gardens – Page 4 – Old Herbaceous

Posted on August 3, 2015August 5, 2015 by Old Herbaceous · 2 Comments

Gibbs Gardens and White Flowers

On my bucket list to visit: Gibbs Gardens in northeast Georgia. Gibbs Gardens was built by Jim Gibbs, the now-retired founder and head of a major Atlanta landscaping company. Now open to the public, the Gardens cover 220 acres of his 292-acre property in Cherokee county. By the numbers: 3 feature gardens, 16 separate gardens, 19 waterfalls, 24 ponds, 32 bridges. Among many notable features are a Japanese Garden and the annual spring display of daffodils, said to be one of the most spectacular outside Holland.

Until I get there in person, I can follow what’s happening and get some gardening advice from the Gibbs Gardens blog, co-written by Jim Gibbs and Erica Glasener, who hosts the HGTV show “A Gardener’s Diary” and has written several gardening books as well as articles about Southern gardening and gardening in Georgia. Here is her latest post, about white flowers in the summer garden: Summer Whites.

As I have a love affair with Japanese maples, I think I’ll time my visit to see their color in the fall at the Japanese Garden. Can’t wait!

Posted on August 1, 2015August 29, 2015 by Old Herbaceous · 1 Comment

Outstanding American Gardens: A Celebration

The Garden Conservancy has announced the coming publication of its 25th anniversary book: Outstanding American Gardens: A Celebration — 25 Years of the Garden Conservancy. Outstanding American Gardens.

The Garden Conservancy was founded in 1989. Its mission is to “save and share outstanding American gardens for the education and inspiration of the public.” It sponsors Open Days, offers consulting services to gardens, and works to preserve significant endangered gardens. What a wonderful organization! Can’t wait to buy the book, which features 50 American gardens of all kinds, from across the country: coast-to-coast and in-between.

Posted on July 31, 2015August 29, 2015 by Old Herbaceous

Earth Goddess

Going back into some older garden photos, I came across this favorite: the “Earth Goddess” mosaiculture installation at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It was part of the Imaginary Worlds exhibit last year; and ABG was able to keep it. What is mosaiculture? “Each sculpture is a living work of art. Thousands of annuals are planted in colorful, ornate patterns on steel forms covered with netting and soil. A combination of internal irrigation systems and hand watering help the plants to flourish. Each sculpture is meticulously groomed on a weekly schedule to maintain the artistic lines as the plants grow.”

“Earth Goddess” is 25 feet tall and covered with 40,000 annuals. She is integrated into ABG’s Cascades Garden, with some of the water flowing over her outstretched hand. In the winter, during the annual “Garden Lights, Holiday Nights”, she is covered with thousands of shimmering lights. Magic!

Posted on July 26, 2015August 5, 2015 by Old Herbaceous

Forest of Light

We recently visited the Bruce Munro installation at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Oh my. The most spectacular part of it was the “Forest of Light”, an installation of thousands of optic fiber lights in ABG’s Sforza Woods. It was as if clouds of fireflies had settled among the trees. I can’t wait to go back.

Bruce Munro, Forest of Light

Posted on July 26, 2015September 5, 2015 by Old Herbaceous

The Sunset Garden by Tamara Bridge | Susan Rushton

Susan Rushton has posted the most beautiful image of Echinacea here:

via The Sunset Garden by Tamara Bridge | Susan Rushton.

I love these new colors among Echinacea, although I usually gravitate to cooler shades in the flower garden. You can see how those cooler pastel shades in the background make these warm tones pop. I can see that, but I can’t replicate the effect, either in my garden or my photos. But I so appreciate those who can!