta and generous gifts from The Molly Blank Fund, The Imlay Foundation, Forward Arts Foundation, Suzanne Mott Dansby and other donations. Melissa Roberts, Development Manager

Learn more in an illuminating fact video at atlantabg.org/clippings.

Family trees Garden celebrates woodturners’ art

The Garden will present the work of acclaimed artists Philip and Matt Moulthrop, the second and third generation of an Atlanta family of woodturners, February 9 – April 27 in the Gardenhouse Gallery. The exhibition will showcase the connection between art and nature by presenting how the father and son work 6

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with the natural beauty of a tree. It will include their bowls, examples of tree material in its natural form and tools used to produce the bowls. Among the work will be the artists’ new Atlanta Botanical Garden series created from tree material supplied by the Midtown and Gainesville gardens. The Moulthrop legacy began with the late Ed Moulthrop, Philip Moulthrop’s father, a self-taught artist credited as the “father of modern woodturning”. His designs are in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The woodturners are acclaimed for using downed native Southeastern trees – tulip

A bowl crafted from Garden tree material. poplar, black gum, wild cherry, yellow wood – to carve something so beautiful and exotic that the wood looks as if it was harvested from a South American jungle.

Atlanta |

The itchy truth about poison ivy Poison ivy has been twining itself around North Americans since the early 17th century. Today, it has a nasty reputation because of the unpleasant, itchy rash and sometimes oozing blisters it causes to approximately 85 percent of the population that comes into contact with its toxic oil, called urushiol. Surprisingly, Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) hasn’t always been despised. Many of the first people to record their encounters with it marveled at its lush green foliage and rich fall hues ranging from burgundy to bright orange. Despite the havoc it could cause to one’s skin, plant enthusiasts in Europe spent large sums of money obtaining even the smallest of specimens from North America to display in their

well-tended gardens. Poison ivy is also a plant of immense ecological value. It offers an excellent food source to a vast number of animals, from squirrels and birds feasting on the fruits to bees feeding on its flower’s nectar. The vine also provides shelter to a wide range of small rodents and amphibians. The next time you spot the three-leaved plant, think beyond the unpleasant rash it may have caused you and look at the bigger picture -the important role it plays in nature. TIP: If, unlike the plant enthusiasts of the past, you want to remove Poison ivy from your yard, wear long sleeves, pants and gloves, and carefully dispose of the plant in bags. Maleah Street, Assistant Horticulturist

VANILLA SUNDAY Enjoy Vanilla Sunday March 3 for an afternoon filled with sweet appreciation of the tastiest flavor obtained from an orchid. From 1 – 4 p.m., stop by Discovery Stations to see a real vanilla vine growing in the Fuqua Orchid Center or to learn how to use its pods to make vanilla extract. Volunteers will share their knowledge about how vanilla is produced and how pods grown in different tropical countries have unique flavors. The Vanilla Sundae Station is always popular for getting a taste, while supplies last, and cooking demos using a splash of vanilla will be offered in the Outdoor Kitchen. In the meantime, here’s a recipe by Garden Chef Christine Curry for whetting the appetite:

Vanilla Anise Biscotti 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder 3/4 cup sugar 1 T. anise seed, chopped 3 eggs 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 vanilla beans

Preheat oven to 300° F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and anise seeds. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs and vanilla extract. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean pod from end to end, scrape out the seeds and add to the mixture. Gently mix the egg mixture into the flour until a dough forms. Roll the dough into a log shape about 2 1/2 inches wide and 8 inches long. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350° F. Slice dough into 3/4-1 inch pieces and place each biscotti flat side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool, then enjoy.

Learn about the orchids behind your favorite vanillia treats online at atlantabg.org/ clippings. 7

atlanta happenings

| Atlanta

2019 Inspired Gardener : A Symposium & Silent Auction Saturday, Jan.26, 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Get excited for springtime and get inspired along with other enthusiastic gardeners while collecting new ideas from seasoned experts at this event hosted by the Garden in partnership with the Georgia Perennial Plant Association. Registration deadline is January 22. See the enclosed Education Brochure or visit atlantabg.org for details.

Orchid Daze Saturday, Feb. 9 – Sunday, April 7

Enjoy thousands of beautiful, fragrant orchids on display during Orchid Daze, the Fuqua Orchid Center’s annual exhibition highlighting winter’s favorite plant.

S! M O O L LOVE B • 19 2 • 14

Valentines in the Garden

Thursday, Feb. 14, 7 - 11 p.m. Bring your sweetheart for a romantic evening in the Garden, where fragrant orchids, live entertainment, dancing and desserts set the mood. For ticket information, visit atlantabg.org.

Orchid Market Weekends Saturday – Sunday, Feb. 9 - 10, March 2 – 3, April 6 - 7

Find a wide variety of orchids and potting supplies. Look for artwork and crafts by local artists. On Saturdays of those weekends, bring up to two orchids to the Orchid Care Clinics for expert advice; $5 repotting, materials available.

Vanilla Sunday Sunday, March 3, 1 - 4 p.m. Enjoy the annual celebration of the vanilla orchid. Learn more about the process of turning vanilla beans into a key extract for desserts and sample a mini vanilla ice cream sundae.

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Atlanta |

Friday – Sunday, March 8 - 10, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Browse hundreds of gorgeous orchids on sale in Day Hall. While here, don’t miss Orchid Daze in the Fuqua Orchid Center.

Calhoun Lecture: Chelsea Thomas Tuesday, March 19, 7 p.m. Fourteen years ago a group of scientists evacuated frogs from Panama to protect them from a deadly fungus in the region. Join Chelsea Thomas, the Garden’s Amphibian Conservation Coordinator, as she discusses the reunification of the remaining populations of two frog species with their homeland and steps that can be taken to help amphibians here and abroad. The free Calhoun Lecture series is made possible through the support of the family of Marion Peel Calhoun. Reservations are not required.

Tickets for Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour April 1 Tickets go on sale for this favorite Mother’s Day weekend tradition. Set for May 11 – 12, the tour features private gardens of varying styles throughout metro Atlanta.

Spring Break Family Fun April 1 - 5, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Need an exciting family activity during Spring Break? Visit the Garden and enjoy the wonders of springtime with fun and seasonal family activities.

atlanta happenings

Atlanta Orchid Society Show

Atlanta Blooms!

March - April Explore hundreds of thousands of tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths. Check out a variety of ways to grow bulbs, including container gardens and floating islands. Watch for updates on peak bloom times at atlantabg.org

Earth Day April 23, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Celebrate nature! From ladybug releases to learning about conservation, there’s fun for everyone. Families can also join us for a Storybook Time at 10:30 a.m.

Botanical Drawing Program Learn to draw with artist Carol Anne Sutherland. Beginning with principal drawing of the natural world in black and white, the courses develop technique until students gain the ability to dynamically capture intricate botanicals in colored pencil. Upon completion of program, students will earn a Botanical Drawing Certificate. See the enclosed Education brochure or atlantabg.org for details.

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| Gainesville

A Note from the Director 2019 promises to be an exciting year for the Gainesville Garden, as summer will bring the opening of our new Children’s Garden! With the new garden’s many interactive and fanciful elements, children will be able to jump, climb and play in a beautiful environment. Flowering shrubs and perennials will edge the walkway as families climb to the highest point of the Garden. The landscape enveloping the Children’s Garden will restore the forest edge, utilizing many of the maples and magnolias from our collections. Just as in the main garden, there will always be something in flower in the Children’s Garden. As we expand with the Children’s Garden and develop more programming, we’d like to thank the many volunteers who help with all of our programs at the Garden – whether ushering at a concert, greeting visitors as they enter or helping weed the planting beds. They all do a tremendous job, and we look forward to recognizing them in February. Another exciting “behind-thescenes” development for this year is the establishment of an evaluation nursery for our International Plant Exploration Program. Trees, shrubs and perennials will be evaluated there for heat and cold hardiness, ornamental or breeding potential, and potential for invasiveness. This is the next logical step in our IPEP program, and we will keep you updated on program manager Scott McMahan’s travels and plant successes. Please watch for online updates on the Children’s Garden opening as well as concert and exhibit information, and other happenings at the Gainesville Garden. It promises to be a busy and exciting year. Hope to see you soon in the Garden! Mildred Fockele Gainesville Garden Director

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ALL ABOARD!

Trains find whimsical new home in Children’s Garden

Fairy Villages bring a touch of whimsy to the new Children’s Garden in Gainesville. One of the Gainesville Garden’s most popular features, the Train Garden, will be moving to a new location in the Children’s Garden when it opens this summer – the Fairy Forest, where the train will chug between two whimsical Fairy Villages. The Fairy Villages will contain miniature houses that can be decorated seasonally. The houses and a castle are decorated using natural materials – dried cones, twigs and leaves – so they blend into the surrounding landscape. The surrounding Fairy Forest will be full of magical elements – “fairy rings” made of small brightly colored toadstools or mirrored balls, fairy doors that lead into magical trees or mysterious groups of stones, tree stumps with whimsical faces, and tree stumps with mirrors embedded in their trunks. All of these elements will add color, sparkle and a bit of mystery (Where do those fairy doors lead, anyway?) to the Fairy Forest. In addition to the decorative elements, fun and fanciful plants will be used as part of the landscape. These include Distylium ‘Guppy’, a dwarf evergreen with purple/ red winter flowers; ‘Jim’s Little Guy’ Dwarf Bald Cypress; and Magnolia ‘Minnie

Mouse’, a dwarf, shrubby Magnolia with pink flowers. The Fairy Village Train Garden will be just one of the fun, playful elements in the new Children’s Garden. Other sure-to-be kid favorites include the Dragon Balance Beam, the Lawn Labyrinth, the fort-like treehouse, the Chase Maze and the Build-a-Fort. Located adjacent to the Visitor Center, the new 2 ½-acre attraction, themed “Enchanted Garden”, will be perched on the highest point of the property, where children will have a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding forest. Mildred Fockele Gainesville Garden Director

Gainesville Atlanta |

January – April

Adult Education Classes February – April Topics include propagation, container gardening, pruning and vegetable gardening. Details at gainesvillegarden.org

Spring Woodland Ramble & Plant Sale Friday, April 19, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Plant Sale, Members only Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Woodland Ramble & Plant Sale This annual market offers naturethemed and unique arts and crafts for sale by local artisans. Enjoy the spring season in the Garden while you shop. Food truck on site.

Top dress soil for garden success Every great garden is built from the ground up, and healthy soil structure is the key. One of the best ways to build healthy soil is to amend beds with various types of top dressings, and now is the perfect time to do it. Top dressing is essentially a thin (1/2 -3/4 inch) composted layer of soil that is spread and worked into the current existing soil every couple years. It can be made from leaf mulch, manure, compost, minerals, wood mulch and worm castings. These amendments improve water retention for plants, providing essential nutrients for biodiversity, increasing microbial activity in the soil and supplying fertilizer. Most top

dressings contain high amounts of organic matter and essential nutrients that will help give a real boost to soil, causing plants to thrive. When amendments are applied, mulch is raked back and the amendments then spread over the bare soil. It is important when applying top dressings to not build it up too thick beside the crowns of plants. The final step is to cover the amended soil with fresh mulch and let the decomposition magic begin. Building healthy soil doesn’t happen overnight, but regular top dressing leads to a successful garden. Nathaniel Wiant Assistant Horticulturist

gainesville happenings

Painting Workshops for Children & Adults

Storytime and Smiles Wednesdays, 10 a.m. Preschoolers and young children are invited each week to listen to stories about the natural world and seasonal themes.

Budding Artists Wednesdays, 11 a.m Children use their creativity to make a seasonal work of art.

Terrific Trains April, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The Train Garden captivates the imagination of the young and the young at heart. Children can also play, build and share with fun boxes of wooden toy trains.

Private Events Bloom in Gainesville Looking for the perfect setting for saying “I do”? Need to give that annual conference a breath of fresh air? Interested in doing something diffferent for your next social celebration? Consider a private rental in the Gainesville Garden, whether indoors or out. For information, visit gainsevillegarden.org or call 404-888-4760. atlantabg.org

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membersonly ALL MEMBERS

Presidents’ Day Monday, Feb. 18, 9 a .m. – 5 p.m. Members receive 20 percent off throughout the Garden Gift Shop on Presidents’ Day, when the Atlanta Garden is open during regular hours.

commonground Imaginary Worlds Member Premieres, Atlanta Monday, May 6, 6 – 9 p.m. Contributing and above members Tuesday, May 7, 6 – 9 p.m. Individual - Family Plus members Thursday, May 9, 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. All Members at Cocktails in the Garden Members are invited to exclusive premiere evenings of Imaginary Worlds featuring live music, imaginative entertainment and interactive activities – fun for the entire family while exploring the plant giants.

Member Spring Evening

New Website

March 12, 5 - 8 p.m. Explore Atlanta Blooms! while listening to live music, shopping the marketplace, viewing chef demos, enjoying kids’ activities and meeting Garden staff. Members receive a complimentary treat while supplies last. Food and drink available for purchase.

The Membership page is now located at atlantabg.org/join on the Garden’s new website. It includes links to Member event details, the American Horticultural Society reciprocal program and Clippings online. For more info, contact membership@ atlantabg.org or 404-591-1539.

CONTRIBUTING & ABOVE

Light Bites & Garden Insights Thursday, April 11, 10:30 a.m. – noon in Gainesville Tuesday, April 30 8:30 – 10 a.m., in Atlanta (off site) This quarterly behind-the-scenes program includes complimentary light bites and an educational presentation. The Gainesville presentation includes brunch and speaker, while the Atlanta event offers an exclusive “sneak peek” of an exquisite private garden featured on the Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour. Expect a reminder email with RSVP information before each event. Details at atlantabg.org/memberevents. Upgrade to the Contributing level by calling 404-591-1544. 12

DIRECTOR’S CLUB & ABOVE

SUPPORT THE GARDEN AS A VOLUNTEER

Discovery Volunteer Training Saturday, Jan. 12, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Discovery volunteers engage the public about the Garden’s collections, conservation work and special exhibitions. Shifts are available Tuesday-Sunday, mornings and afternoons, with a commitment of two shifts per month.

Docent Tour Training Wednesdays, Jan. 23 – March 6, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Learn to lead informative and exciting tours for children’s groups. Attendance is required at all seven classes, and you must commit to leading at least two tours a month during peak seasons. The docent group, in addition to leading tours, enjoys monthly lunch meetings and field trips.

Garden Essential Maintenance Training Thursday, March 7, 10 - 11:30 a.m. Join the horticulturists and other volunteers in the outdoor gardens. If you enjoy gardening and all of the chores that go along with it – weeding, watering, deadheading, pruning and planting – this is the position for you. Volunteers commit to working one weekday morning a week, 9 a.m. – noon.

Orchid Daze Soiree

Outdoor Kitchen Resource Assistant Training

Date to be announced. Members of the Director’s Club and Circles members are invited to an elegant celebration of Orchid Daze featuring a cocktail reception in Longleaf restaurant followed by live music, dessert and after-dinner drinks in the Fuqua Orchid Center. To upgrade to Director’s Club or one of the Circle levels, call 404-591-1538.

Details, call at atlantabg.org/volunteer

Clippings is available online at issuu.com/atlantabotanicalgarden

Saturday, April 6, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Volunteers assist chefs in the Edible Garden Outdoor Kitchen. Opportunities are available on weekday evenings and weekend afternoons. Volunteers must commit to two shifts a month between April and October.