Clippings | May - August 2018 by Atlanta Botanical Garden

Atlanta | Gainesville | May – August 2018

return of the

plant giants

Tour 10 private gardens Who’s up for Cocktails? New Gainesville children’s garden

| Atlanta President’s Message

Torreya

The Garden has been actively working for years to save a very special tree – the most endangered conifer in America – found in Torreya State Park in Florida. The work began when a botanist at the Arnold Arboretum contacted our own Ron Determann and asked if he would grow and propagate cuttings taken from the few remaining Torreya conifers (Torreya taxifolia) for saving them in botanical preserves. Professionals in our field say that Ron can “make a pencil grow,” and he proved that to be true by growing the trees, propagating new ones and tracking each one to document its lineage. Today, the Garden has the largest collection of this endangered tree in the world and has distributed trees to other botanical gardens to assure that tree is protected in numerous locations. Recently, Dr. Emily Coffey, the Garden’s Vice President, Conservation & Research, along with University of Florida colleague Jason Smith, organized a remarkable expedition to Torreya State Park to collaborate with botanists and others working to save this tree. There, I was fortunate to learn about the concerted effort to understand the tree’s history of decline, causes and the national effort to save Torreya from extinction. The news of the latter is not good, as botanists who have been in the region for decades have seen the few saplings that still survive diminish in vigor. While the challenge to save this important conifer is tremendous, I was inspired by the 90 people who were there to collaborate on solutions. While impressed by their presentations, I had yet to actually see the few remaining saplings in their native habitat. The afternoon was spent with world renowned Dr. E.O. Wilson, a Harvard biologist known for his groundbreaking work with ants and numerous books about biodiversity. He had returned to

Torreya State Park to learn about the work being done to save the tree that he had noticed declining more than 50 years ago. To witness so many scientists listening to Wilson talk about how to save the world’s biodiversity and being regaled with his stories of ants and the beauty of Torreya before it was hit with the fusarium blight was simply a dream come true. As the sun was setting, the group knelt together while Wilson, who is 88, planted one of the young seedlings propagated by our Garden. It was an inspirational moment I will always hold dear. We all get overwhelmed by the hectic nature of busy lives, but I hope you will read and learn more about Dr. E.O. Wilson and the natural world through his eyes. Then take yourself on a long walk in the woods and cherish the trees and the ants as they all support life on our precious planet. Mary Pat Matheson The Anna and Hays Mershon President & CEO

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Atlanta |

A cast of living, larger-than-life characters will call the Garden home this spring – all straight out of storybook fame – when Imaginary Worlds returns, back by popular demand.

Presented May 5 – October 28, the topiary-like sculptures, most of them custom made using the centuries-old art of mosaiculture, not only will be larger than the works exhibited in 2013 and 2014 but also displayed at both the Midtown and Gainesville gardens. “This show is going to knock your socks off with the sheer enormity of the sculptures,” said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden’s President & CEO. Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time will wow visitors with its storybook-themed world of sculptures – most custom made for the Garden by the exhibition’s creators, International Mosaiculture of Montreal®. Five years ago the Garden presented its first major show of its kind in America. This time, the sculptures – steel forms covered in sphagnum moss, filled with soil and planted with thousands of meticulously groomed plants – will be staged in 14 installations. At the Midtown garden, look for a giant Phoenix looming over the Alston Overlook,

a Mermaid lounging in Howell Fountain, a massive Dragon towering over a sleeping Princess near the Great Lawn, a Woolly Mammoth in Southern Seasons Garden, a prancing Peacock inside the Fuqua Orchid Center, and three towering Camels lumbering through the Skyline Garden, to name a few. At the Gainesville garden, the landscape will be adorned with a variety of characters, including a friendly Ogre, two Panda Bears and four frolicking Frogs. This all-new cast of characters joins the Garden’s permanent sculptures, Earth Goddess, Shaggy Dog and Frogs, legacies from the original exhibition. “This exhibition is unique in that not only are the sculptures much larger than the ones in the original show but also that our own team of horticulturists will be planting them,” Matheson said. The process for creating the sculptures began last fall when drawings for the pieces were developed in Montreal, metal frames were fabricated, and plant palettes were chosen. The empty frames were shipped to Atlanta this winter, when Garden horticulturists began planting them, inserting more than 200,000 plants in a warm greenhouse in Buford.

Imaginary Worlds is presented with support from The Home Depot Foundation and the Isdell Family Foundation.

See how the sculptures stay beautiful, page 4.

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| Atlanta

Beauty regimen Daily care keeps sculptures looking their finest As gardens go, none are more challenging than the three-dimensional kind. Planting plans for the 14 installations began last August, with pictures and ideas exchanged between the Garden and Mosaiculture International in Montreal. Colors, textures and subtleties are critical when creating a living piece of art. How each piece gets sheared also ensures the contours, expressions and tight lines required for making each sculpture come to life. To ensure complete care and maintenance throughout the summer, a five-member team, many with art backgrounds, was hired to assist the horticulturists. Alternanthera, the dominant plant on each sculpture, comes in a variety of colors, including reds, greens and yellows, and responds well to shearing. Sedums and grasses allow the team to create shiny dragon scales and Shaggy Dog’s fur. Pilea, a small vining plant that quickly and smoothly covers any surface and rebounds quickly after shearing, is used to make the “skin” on the sculptures, such as Earth Goddess’ face. Like most gardens, the sculptures

require watering, weeding and deadheading, only more specialized. Water does not follow contours, or flow upside down. So, the underside of Earth Goddess’ chin can stay dry unless specifically watered. Narrow points, like the Pegasus’ tail, can dry out quickly, too. The sculptures are monitored for dryness several times a day, and special care is taken to keep unwanted weeds and pests at bay. Finally, all sculptures are sheared at least once a week using sheep shears – perfect for contouring Earth Goddess’ nose, defining Mermaid’s scales and smoothing out the packages that adorn the Camels’ backs with exact precision. Amanda Bennett, Display Gardens Manager Jim Smith, Senior Horticulturist

Go behind the scenes of creating mosiaculture in the greenhouse: atlantabg.org/clippings.

Cocktails in the Garden Explore Imaginary Worlds during the cool of the evening when the massive sculptures are dramatically lit for Cocktails in the Garden Thursdays during May through September. Free for Garden members, the afterhours event, held from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m., offers specialty drinks from full cash bars,

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deejays and live entertainment, games and other activities. On the last Thursday of each month, check out Science Café.

See what’s new at Cocktails: atlantabg.org/clippings.

Atlanta |

Garden tour a bounty of ideas

Go behind the gates of 10 private retreats Looking for inspiration for reinvigorating your home landscape? Starved for new ideas that will set your garden apart from the Joneses’? Or maybe you’re just in need of an exciting outing as a gift for Mother’s Day. Look no farther than the 34th annual Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour. The

Mother’s Day weekend tradition features a look behind the gates of 10 private home gardens throughout metro Atlanta. “The neat thing about this tour is that there’s always something for everyone – gardens large and small, ones that are professionally designed and others the work of the gardeners themselves,” said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden’s President & CEO. “What they all have in common is that they offer tons of ideas, from plant selections to design tips, that you can take home and use in

your own garden.” The tour, which benefits the Garden, is self-guided, so visitors may check out the sites at their leisure during both days of the event. Tickets are $28 in advance ($22 for Garden members, online only) or $35 the weekend of tour and are valid for both days. The event is rain or shine. For tickets, visit atlantabg.org Saturday – Sunday, May 12 – 13 10 a.m. – 5 p.m atlantabg.org

| Atlanta

Conservation center grows

HGOR New gardens would abutt the Beltline, and Piedmont Park would gain a northern entrance at Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive.

Garden eyes exciting northern expansion In just a few years the Garden could extend northward with a green swath along Piedmont Avenue and additional land that would connect it to the Atlanta Beltline. The expansion of about 7 acres could herald new amenities such as a butterfly house, water features and pollinator gardens, to name a few. The recently announced project is just one goal of a partnership among the Garden, the City of Atlanta and Piedmont Park Conservancy that seeks to raise $100 million for expanding the Garden as well as Piedmont Park and redeveloping the new land. The City hopes to dedicate $19 million toward the project for purchasing the land. “What’s most exciting is that because Atlanta is growing so rapidly, this is a critical time for us to acquire more green space for ensuring a quality of life that our children can enjoy far into the future,” said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden’s President & CEO. She credited the vision of former Mayor Kasim Reed and commitment of current 6

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Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms with seizing the opportunity to expand the city’s green space before more is lost to commercial development. Plans call for purchasing and redeveloping land at the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive as a northern gateway entrance to the park with trails connecting it to the Beltline. To the south, the Garden’s new acreage would slope to the Beltline, offering the possibility for a future access point to the Garden. Design proposals will be sought for each project, and the Garden and Piedmont Park Conservancy will work together to raise the remaining $80 million in private funds. And while Matheson said no ideas are definite, a few the Garden could consider include a seasonal butterfly house featuring Southeastern species, pollinator gardens, coursing water features and display gardens. The new gardens likely would be accessed from the rest of the Garden via an electric tram.

Construction began this spring to expand the Garden’s conservation and horticulture facilities for enhancing programs in research and conservation of imperiled plants and natural communities. Existing space will be reconfigured and enlarged by more than 4,500 square feet to create the new Southeastern Center for Conservation. The hub of this expanded facility will be an intellectual institute formed in 2016 for the coordination and collaboration among partner institutions involved in plant conservation, research and education – locally, regionally and internationally. “As the Garden has grown physically, our work with saving rare plants has grown exponentially,” said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden’s President & CEO. “And now that we are partnering with other institutions and programs, we need to expand for serving our researchers and students as a training site for the botanists of the future.” The expansion includes laboratories, classrooms, a Tissue Culture Lab, conservation and horticulture staff offices, and exhibit space dedicated to telling the Garden’s story of conservation research. The project, designed by Smith Dalia Architects, is expected to be completed in spring 2019.

Atlanta |

CC 3.0/Steve Law

Bid on rare plant finds

Unusual ornamental plants, including hand-picked rarities from around the country, will be up for bid during the Explorer’s Plant Auction May 23. The 6:30 p.m. event, which benefits the International Plant Exploration Program, supports scouting and seed-collecting trips that help bolster the Garden’s plant collections. For tickets and a list of auction plants, visit atlantabg.org/auction. Scott McMahan, manager of the International Plant Exploration Program, shares three of the plant selections available:

HEDYCHIUM COLLECTION Hedychium densiflorum ‘Assam Orange’, Hedychium ‘Anne Bishop’ and Hedychium coccineum. Fragrant, flowering gingers are an easy way to add a very tropical look to the sun garden. With these three hard-to-find selections ranging from 3 to 7 feet tall, colorful flowers and tropical foliage will continue all summer long.

VIBURNUM HENRYI Originally introduced to the United States by E.H. Wilson in 1901 but is found mostly in a few botanical garden collections around the world. Tolerates full sun to part shade with white flowers in the spring, red fruit in the fall. This evergreen plant is a collection made by Scott McMahan, Ozzie Johnson and Dan Hinkley in northern Sichuan, China, in 2004.

Shakespeare plays Skyline Garden The Alliance Theatre is taking its show on the road this season while its space in the Woodruff Arts Center undergoes renovation, and one stop will be the Garden for a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The nationally acclaimed theater will present a whimsical adaption of the Shakespeare comedy in the Skyline Garden Sept. 12 – Oct. 21. “For 48 years, metro Atlanta has supported us by making the trip to our front door,” Artistic Director Susan V. Booth said. “It seemed like we had the opportunity to return the favor and to do so in a way that celebrated the best of Atlanta by taking our work to a slate of cultural venues across our city.” In Shakespeare’s most popular

comedy, two couples deal with love and all its complications – confusion, jealousy, and passion. Further hindering the couples on their way to happily ever after are a lively band of characters and challenging events, including a band of actors, wood sprites and elves, a botched love potion and the wedding of a king. “We are thrilled to have the Alliance Theatre present the show here in Robinson Gazebo,” said Mary Pat Matheson, the Garden’s President & CEO. “I can’t imagine a more magical and beautiful setting for one of Shakespeare’s most creative and inspired works.” For tickets, call 404.733.5000 or visit alliancetheatre.org/midsummer.

ELLIOTTIA RACEMOSA The Georgia Plume is an extremely rare tree native exclusively to the sand hills of coastal Georgia. For years, this plant has been a focus of the Garden’s conservation department, and this is a seedling from the Garden’s seed orchard. Full sun and proper planting are a must, but once established this tree has proven to be one of Georgia’s most drought tolerant plants. 5 questions with Scott McMahan: atlantabg.org/clippings.

Ball set for Sept. 29 The 2018 Garden of Eden Ball is set for Saturday, Sept. 29 on the Great Lawn. The Garden’s largest annual fundraising event, the ball will honor Bob and Margaret Reiser for their leadership and support of the Garden. Dean DuBose Smith will serve as adviser for the event, and Cox Enterprises Inc. is presenting sponsor. For more information call 404-5911730 or visit gardenofedenball.org. atlantabg.org

atlanta happenings

| Atlanta

CONCERTS IN THE GARDEN Soak up the sounds of great musical acts in this favorite outdoor series. In Atlanta, performances include: June 6 June 15 June 29 July 13 July 27 Aug. 4 Aug. 24

Sheryl Crow The Wood Brothers JJ Grey & Mofro Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers Michael McDonald Mary Chapin Carpenter Guster

In Gainesville, Boz Scaggs will kick off the entire series from the Ivester Amphitheater stage May 5, followed by Melissa Etheridge, Sept. 22. Look for updates on the series along with ticket information at atlantabg.org/concerts.

Photo: Susan Hornyak

Imaginary Worlds

Gift Shop sales

May 5 – October 28 Explore a world of giant topiary-like sculptures throughout both the Atlanta and Gainesville gardens.

Don’t miss the Gift Shop’s sales throughout spring and summer, when members get double the deal: 20 percent off select merchandise.

Alston Lecture: Eugenia Bone

May 1 - 13: Jewelry June 5 - 17: Cookbooks July 10 - 22: Water bottles August 7 - 19: Selected kid’s items

Tuesday, May 1, 7 p.m. The Microbiome of the Garden: Eugenia Bone is a nationally known science and food writer. Her work has appeared in many national magazines and newspapers. Her book, “The Microbiome of the Garden”, examines the garden from the microbial point of view. Learn about the evolutionary history of soil, the plant/microbe relationship, the cooperative relationship between the microbiome of soil and the microbiome of plants, and what that implies in terms of plant and human health. The Philip and Elkin Alston Lecture series is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Loridans Foundation.

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Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour Saturday – Sunday, May 12 – 13 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tour 10 private home gardens featuring a variety of design styles throughout metro Atlanta during a Mother’s Day weekend tradition benefiting the Garden. For tickets, visit atlantabg.org

COCKTAILS IN THE GARDEN

Thursdays, May 3 – September 28 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Enjoy specialty drinks from cash bars, deejays and live entertainment, games and more.

Atlanta |

Saturday, May 12, Noon – 6 p.m. Sunday, May 13, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Presented by the Greater Atlanta Rose Society, the 61st annual cut-flower show in Day Hall features roses of every variety and color. Consulting rosarians will be on hand to answer questions.

Explorer’s Plant Auction

Refugee Recipe Celebration

Wednesday, May 23, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Bid on extraordinary plants suited to growing conditions in the Southeast. Proceeds benefit the International Plant Exploration Program. For tickets, visit atlantabg.org/auction.

Saturday - Sunday, June 23 – 24 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Garden Chefs and members of Friends of Refugees will mix up the weekend cooking demos in honor of World Refugee Day. Refugee cooks from several countries will serve up tastes of food highlighting international recipes.

Alston Lecture: Domenica Marchetti

Endangered Species Day Saturday, June 9 , 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Celebrate rare plants and animals at the Garden in honor of Endangered Species Day. Come nose to nose with exceptional plants and creatures, and learn about conservation efforts throughout Georgia.

July 17, 7 p.m. Preserving Italy: From Garden to Table: Italian cookbook author Domenica Marchetti shares her exploration of the many preserving traditions and techniques that Italian cooks rely on to conserve fresh produce and specialty foods. The Philip and Elkin Alston Lecture series is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Loridans Foundation.

atlanta happenings

Atlanta Rose Show

FOR THE KIDS Garden Playtime Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. – Noon Introduce your little one to the joys of nature. Hands-on learning and sensory stations will stimulate your child’s interest in the natural world. Suggested ages: 6 months – 5 years

Storybook Time Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Listen to stories about bees, flowers, butterflies and other garden friends.

Garden Grooves Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. Get ready to wiggle and warble with songs and dances inspired by the beautiful outdoors. Suggested ages: 2 – 5 years.

Shows for Seedlings Fridays, 10:30 a.m. or Saturdays, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Enjoy a variety of live performances from some of Atlanta’s best storytellers, puppeteers, musicians and magicians. Visit the “Kids Programs” section under “Learn” at atlantabg.org for a list of performers.

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| Gainesville

A Note from the Director The warmer days of late spring bring renewed activity to the Garden. May 5 ushers in the first concert of the season with Boz Scaggs as well as the return of the popular Saturday Lunch with Mom on May 12. For summer, the real attraction will be the giant topiary-like sculptures of Imaginary Worlds. Mosaiculture is truly the marriage of art and horticulture – steel frames are covered with thousands of annual plant plugs to create imaginative, fun sculptures. Gainesville will be home to pandas, frogs, and an ever-popular ogre. This exhibition will bring smiles to faces of members and visitors alike, regardless of age. June welcomes new visiting scholars as part of our International Plant Exploration Program. The two scholars, from Chenshan Botanical Garden in Shanghai, China, will study plant propagation and nursery production at the Garden, visit various sites of significant native plant populations around the Southeast and network with researchers at the University of Georgia and other regional botanical gardens. Summer will also bring some noise to the Garden – noise that we happily welcome because it means a long-awaited groundbreaking for construction on our Children’s Garden! Please pardon the dust and disruption as we begin work on this exciting addition. Hope to see you soon in the Garden! Mildred Fockele Vice President, Horticulture; Gainesville Director

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Children’s Garden launches construction

Spurlock Landscape Architects

Ground will be broken this summer for a Children’s Garden as the next phase of development of the Gainesville Garden. Located adjacent to the Visitor Center, the new 2 ½-acre attraction will be perched on the highest point of the property, where children will have a bird’seye view of the surrounding forest and feel as if they could soar with the hawks circling above. Newly planted trees and flowering shrubs will envelope this magical space. Designed by Spurlock Landscape Architects, the garden, which will feature hands-on exploration, opportunities for adventure, water play and free play elements, is expected to open in early summer 2019. The new space will be themed an “Enchanted Garden” with interactive features and fanciful elements that invite children to climb, jump and play in an unstructured, interactive and safe environment. The Entry Walk, intersected by secret shrub tunnels, will wind up the hillside to the sparkling Dragon Balance Beam. A grassy passageway leads to the Program Pavilion and lawn with inlaid Labyrinth. This will surely be a hub of

activity, from hands-on discovery stations to pumpkin bowling to cartwheels. A shallow pond, edged by stone boulders, will be home to frogs, turtles, fish and dragonflies. A boardwalk will wind through tall grasses to the Fairy Forest, home to fairy houses, enchanted tree stumps, a castle and fairy rings connected by the newly sited Train Garden. Rhododendron A Boulder Climb and adjacent Treehouse play structure will provide adventures for climbing, scrambling, sliding and free play, and create new vertical and horizontal perspectives for children. The Whimsical Water will be a huge hit during hot summers, allowing families to laugh and play with water spouts bubbling like mushrooms, overhead shooting sprays of water and enveloping mists. A Build-a-Fort will allow children to create their own “fortresses” out of lightweight balsa wood. An adjacent Chase Maze, with paths mown through tall grasses, will allow ample room to run and play. Mildred Fockele, Vice President, Horticulture; Gainesville Director

Japanese Aralia

• Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica) feature large, exotic looking evergreen leaves along with unusual white fall flowers. • Paper Bush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) offers great multi-season interest. An architectural branching structure is highlighted in winter followed by showy, extremely fragrant flowers in early spring and then bluish-green tropical looking summer foliage. • Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Bounty’) is known for its dramatically large white summer blooms that are sure to grab attention and brighten any shaded area. • Coral Bells (Heuchera villosa - many cultivars) are low growing perennials

CC 3.0/Cillas

Smooth Hydrangea

Boz Scaggs kicks off this spring and summer series May 5 at Gainesville’s Ivester Amphitheater, followed by Melissa Etheridge, Sept. 22. In Atlanta, performances include Sheryl Crow, June 6; The Wood Brothers, June 15; JJ Grey & Mofro, June 19; Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, July 13; Michael McDonald, July 27; Mary Chapin Carpenter, Aug. 4; and Guster, Aug. 24 Look for updates on the series along with ticket information at atlantabg.org/concerts.

Imaginary Worlds: Ogre & Friends May 5 – October 28 Experience the exhibition of topiarylike sculptures both in Gainesville and Atlanta. In Gainesville, meet the friendly Ogre, pandas and frogs. Discovery Stations and other educational programs for both children and adults will be offered Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Saturday Lunch with Mom Saturday, May 12 First seating, 11 a.m. second seating, 1 p.m. Treat mom to a tasty brunch in the Garden during Mother’s Day weekend. For details, visit gainesvillegarden.org.

Wine in the Woodlands Hakone Grass CC 3.0/Giligone

Here in the South, shade gardens are a welcome respite from the overbearing heat of summer. Tucked under the canopy of mature trees, they also offer a refreshing change of plant palette. Successful shade gardens incorporate different textures and colors to liven up an area and draw attention to the space. Boldtextured plants create interesting structure and places to rest the eye while fine textures grab attention with their elongated shapes. Utilizing color, whether in foliage or flowers, brightens the shadiest of corners and create a sense of depth and continuity. Here are a few selections sure to liven up any shade garden:

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Liven up that shade garden

Concerts in the Garden

gainesville happenings

CC 3.0/Drow_male

Gainesville Atlanta |

with colorful foliage in shades of purple, orange, yellow and pink that will add a pop of color and a feeling of continuity to a garden.

• Lungwort (Pulmonaria ‘Trevi Fountain’) is another low growing perennial with showy foliage. The leaves are fairly large and covered with silvery spots that make shady areas shine. • Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’) is a small graceful grass that has both narrow texture and bright gold color to brighten shady areas. Beth Perdue Owen, Senior Horticulturist

Last Thursdays, May – October, 6 – 9 p.m. Sip a glass of wine from cash bars and enjoy light bites with musical entertainment on Garden evenings that honor the Gainesville community with half-price admission: • May 31 Teachers • June 28 Healthcare Workers • July 26 Military • Aug. 30 Garden Volunteers

Children’s performances Last Saturdays, May – September, 11 a.m. Bring the kids and enjoy a host of different children’s performers. Storytellers, dancers, magicians and other entertainers delight with their fun and interactive shows.

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Atlanta Botanical Garden | Atlanta 1345 Piedmont Avenue, NE Atlanta, GA 30309

membersonly Light Bites & Garden Insights Tuesday, May 8, 8:30 - 10 a.m. Contributing-level and above members are invited to enjoy light bites and a behind-the-scenes look at an exquisite private garden featured on the upcoming Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour. An email with RSVP information will be sent several weeks before the event, and directions to the garden will be emailed upon your RSVP (To upgrade to the Contributing level or above, call 404-591-1544).

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1162 Atlanta, GA

Member Premiere Evenings

Contributing & above: April 30, 6 – 9 p.m. Individual – Family Plus: May 1, 6 - 9 p.m. All Members: May 3, 5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Preview Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon A Time featuring live music, imaginative entertainment, interactive activities and discovery stations – fun for the entire family! On May 3, members may enjoy a VIP area during the kickoff of Cocktails in the Garden. For details, visit atlantabg.org.

ATLANTA Member Summer Evening Tuesday, July 10, 6-9 p.m. All members are invited to enjoy a special summer evening in Atlanta. Tour Imaginary Worlds, listen to live music, shop the artisan market and enjoy kids’ activities. Details: atlantabg.org/memberevents

GAINESVILLE Member Day Saturday, June 2, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Enjoy an afternoon filled with fun family activities. Visit your favorite Imaginary Worlds character and enjoy light complimentary refreshments.

planthotline If there’s a drought this summer, which plants should I prioritize for watering: trees and shrubbery or perennials? Consider the cost, health, and the benefits and purpose of the plants. Then prioritize for watering any trees and/ or shrub that provides shade to your home and/or air conditioner units as

ATLANTA & GAINESVILLE Summer Strings Tuesday, June 5, 6:30 - 9 p.m., Gainesville Monday, August 27, 6:30 - 9 p.m., Atlanta Supporting-level and above members are invited to enjoy a summer evening under the treetops, mingling with fellow members, indulging in delicious hors d’oeuvres and libations, and listening to a live string performance. Invitations will be mailed. For membership questions, visit atlantabg.org/membership. these provide energy cost savings. Next, consider watering perennials that are newly planted or less than one year old. Established perennials will come back on schedule the following year. Lastly, let the annuals die. They are usually inexpensive and can be replaced every year.

404-888-GROW planthotline@atlantabg.org

Clippings is available online at issuu.com/atlantabotanicalgarden

2017 Volunteer of the Year:

Kathy Gallo

Position: Gallo is a Library Volunteer and a Docent Tour Guide. She began volunteering at the Garden in 2009 after a career as a librarian. Her supervisor, Garden Librarian Elizabeth Marvel, says: “Kathy is reliable, trustworthy, consistent, professional, funny and quick-witted, and always ready to converse on any subject. This year in particular she has made tremendous and lasting contributions, as the library received an enormous donation of nearly 500 rare orchid books, all of which needed cataloging.” Activities: Gallo leads tours for children’s groups and volunteers for events like Concerts in the Garden and Garden Lights, Holiday Nights as well as children’s classes and festivals. Volunteer hours: Gallo has made the Centennial Club (100+ hours) every year since 2009 and was a Volunteer of the month in 2013 and 2017. She has volunteered 200 or more hours during each of the past three years. Gallo on receiving the award: “I love being a librarian, but if I had a do-over I think I would study horticulture. The Garden is a perfect fit – I can volunteer in the library and also be among the plants and flowers.” Josh Todd, Volunteer Manager