This is an auspicious year as it marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Gainesville Garden, a beautiful and serene woodland respite that delights tens of thousands of visitors each year (see page 8).
When I joined the Garden in 2002, Lessie and Charles Smithgall had recently gifted the majority of their homeplace property for a new woodland garden along with a generous $3 million endowment. One might have asked at the time why a young botanical garden in Atlanta needed a new 168-acre wooded tract in Gainesville as it seemed a tall order to raise the funds to build a garden on the property. But the two driving forces behind it were extremely compelling – to save that beautiful site from development and to provide land for the Garden’s expanding woody plant collection and conservation program.
I would love to say it was an easy task to build the new garden, but it took more than a decade to complete a master plan and raise the $23 million needed for construction. One of our biggest challenges was convincing people in the Gainesville and Atlanta communities to make gifts to the capital campaign because the land was already preserved. And explaining what a botanical garden can mean to a community before it is built is exceptionally difficult. Fortunately, there were a few important community leaders and philanthropists who understood our vision, and they helped assure that the new garden would be built with very generous gifts.
From a personal perspective, I was fortunate to get to know dear Lessie Smithgall during that period; she was passionate about the land and trees, interested in the garden and charming with her wit and perspectives. Jack Burd, former president of Brenau University, was our campaign adviser, and he and I spent a few lovely afternoons sipping white wine and sherry with Lessie as she regaled us with her many stories and interrogated us about the campaign and garden’s development. Lessie believed in the vision for a woodland garden and wanted her community to enjoy the beautiful land that she and Charles had preserved.
The grand opening in May 2015 was a joyful event and marked the beginning of a garden and its community. Lessie was there to christen the new garden and was delighted by its beauty and sensitive design. Her woodland trees stood majestic over the audience that gathered in celebration.
Today, it warms my heart to know that the land preserved by the Smithgalls remains wooded, beautiful and provides so much joy to people who visit. And our goals to preserve the land and grow our woody plant collection and conservation program has been fulfilled beyond our dreams.
That’s how a new garden is born – by the dreams and visions of courageous people!
Mary Pat Matheson Anna and Hays Mershon President & CEO
orchid daze
Annual exhibit shimmers with natural light
Experience the light and warmth of summer during Orchid Daze: Beauty and Light, the Garden’s annual tropical plant extravaganza, February 8 – April 13.
Sparkling glasshouses are the natural terrain of exotic orchids in cultivation, and this year’s exhibition makes use of the abundant natural light in the Fuqua Conservatory and Orchid Center to heighten the scintillating beauty of orchids by using a variety of reflective media.
In the east-facing Conservatory Lobby, the soft morning light will be captured by vertical curtains of crystals of varying sizes and shapes, and reflected through alternating layers of jewel-toned miniature orchids. Dendrobium ‘Mini Snowflake’ and Oncidium ‘Twinkles’ will form vertical tapestries through which visitors will stroll, surrounded by carpets of Epidendrum and Oncidiums in myriad colors.
A spiral galaxy of crystals will hover in the vertical space above the corridor linking the Conservatory and Orchid Center. An allée of exuberant blue, orange, pink and yellow Vanda orchids will guide visitors from the Tropical Rotunda to the entrance of the Orchid Atrium. There, a soaring bubble cloud of reflective orbs will drift and spiral from the floor to the Atrium ceiling, enclosed within a parterre-style formal backdrop. Smaller clouds of pink and white orchids will float among the orbs, providing fragrance, color and a dramatic mirrored backdrop for photographs in the warm afternoon light.
A crystalline water feature will form the focal point in the formal bed of the Orchid Display House directly behind the Reflection Pond, where visitors can linger and sit among the orchids on display inside the cedar pergola. Water cascading over a faceted mirrored water wall will provide a background of tranquil sound and shimmering light. Radiant yellow, orange and red orchids will cascade across the front of two panels flanking the water wall and in the beds below. In conjunction with Orchid Daze, guests may take advantage of a free Orchid Care Clinic on Saturday March 30 from 10 a.m. – Noon.
Becky Brinkman
Fuqua Orchid Center Manager
VALENTINES IN THE GARDEN
Friday, Feb. 14, 6:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Take your sweetheart or besties to a romantic evening in the Garden, where fragrant orchids, live music, dancing, sweets and surprises set the mood. Be among the first to explore the Garden’s annual exhibition Orchid Daze. For ticket information, visit atlantabg.org.
Plant debuts
International travels allow new gardens to showcase unique trees, shrubs
It’s never too early to think about plants. That’s especially true when it comes to the Garden’s planned expansion.
Completion of the nearly 8-acre site that will connect the Midtown attraction with the Atlanta Beltline may be a couple of years away, but the Garden’s International Plant Exploration Program presents a rare opportunity to incorporate unique trees and shrubs – if plans are made now.
Since January 2023, Garden horticulturists and Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects have been discussing design concepts for the expansion gardens. With the final design expected to be completed by summer, plant selection discussions are well under way.
The International Plant Exploration Program (IPEP) was established in 2016 to construct a plant evaluation nursery, make formal seed-collecting trips to Southeast Asia and launch a visiting scholar program. It’s through those seed collecting trips that wild collected plants are evaluated for invasiveness and garden-worthy traits at the Garden’s Gainesville location.
That translates into an influx of collection plants for both garden locations. Those are plants that the Garden has chosen to specifically focus on, don’t duplicate significant collections at other major botanical gardens, emphasize plant families that grow well given our facilities, and in the case of plants to be grown or displayed outdoors, are environmentally suited to the southeastern climate.
Fortunately for the expansion, the IPEP nursery is bursting at the seams with plants that need a permanent home. A nationally accredited collection of magnolias, for example, will be represented in the expansion gardens with six species that cannot be purchased in the United States standing alongside old landscape favorites. Acer, Sorbus, Taxus, Keteeleria and Cercis are just some of the other plant groups representing wild collected or internationally sourced trees that will be integrated, while viburnums, hydrangeas and callicarpas are among the shrubs being added.
Many of these plants will be grown in the Gainesville nursery to larger sizes before being transplanted in Atlanta’s new garden spaces.
Being able to mix these additions into the ferns and groundcovers surrounding the Mirror Glade, giving an unusual spin to the Mediterranean vibe of the Rockery or taking a place of honor among the conifers and palms in the Ridge Garden are what make the Garden unique with diverse collections and displays. Bountiful aquatic displays in the Water Pools, vibrant seasonal annuals in the Walled Garden and billowing perennials in the Fountain Garden are also on the drawing board.
Debuting new plants in new gardens couldn’t be a more fitting way to celebrate the Garden’s expansion and commitment to future collections.
Spring bulb season is one of the most joyous times of year at the Garden. Who can scowl at thousands of brightly colored tulips and daffodils triumphantly reaching for the sky as the weather slowly shifts from sadly dreary and cold to cheerfully warm and sunny?
Plans for the Garden’s spring bulb display Atlanta Blooms! start a year in advance, evaluating flower combinations, looking at new varieties’ performance and weighing new offerings from vendors.
Here are some new “faces” to look for this March and April.
1. Narcissus ‘Exception’ in the Strickland and Color borders. This is a traditional looking daffodil but with a large, golden yellow flower.
2. An unusually shaped tulip, ‘Red Dress’ can be found in the Alston Overlook garden. Part of the ‘Crown’ tulip series, its overall shape and curvaceous petals promise a striking presence.
3. Tulip ‘Chongming’ could offer a coveted mango color when it emerges beside the Great Lawn. Will this yellow and orange with pink blush tulip turn out to be too good to be true or steal the show?
4. Daffodil ‘Sugar Dipped’ will float in the pond pots in front of the Fuqua Conservatory, brightening up the dark, winter water with bright yellow cups and creamy white, recurved petals.
5. Here’s hoping that Fritillaria ‘Early Dream’ will be dreamy in the Anne Cox Chambers Garden. Staff continue to dabble with fritillaria, which usually are picky in the Southeast climate, but the team is hopeful about this stocky, soft orange cultivar.
Gainesville Garden blossoms into adolescent gemstone
Imagine a place where you can stand on a wooded hilltop in spring and look down on a valley filled with magnolias in full-bloom glory.
Or wander down a hillside in summer alongside babbling streams and waterfalls lined with moss-covered boulders, ferns and wildflowers. Or be immersed in brilliant leaf color in fall followed by flowering camellias in winter as a gentle mist rises off the lake.
That’s the image one publication painted for the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville nearly 15 years ago. Today, that vision has blossomed into reality as the woodland display garden nestled in scenic northeast Georgia celebrates a decade of paradise in the making since opening in May 2015.
The genesis for birthing a second garden developed and operated by the Midtown attraction began in 2001 when Charles and Lessie Smithgall donated 185 acres of family land, held for more than a half-century, to the Garden for preserving as greenspace and sheltering from development. A fundraising campaign was launched to support
development of the site’s $20 million first phase, and the Smithgalls gifted the Garden a $3 million endowment challenge grant to support initial operations.
“We thought long and hard before we approached the botanical garden,” Lessie Smithgall said in a 2011 interview. “My husband always wanted to leave everything the way God made it. So it gives you a good feeling to know that what you’ve accumulated with such hard work is going to be taken care of.”
The vision for the new garden was not only to celebrate the beauty of the woodland and lasting legacy of the Smithgalls but also to create a setting for research dedicated to the conservation of rare and endangered species of plants native to the Southeast. Once developed, the garden began to offer art exhibitions, outdoor concerts, festivals and other cultural activities.
The initial phase of development brought a meandering entry road flanked by flowering
Construction on the Ivester Visitor Center began in 2013. Today, its terrace overlooks a pond filled with lotuses and other aquatic plants.
a Note from the Director
Rarely does one get the chance to develop a public garden from scratch and watch it blossom. During my 38-year career with the Garden, I have been fortunate to be a part of not only the growth of the Midtown location but also to help launch the Gainesville Garden.
With the tremendous vision of Charles and Lessie Smithgall to preserve their homeplace property in perpetuity, the Garden began its Gainesville journey in 2004 by building a 5,000-square-foot greenhouse and 4-acre nursery to begin to grow the plants for a future garden. The next step was creating a master plan with the assistance of landscape architect Herb Schaal; Mary Pat Matheson, Anna and Hays Mershon President and CEO; staff and board members. The first phase of development called for a series of garden rooms beneath the towering tree canopy, a Visitor Center and a 2,000-seat amphitheater.
list of plants grown in our nursery, including numerous selections of our seasonal collections: Magnolia, Hydrangea, Acer (maple) and Hamamelis (witch hazel). The garden design featured unique small trees and shrubs throughout, tied together with large masses of perennials and ornamental grasses. And much like those in the Atlanta garden, beautifully crafted annual beds were used to lead the visitor down the Promenade, or main garden path.
Once funds were raised, construction began in late 2013, and the garden was ready to plant in 2014. The planting plan was designed by landscape architect Tres Fromme in conjunction with Horticulture Manager Ethan Guthrie and me. In designing the Garden, Fromme had a horticulturally diverse
The challenges in establishing a new garden were many – from too much rain to drought to late freezes. The staff jokes that as soon as we start a new project, rain will appear in deluges, delaying construction and making it hard to amend the soil and plant. Once plants are in the ground, we seem to be hit with drought and high temperatures, making supplemental hand watering necessary. After the initial planting, we had a late freeze just as plants were leafing out. So in an attempt to save our hydrangea blooms for a summer show, we individually wrapped each newly planted shrub in white frost cloth, making the garden appear as if it were populated by miniature snowmen!
And while on Day One we were proud of
trees leading to a contemporary Visitor Center with offices, event rental spaces, classroom and gift shop. Outside, enchanting display gardens, themed around wind, earth, water and sky trails, provided bursts of color, while a nearby hillside yielded the perfect setting for creating an amphitheater. Woven among it all would be major collections of plants that provide seasonal interest – magnolias in spring, hydrangeas in summer, maples in fall and witch hazels in winter, to name just a few.
A milestone occurred five years ago when a long-awaited children’s garden opened, giving families yet another reason to visit and bringing kids programming, including classes and activities, to life.
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises for guests is to learn that behind the scenes vital research occurs involving plants and seeds from around the world. In a 4-acre nursery and 5,000-square-foot greenhouse, plants are propagated and grown to create a living collection for conservation, research and restoration of native habitats. Others are evaluated to provide new species and varieties suitable for introducing to southern landscapes.
And the Gainesville Garden continues to grow. Recent expansion of its diversely-landscaped Pass Family Orchard Parking lot will allow the Garden to increase its capacity for offering more programs, outdoor concerts, special exhibits and private rentals, such as weddings and corporate meetings.
A baby garden has grown into an adolescent gem.
the garden we created and opened to the public, it has been a process similar to watching a baby grow into an adolescent (The adage “Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts” comes to mind). Looking back at the pictures of the muddy slopes during construction, the new 1- and 3-gallon plants at initial planting and the views across pathways bring a smile and a sense of amazement. Those muddy slopes are now home to 8-foot native azaleas and 15-foot evergreens; the 1- and 3-gallon shrubs are now 6 to 10 feet tall; the original 10-gallon tree is now 25 feet tall; and you cannot see across the garden but instead must explore via winding pathways.
We continue to add plants to the garden framework – new selections from the horticulture trade or seedlings grown from plant material collected from travels to Vietnam and India. And while it has been amazing to observe the plants and collections grow and develop, the real joy has been in watching members and visitors enjoy the Garden and all it has to offer – from classes to concerts – and forging that connection with nature in this stunning setting. Just as Charles and Lessie Smithgall would have wanted.
Staff and contractors plant the Garden’s first tree (top) and cover new hydrangeas to protect them from a late freeze.
Mildred Fockele Gainesville Garden Director
reasonsto visitthe
Gainesville gardem
CHILDREN’S GARDEN
The Ada Mae Pass Ivester Children’s Garden, opened in 2020, is located on the highest point of the property, allowing children to be “king/queen of the garden” as they traverse the winding walkway to the top of the hill. It provides a year-round setting for children to engage in play and learning in a beautifully planted setting.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Whether its a Fairytale Friday costume parade, a new station at the Curiosity Cart or Storytime, the Garden is a great place for children to enjoy the outdoors while having fun learning something about nature.
PLANT COLLECTIONS
The Gainesville Garden’s focus is significant woody plant collections for each season. Spring brings magnolias bursting into bloom in shades of pink to white to yellow. Summer features hydrangea – from blue mopheads in the shade of the stream garden to panicle hydrangeas along the entry road and sunny spots of the Promenade. Fall presents stunning autumn color from understory species maples, followed by the winter bloom of witch hazels. These collections, artfully woven throughout the many garden “rooms”, provide year-round beauty and botanical interest.
ART EXHIBITIONS
Summer exhibits always feature unique artwork that helps forge a connection to the natural world. Some have made guests laugh (Ribbit the Exhibit), others have been unique in their beauty (Woven Whimsy), and some have brought together generations (Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects – the LEGO® exhibit). Summer is a great time to enjoy not only the beauty of the garden in its warm glory but also take in a creative exhibit as well.
WOODLAND TRAILS
Three trails lead from the Garden into the surrounding woodland, together covering about 1 ½ miles. Groundcover perennials, shrubs, small trees and towering canopy trees surround the trails, providing an inviting opportunity to explore and observe. More than 145 bird species have been sighted on the property, from year-round residents to migratory birds stopping on their way to the Caribbean.
Behind the scenes
Greenhouse, nursery supply gardens with rare, hard-to-find plants
Beyond the magic of the woodlands and the beauty of the display gardens is a multi-faceted greenhouse and nursery operation that few guests ever see but benefits both Garden locations and conservation efforts worldwide by growing and safeguarding rare and hard-to-find plants.
When Gainesville’s greenhouse and nursery facility was built in 2004 the purpose was to grow plants for both gardens. The 3-acre facility includes a 5,000-square-foot main greenhouse along with four hoop houses and plentiful outdoor growing space. Everything is grown in containers including trees, shrubs, perennials and specialty annuals.
In 2009, the Atlanta garden was expanded to include a new parking deck, visitor center, Canopy Walk and themed gardens, presenting the first opportunity for the new nursery to contribute plants to a new project. Many were newly propagated, including new Acer, or Maple, species for the Garden’s internationally recognized plant collection.
Eventually, the Gainesville nursery supplied plants like Pawpaw for the Edible Garden, Acer monspessulanum (Montpellier maple) outside the Conservatory, many
Magnolias and hybrid Mahonias near Longleaf restaurant, wild collected Rhododendron prunifolium (Plumleaf azalea) and many trees for Storza Woods. These efforts continue today, especially with the work of the International Plant Exploration Program, which networks with botanical institutions in Southeast Asia for seed-collecting trips and evaluates new species found there for use in the southeastern United States.
Over the years, the nursery and greenhouses have contributed countless plants to the Gainesville Garden including growing more than 95 percent of the plants for the Children’s Garden and more than 50 percent of those for the new parking facility.
Another aspect of Gainesville’s plant propagation is the opportunity to participate in growing rare, hard to grow or endangered plants. Two species of Magnolia, M. fraseri and M. macrophylla v. ashei, are native to the eastern United States with North Georgia being the southernmost range of M. fraseri. Both species can be challenging to grow as well as difficult to find seed sources. Over the years the Gainesville Garden has been able to grow and distribute many specimens to other gardens propagated from legally sourced wild populations. This helps to add to the genetic diversity within the species grown in gardens. Meanwhile, the Garden is leading international efforts to conserve Magnolia species, more
Top: Staff water seedlings in the greenhouse. Middle: Beds line the conservation nursery, seen from above. Bottom: Conservation staff conduct research on Sarrecenia.
than 50 percent of which are threatened with extinction, through the Global Conservation Consortium for Magnolia.
Finally, the garden also is home to the Conservation Safeguarding Nursery, where plants from endangered collections such as Florida torreya are grown.
Ethan Guthrie Horticulture Manager
| Gainesville Atlanta
The land for creating the Gainesville Garden was an extraordinary gift from two of Georgia’s most revered and generous citizens. Charles and Lessie Smithgall were as well known for their philanthropy –including the largest single gift to the state of Georgia – as they were for their devotion to conservation.
The Smithgalls, who founded The Gainesville Times in 1947 and owned it until 1981, met while working at Atlanta radio station WGST, where she was a copy editor and he was an announcer. She turned him down when he asked her for a date; she was more interested in another station announcer, Bert Parks, who went on to Miss America pageant host fame. But Charles Smithgall eventually won her heart, and the couple married, making their home in Gainesville on land that he had begun assembling in 1949. Early on, the couple decided the site would never be commercially developed.
A media magnate, Charles Smithgall built an empire of radio stations, cable television and newspapers, and in the 1970s began assembling another group of land holdings, the 5,562-acre Dukes Creek property. Smithgall hired a like-minded staff and set out to plant thousands of indigenous trees to restore the
old-growth forest. He often told people that his first choice would be to take his beloved woods with him. But lacking that option, in 1994 he gave Georgia its single largest gift, selling the acreage near Helen to the state for $10.8 million – half its appraised value.
“At some point, a man has to put something back,” Smithgall said in a 1988 interview.
Today, Smithgall Woods State Park is a heritage preserve, assuring that its old-growth trees, acres of icy trout streams, and wild turkey, bear and deer populations remain undisturbed.
In 2001, the Smithgalls shared another significant gift – donating 185 acres in Gainesville to the Atlanta Botanical Garden, including their 17-acre homestead, for protecting the land and developing one of the largest and most diverse woodland gardens in the United States.
Charles Smithgall died in 2002, and Lessie Smithgall, who continued to live in her home on the property in a life estate, died in 2021 at the remarkable age of 110. Today, the site is home to the Garden’s International Plant Exploration Program, meeting spaces and lodging for visiting researchers.
Who were the Smithgalls? a look ahead
2025 promises to be an exciting year for the Garden as it celebrates its 10th anniversary with expanded events and exciting programs.
New events on the calendar include a Mother’s Day brunch, providing a new, festive opportunity to enjoy the Garden in spring. Returning on select Thursday evenings, Cocktails in the Garden will offer relaxing evenings of specialty cocktails, music, light snacks, artisans and a special $10 admission in celebration of the 10th anniversary.
The summer exhibit, Forest Forms:
Woodland Wonders (above), will feature 21 larger-than-life metal sculptures of plants and animals, such as foxes, flowers, rabbits and snakes by artist Huelani Mei.
Music and theater will be front and center with some exciting new additions. Small music festivals will feature multiple acts on a single day for an intimate experience. Look for concerts by the Southeastern Young Artists chamber music group as well as the
North Georgia Chamber Symphony. In addition, the Garden will be collaborating with the Alliance Theatre to offer onsite performances for youth.
The year will wrap with the Garden’s first-ever holiday luminary show! From mid- November to early January, the Garden will be filled with luminaria, illuminated trees, reflective lotus in the pond, lighted woodland animals and lighted storybook characters.
Spring awakening
Annual gardening symposium adds plant sale to schedule
Join the Garden for a full day of new ideas from seasoned experts at the Spring Gardening Symposium & Plant Sale on Saturday, Jan. 25.
The annual event, held from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., includes a plant sale by The Kai Garden, Beech Hollow Farms and Garland’s Garden.
Registration fee is $115 ($105 for Garden members). To register, visit atlantabg.org.
The Great Southeast Pollinator Census: Discovering the Insects in Your Garden
Becky Griffin, coordinator of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, will discuss the project, highlighting the impact of the census with anecdotes to show how counting in the project changes participants’ perceptions of insects.
Plant
Exploration with A Purpose
Scott McMahan, the Garden’s Manager of International Plant Exploration, will chronicle stories from nearly 25 years of plant exploration in Southeast Asia and how that experience plays an important part in his role at the Garden.
Newly Introduced and Newly Utilized Native Species for the Southeastern Landscape
McMillan, Horticulturist for the Town of Cary, N.C., will delve into plant selections that can bring a manicured look to your yard along with all of the benefits for pollinators and other wildlife in your landscape.
English Tools for a Southern Garden
Molly Hendry, founder and principal designer, Roots & Ramblings, will unpack lessons she learned during her year of gardening across the UK and how she has translated those experiences in a Southern context.
The Making of a Border: A Perennial Wonderland
Horticulturist Adrienne Roethling will explore herbaceous perennials that require little maintenance, offer multiple seasonal appeal and flower for a longer period of time.
Enchanted forest
Whimsical
trees cast Alice exhibit in colorful new light!
Springtime will bring an encore of 2024’s popular Alice in Wonderland plant sculptures – but with a twist.
Complementing the giant topiary-like works of mosaiculture will be whimsical trees shimmering throughout the Garden, casting colorful light on their surroundings.
Dubbed Enchanted Trees by creator Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics – the artist behind the Garden’s 2021 exhibit of his signature rainbow-hued “Skynet” billowing above the Canopy Walk – the 10 sculptures will be scattered throughout the Garden, drawing onlookers with their dazzling acrylic leaves. Standing from 10 to 17 feet tall, the trees cast dappled light and reflective, shifting colors on everything around them.
The fantastical effect is bound to cast Alice and her friends in a whole new light when the exhibition returns May 10 –September 14.
Patrick
Botanical Drawing Program
Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 14
Learn to draw under the guidance of 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 majestic trees in graphite pencil and intricate orchids in colored pencil. Upon completion of the program, students will earn a Botanical Drawing Certificate. Visit atlantabg.org for details.
Student Drawing Exhibition
Saturday, Feb. 8 – Sunday, March 30 Botanical Drawing Program students that have recently earned the Botanical Drawing Certificate will display works of art in Gardenhouse Gallery.
Orchid Daze: Beauty and Light
Saturday, Feb. 8 – Sunday, April 13
Experience the light and warmth of summer during the annual tropical plant extravaganza, where sparkling glasshouses provide abundant natural light to heighten the scintillating beauty of orchids.
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
Experience “the rose of winter” with dozens of cut specimens during the North Georgia Camellia Society’s 74th annual Camellia Show. Honorary chair is Deen Day Sanders. To exhibit or for more details, contact President@ northgeorgiacamelliasociety.org.
Valentines in the Garden
Friday, Feb. 14, 6:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Treat your sweetheart to a romantic evening in the Garden, where fragrant orchids, live music, dancing, sweets and surprises set the mood. For ticket information, visit atlantabg.org.
Vanilla Sunday
Sunday, March 2, 1 – 4 p.m.
Surround yourself with the aromas and flavors of vanilla during a celebration of the orchid that yields this delicious spice. Savor an afternoon of vanilla cooking demos along with plant discovery and sensory experiences. Then enjoy a mini vanilla sundae.
Atlanta Orchid Society Orchid Show
Friday, March 7 – Saturday, March 8, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, March 9, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Explore unusual and rarely seen species and hybrids of orchids during the Atlanta Orchid Society’s annual show in Day Hall. Details at atlantaorchidsociety.org
Sprouting Scientists
Tuesday, March 11, 10 a.m. - Noon
Little ones can be scientists, too! Visit hands-on learning stations focusing on the natural world. Presented in partnership with the Atlanta Science Festival.
Alston Lecture: Alan Bergo
Tuesday, April 1, 7 p.m.
Travel down the road of obscure edible plants and mushrooms with James Beard Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo during this free lecture, hosted in partnership with the Georgia Mushroom Club.
Spring Break Family Fun
Monday, April 7 – Friday, April 11, 10 a.m. – Noon
Enjoy the wonders of springtime with fun, seasonal family activities.
Earth Day
Tuesday, April 22, 10 a.m. – Noon
Enjoy engaging and fun family activities celebrating nature and the beautiful plants all around us!
Atlanta Haiku Festival
Saturday, April 19, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Celebrate the connection between art and nature through haiku in the Garden. The festival begins with an online poetry competition in February, then features a variety of activities and programs in April, culminating in a festival day on April 19. Look for details online this spring.
atlanta happenings
Saturday, March 22, 5 – 9 p.m.
Enjoy cocktails, refreshments, live music and fun entertainment while strolling among hundreds of thousands of dazzling spring bulbs.
ATLANTA
Cyanotype Printing Workshop
Explore the process that produces distinctive blue-toned prints that can be made on a range of surfaces. Participants will learn wet and dry cyanotype printing and take home prints made on canvas totes and watercolor paper.
atlantabg.org
GAINESVILLE
Eco Printing on Silk Scarves
Create beautiful plant designs on silk by imprinting images of leaves, plants and flowers directly on protein fibers using a water bath process. Create your own designs on a silk scarf with plants you bring from home.
gainesvillegarden.org
membersonly
QUESTIONS? Call 404-591-1539 or email membership@atlantabg.org
Member Spring Evening
Monday, April 14, 5 – 8 p.m.
Explore thousands of spring blooms during a delightful evening featuring surprise entertainment, live music and family-friendly activities.
CONTRIBUTING & ABOVE
Light Bites & Garden Insights
GAINESVILLE: Friday, Feb. 7, 10:30 a.m. – Noon
ATLANTA: Monday, March 3, 5:30 p.m.- 8 p.m.
Contributing-level members and above are invited to presentations by Garden experts while enjoying light refreshments. Look for an email with details. To upgrade to the Contributing level, call 404-591-1544.
DIRECTOR’S CLUB & ABOVE
Orchid Daze Soirée
Thursday, March 27, 5:30— 8:30 p.m.
Enjoy an elegant cocktail reception with entertainment, tasty hors d’oeuvres and desserts, then savor the season’s most stunning orchids featured in the exquisite annual exhibition. To upgrade to Director’s Club or one of the Circle levels of membership, call 404-591-1538.
Member Evening
GAINESVILLE: Saturday, April 26, 5 – 8 p.m.
Experience springtime in the Gainesville Garden during an evening of family-friendly crafts, live music and a complimentary treat in the exclusive member activity area.
Garden Center Discounts
Take advantage of one of the many perks of membership – a 10 percent discount at select garden centers, including Garden*Hood, North Georgia Native Plant Nursery, Beech Hollow Wildflower Farm, Petal and Pond, and Pike Nurseries. Remember to show your membership card to receive the discount.
commonground
SUPPORT THE GARDEN AS A VOLUNTEER!
Discovery Volunteer Training
Saturday, Feb. 1, 1 – 3 p.m.
Teach Garden visitors about plant collections, conservation work and current exhibitions. Volunteers are given talking points and materials to provide information and answer questions to enhance the guest experience. Shift days and times are flexible, with a requirement of two shifts per month.
Docent Tour Guide Training
Friday mornings starting January 31
Learn to lead school groups on guided tours of the Garden. Volunteers must commit to leading two 90-minute tours a month, available on weekday mornings and afternoons. In addition, docents are invited to monthly lunch meetings and field trips. Interview and background check required.
To learn more contact Volunteer Manager Josh Todd at jtodd@atlantabg.org.
Is cardboard a good weed barrier?
Yes, cardboard is an effective yet inexpensive, eco-friendly weed barrier. Some perennial weeds, like dandelions, can still pop up through the cardboard, but this can be controlled by thoroughly weeding the area before placing the cardboard down. After placing the cardboard, cover it thoroughly with 2 to 3 inches of mulch.
