Atlanta Botanical
Garden
Atlanta, Georgia
June 2010
This 30-acre
garden was founded in 1976. Half of the garden is devoted
to a remnant, mature hardwood forest that is maintained in
its natural state with a trail through it. The other 15
acres are developed into thematic gardens. The garden is
active in conservation work and is a participating
institution of the national organization, the Center for
Plant Conservation. A conservation emphasis for the garden
is carnivorous plants, which are displayed in a manmade
bog.
I was most eager to see the newest exhibit, a Canopy Walk.
I’d read a lot about it and it sounded fantastic. You pass
right under it as you drive along the entry road and it’s a
striking visual so I made a beeline for it from the parking
lot. There’s a great interpretive panel to introduce the
Canopy Walk and the walkway itself is amazing, putting you
right in the canopy. I must admit that I was a little
disappointed that it is such a massive structure. Somehow
in my mind I envisioned it more as a narrow, swinging
walkway like you might see in an Indiana Jones movie.
Rationally I know that’s impossible. Safety regulations and
common sense would prevent such a flimsy structure, but I
can’t help wishing the walkway wasn’t quite so ‘safe’ for
visitors. Still, the experience of being up in the canopy
is a great one.
Another highlight the garden is
known for is the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory
which opened in 1989. It displays more than 6,000
plant species from arid and tropical regions around
the world. The conservatory building is a dominant
feature in the garden with a Great Lawn at its entry.
Inside, the tropical conservatory is one of the most
interesting I’ve visited. The sights and sounds are lush
and exotic, with birds and frogs calling and skittering
through the undergrowth. It’s a really immersive
experience. The plant collection is very interesting,
including plants from a range of habitats. One section
included plants from high-elevation tropics, like these
Heliamphora (pitcher plants from Venezuela),
and numerous orchids from Ecuador. The high-elevation
tropics are generally poorly represented in gardens so it
was a pleasure to see these displays. I love to see gardens
trying to conserve and display plant groups that are
uncommon in cultivation.
Other areas of the conservatory felt like dense tropical
jungle. Here you can see aerial roots hanging from the
overstory. They’re such a prominent feature that I was
pleased to see a small interpretive sign telling what they
are. I was a bit disappointed in the arid plants area. It
contained an interesting selection of plants, mostly from
Madagascar, with plenty of conservation value so it is
certainly worthwhile. Maybe I was so enthralled with the
rest of the conservatory that this was bound to be a
let-down.
The Canopy Walk and the Conservatory may be the two most
prominent features of the garden, but there are lots of
other wonderful things to see.
There’s a great Children’s Garden with lots of interactive
activities, colorful sculpture and educational
opportunities.
There’s a large vegetable garden, growing a wide array of
edibles in a variety of containers and beds with lots of
excellent interpretation.
There’s a small but elegant Japanese Garden,
and beautiful shade gardens featuring great collections of
Hosta and Hydrangea.
Everywhere you look there are beautiful gardens. It’s easy
to forget you’re in the middle of a booming metropolis,
until suddenly a vista opens and you see skyscrapers just
out of reach. I love the idea of a beautiful public garden
in the inner city. As our world becomes more urban, gardens
have a unique experience to offer, and what better place to
offer it than in the city itself.
I liked Atlanta Botanical Garden a lot. It could use more
interpretive signage and it is woefully short of plant
labels, but the experience is fantastic so any criticisms I
can offer are mere nitpicking.
To see more photographs of the Atlanta Botanical Garden,
click here.
Click here to visit the website of Atlanta
Botanical Garden.