Monday, March 18, 2019

Spring in the Atlanta Botanical Garden

I know many of you are still knee deep in winter. For us March has been blustery, chilly and sodden. Luckily a few days of sunshine coincided with my daughter's spring break, so off we went to the Atlanta Botanical Garden.


Camellia japonica are still covered in blossoms here and in my garden. They are late this year.






Setting off on the canopy walk, we encountered Viola tricolor var. hortensis in concrete planters which have been blooming most of the winter.


A type of Trillium about to bloom.
 

The woodland is beginning to green below us, one of the few remaining old-growth forests left in the city of Atlanta.


This sculpture is part of the permanent collection of works by Dale Chihuly in the botanical garden.


Surrounded by thousands of daffodils and jonquils, the reflecting pool then cascades down the hillside.




To one side is Narcissus Garden, a work of contemporary art created by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The installation is comprised of 1,400 stainless steel spheres, each with a diameter of 11 7/8 inches.


Narcissus Garden is a joint effort between the Atlanta Botanical Garden and The High Museum of Art, which recently hosted Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors. Although I didn't see the exhibition, my daughter found it fascinating.


Returning to the more formal areas of the garden, we were met by hundreds of tulips.


Loved them against the bright red branches of the shrub/tree!






More tulips were in the parterre surrounding another of Chihuly's sculptures. Through the Glass, Darkly will take you on night tour of the garden and more of his glass sculpture installations.


Our next stop was the orchid center, where these towering arrangements hung from the ceiling.










The Conservatory contains plants from the desert habitats of southern Africa and Madagascar.




In case you didn't think a botanical garden was a magical place!


Thank you for joining us!

 


  

18 comments:

  1. Sandra, I haven’t been to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, but I enjoyed your tour! The camellias are stunning along with the tulips and daffodils. I love Chihuly’s work and was fortunate enough to visit his gardens in Seattle!

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    1. Thanks, Pam! What I really love about gardens like these is that they're constantly changing. Chihuly's work is amazing.

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  2. Oh my!Such beauty...Absolutely wonderful!

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    1. Thanks, Maristella, glad to share this with you! I could have taken a thousand pictures...

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  3. Sandra, I love the garden tour! We have gardens (in Naples) that I have been trying to find time to go to. You inspire me to do so. Thanks for linking up with Celebrate Your Story.
    Kari @ Me and My Captain

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    1. Thank you, Kari! The ever-changing array gets me itching to plant more variety in my own garden.

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  4. I used to go to the NY Botanical garden many times, when growing up and it's been a long time, though... this one is amazing too!
    Thank you for sharing this loveliness.
    Fabby

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    1. My pleasure, Fabby! I love going to see these expansive gardens. They have so many interesting plants and combinations. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. I love going to botanical gardens. My mother and grandmother took me to the NY Botanical Gardens all the time when I was a kid. This one is so fun with the sculptures.

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    1. What nice memories! I enjoy going over and over, because the gardens are always changing. Thanks for visiting.

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  6. Those orchids are beautiful and the Chihuly sculpture is amazing!

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    1. Allyson, I totally agree! I have never been able to get any orchids I buy to re-bloom so I was astounded to see so very many flowers. Thank you for stopping by!

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  7. What a beautiful botanical garden!! I love the mix of art with all the pretty blooms.

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    1. It's a lovely garden, with elevated walkways that take you up into the trees. They have both permanent and temporary art installations so the garden is different each season.

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  8. What beautiful flowers and art installations. I especially liked 'through the glass, darkly' with all the lovely blues, and the flower towers are gorgeous too. Thank you so much for sharing this post with the Hearth and Soul Link Party. I’m featuring it at the party this week. Hope to ‘see’ you there later. Stay safe and well.

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    1. April, I'm delighted that you enjoyed the garden tour! I think gardens such as this are a wonderful inspiration for all home gardeners. Thank you for visiting both posts!

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  9. Beautiful photos!. I like Chihuly glass. Particularily, I want to see the orchids up close! Here is my orchid post from this year. https://jeanneselep.blogspot.com/2020/02/orchids-in-bloom.html

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    1. Thanks, Jeanne! Chihuly glass is magical. I always forget how large his glass installations are! I had never seen orchids grown quite like that, and to have a whole room full of them was just spectacular.

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