What gardens in Ga do you recommend i (we) visit?

11 years ago

Hello,

I have been to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, GIbbs Gardens, Callaway Gardens, Mercier Orchard and a few pick your own farms from the pick your own website. What other gardens and times of year do you recommend? I like flowers, landscape plants, orchards, vegetable gardens, etc.

PS- Sometimes i deviate my travels to go by hwy 41 in Marietta and Atlanta to see a former Post Property tulip display in the spring and their newer property by the river.

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Comments (16)

Iris GW
11 years ago
Georgia State Parks are wonderful places to visit - full of natural beauty and historic relics. Buy a single year state parks pass and visit each one at no additional charge all year.

There are also National Parks in Georgia: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Georgia State Parks
ritmatt
11 years ago
I'm planning a visit to Cox Arboretum in Canton soon. I've never been before, but it looks great. Visits available by appointment at a suggested donation of $7.50pp.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cox Arboretum
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We have one of those nurseries in my area, surrounded by homes of the Rich and Famous, replete with private golf clubs, tennis courts, etc., etc. Their indoor sales area is about as large as the outdoor garden sales area and features hundreds of potted tropical & houseplants, every conceivable size and design of ornamental pots and garden knickknacks, plus a bookstore, stocked only with garden related tomes. Outdoors, there is a large garden railroad and a huge Koi pond, which, during the summer season, is decorated like a jungle. Huge selections of annuals, many trees & shrubs, but slim choices for the perennial gardener. They have an affiliated company, that performs landscape design, installation & maintenance, so I suppose they stock what is mostly used in that business. Within the building, there is a large conference room, that will accommodate about 100 people, which is available, free of charge, to garden clubs and plant societies. Aside from attending many meetings there each year, it's always a treat for me to browse through the sales areas, while munching on a bag of popcorn, which is also free, from an antique popcorn machine. They offer discounts to groups that meet there regularly, but even so, everything is still terribly expensive, except when they have a clearance sale. The company has been in business for more than 100 years and started as a seed store, later branching into a catalog mail-order business, which was terminated several years ago. I suppose, that in certain locations, there is a niche market for that type of business, but it surely isn't a mainstream nursery that most gardeners would frequent!
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Linda: I've been trying for 2 years to get one. Next year I think will be the magic year. njmomma: Perhaps a piece of garden art? I really didn't think the daylilies would disguise it all all, do you? LOL. Nancy: Your gardens look great and what matters most is that you enjoy them. Julia
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what attraction(s) do you recommend visiting in PA?
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Hi! I love PA and its history. I lived out in the eastern part of the state for a while and the Harley Davidson plant is pretty cool...so are the little towns of Amish (as suggested above). If you're heading up to Erie (Presque Isle is GREAT!!!!) you could hit Oil City and check out the great old mansioins and museums. If you're heading north, check out the Allegheny Nat'l Park, too...there are tons of great places to stay for a night in a cabin on the lake. If you head south, you can always hit the city of Pittsburgh and take in the history there. The science center, station square, museums and strip district are always fun...even for those of us born and raised out here!!!!!!! You could always hit the PS grand canyon, too...heard it is beautiful! Hope you enjoy the trip and I can't wait to hear where you went!!! Take care and journey safe! ~k
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Comments (21)
Ingrid and Jin, I’m glad you like my lupine. I’ve waited 3 or 4 years for it to bloom! It’s meant to survive on our winter rains only, but because it was planted during our terrible drought, it concentrated on surviving instead of blooming. We didn’t get much rain this year, but I think last years rain allowed it to finally establish itself enough to bloom this year. There is something special about FINALLY seeing something blooming that you’ve waited years to see. Now I need to get up there and try to get Mel’s Heritage out of its way. The more I times I climb up that slope, the more “Javier damage” I see:( Small drought tolerant natives, meant to naturalize and help with erosion all gone. His “quick and impressive looking” weeding up there, was done by scraping the topsoil with a shovel. By doing that, he tore out small plants, and really only exposed the weed seeds to spring up with a vengeance! He also neatly cleaned up the shaded side of my slope, removing ALL the years of fallen leaves that I use for mulching. I know he was just cleaning up, but I didn’t see him doing it. Now it’s long gone. I do need him to come back once more, because he left my drip system half finished. I need him to come and be done with it! He hasn’t been paid for what he HAS done, so you’d think he’d be eager to wrap it up. Marlorena, thank you. I know you’re always interested in the unusual plants I grow. I’m one of those “plant snobs”, spending my pennies on the unusual things. My garden is an eclectic collection of roses, annuals, bulbs, South African plants, South American plants, and CA natives. Really I grow whatever catches my fancy, and will grow here without too much fuss. Ingrid will be shocked, but I even have a few thriving hostas and astilbes! They grow in the shade, where the water collects. My soil is heavy clay, so it holds water. In my defense, I planted these many years ago. I wasn’t thinking about water restrictions back then. They look nice right now, but disappear as soon as it gets to hot and dry. They always return the following spring, though. The fruit you see is loquat. It tastes ok, but has huge brown seeds that take up most of the center. The birds love it, but so do the roof rats! I have a phobia about those. I know it’s silly, but I change the channel if I see them on TV. Snakes don’t bother me. I don’t know what it is, but it is. Here’s a picture of the loquat tree. I’ll add more pictures after I finish my coffee. Lisa I might as well take a couple more, while I’m here. Excuse the gopher cages and the bareness around these. The cages are an absolute necessity, and will soon be hidden by the growing roses. This is a bed I work on a little bit almost every day, but it’s VERY slow going. Below is ‘Hommage a Soupert et Notting’ proliferating. This one is its first bloom. The rest of HaSeN’s buds don’t appear to have “that look” that the first one did. I was a bit worried about ‘Rev H. d’Ombrain, as he’s been slow to wake up from his move. He’s finally showing some life! I really need to do a thread showing my roses from Cliff and forward him the link. I’m sure he would like to see his roses in their new home. Lisa
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girlgroupgirl
11 years ago
Atlanta Botanical Garden tour! You get to snoop around in private gardens :)
apprenticegardener
11 years ago
Here are some suggestions:

Decatur Garden Tour--April 27 & 28. Includes access to Ryan Gainey's garden and the Woodlands Gardens, among many others. Gainey used sections of large crepe myrtles from my yard to construct many of the original pieces of garden "furniture" that adorned his original garden. Most of these are now gone, but I have always had a special appreciation for his design themes.

I was privileged to have resided in the white house that now serves as offices for the Woodlands Gardens while Dr. & Mrs. Morse, the original owners, lived on the property. This is truly a hidden treasure and is also open some weekends.

Georgia Perimeter College Botanical Garden, also open specific weekends.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University. Proves that UGA is more than just a football school.

Enjoy all of them.
ritmatt
11 years ago
Oh, yes. I forgot about the State Botanical Garden. It's very nice and free to visit (though I think a small donation is suggested). Good one!
frankielynnsie
11 years ago
Camellia Garden
One of the worldÃ¢ÂÂs finest camellia collections exists at Massee Lane Gardens. The home of the American Camellia Society since 1968. Also have some plants for sale :c)

Gibbs Gardens-daffodils and spring flowering bushes/trees March 1 to April 14th Ball Ground, GA
rosiew
11 years ago
Everyone should see the Trial Gardens at UGA. Link below to the plant sale there in April.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plant sale at UGA Trial Gardens
ritmatt
11 years ago
Following up on my post earlier in this thread, I did visit the Cox Arboretum with my wife and kids last weekend. Tom Cox himself, who lives on the property with his wife, gave us a tour of his gardens and he has many wonderful and interesting conifers. He's a very nice fellow and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit there. For anyone interested in conifers or for those that enjoy meeting nice people, I strongly encourage contacting Tom and making an appointment to visit!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cox Arboretum Visitor Opportunities
garedneck
Original Author
11 years ago
Girl,

Just got a Botanical Gardens email about a May 11 and 12 garden tour of private residences which i will try to attend. Did it several years ago and guess whose house had all the gorgeous red tulips out front... why of course Post Properties founder John Williams!

There is a Smith Gardens in Cobb County i will check out sometime.
buford
11 years ago
Tucker also has a garden tour, this year it's on May 18th. Here is their FB page to follow for more info.

Tucker Historical Society

My Rose group is thinking of doing a tour of some members gardens. Not sure if we will be able to do it this year.

I did the Atlanta Botanical Tour one year. Some fabulous stuff. But most was done by professional landscapers (one had a paid rosarian on staff!).
Suzanne Boesl
11 years ago
I would like to invite everyone to visit Smith Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw. It is a 16 acre collector's garden that includes a conifer garden, camellia garden, rose garden, children's vegetable garden, perennial garden and woodland walk. Bring a picnic lunch and spend the day at this beautiful garden. There is also a historic house that you can tour. I'm a volunteer and member of Smith Gilbert Gardens and it is one of my favorite places to relax and enjoy all that Mother Nature has to offer. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and military, $5 for children. Kids 5 and under are free.

Here is a link that might be useful: Smith Gilbert Gardens
mcleod
11 years ago
Not a garden but if your into old farm tractors a visit to Inman Farm Days in Woolsey (Fayetteville) in September is well worth it. The state antique tractor club holds it's show there in conjuction with the heritage days. They also have working displays of a sawmill, syrup making the old fashioned kettle method, a moonshine still (non functioning sadly) and many other older farm activities. I'm there every year with the Henry County Beekeepers Association along with hundreds of other vendors. Well worth it if for no other reason than the fresh pork rinds and homemade icecream. LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: Inman Farm Days
rosiew
11 years ago
mcleod,

Appreciate hearing about the Inman Farm Days. If you can, I hope you'll post a reminder a week or two before this year's celebration.

Rosie
garedneck
Original Author
11 years ago
http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/events-classes/events/gardens-connoisseurs#node-1656

FYI- Annual ABG "Gardens for Connoisseurs" tour registration.
fluffyflowers
11 years ago
The small town of Indian Springs has a delightful garden. I wrote about it here and here.

I have a long list of garden tours going on in our state this spring on my website.

I agree that if you have the chance to get to the Decatur tour to see Ryan Gainey's garden I highly recommend it. His is one of the most romantic walled gardens I've ever seen. Its not for the clausterphobics out there but if you love lush & overgrown gardens with great bones his is one that you will love and can learn from.

Enjoy!
Tiarella
10 years ago
Have you visited the Atlanta History Center gardens? Since I like ephemeral wildflowers, I like to visit about May 1st, but there are several gardens so everyone should find their type of plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: Atlanta History Center

What gardens in Ga do you recommend i (we) visit?

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