Public Gardens Listing: Atlanta Botanical Garden (Atlanta, GA)
While balcony container gardeners enjoy their small-space urban gardens, sometimes a few container plants on an apartment balcony above a busy street just isn’t peaceful enough. Balcony gardeners might not be able to have a peaceful, large garden, but there are public gardens and arboretums near every major city. Don’t just fawn over pictures of luxurious gardens, get out there and enjoy a day at a public garden! You may even bring some gardening inspiration home to your own balcony container garden.
If you live in or are visiting the Atlanta, Georgia, area, why not visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden?
- The Atlanta Botanical Garden doubled in size to 30 acres in 2010 during an expansion of the garden. The expansion includes a large underground reserve that waters 40 percent of the botanical garden. The new visitor center also was given a green roof (it is half-covered with plants), which serves to cool and insulate building.
- Gardens at the Atlanta Botanical Garden include the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory, Edible Garden, Great Lawn, Japanese Garden, Rock Garden, Rose Garden, Children’s Garden, Kendeda Canopy Walk and more.
- The Kendeda Canopy Walk is a unique feature of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It is a 600-foot-long walkway 40 feet above the ground where visitors can walk among the treetops and see an aerial view of the garden below.
- The Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory is 16,000 square feet and is home to the largest collection of orchid species on permanent display in the United States. Orchid Daze is an orchid show in the winter.
- Check out the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s outdoor sculptures, including a 12-foot swallowtail butterfly in the Children’s Garden, a pan in the Fragrance Garden and a fountain by famous glass sculptor Dale Chihuly (get a great view of the fountain and the Atlanta skyline from the Alston Overlook).
- The Atlanta Botanical Garden hosted a Dale Chihuly exhibition called “Chihuly in the Garden” in 2004 and broke the garden’s attendance records – 425,000 people attended during the 8-month exhibition. Dale Chihuly’s artwork can also be found at the New York Botanical Garden, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, the Missouri Botanical Garden in Saint Louis, Missouri, and more.
- Check the website for special events, including art exhibitions, concerts on the Great Lawn, black-tie gala fundraisers, Garden Chef Cooking Demos and flower shows such as Orchid Daze.
- Guided tours (free with admission) are available every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10:30.
Atlanta Botanical Garden Quick Info
atlantabotanicalgarden.org
(404) 876-5859
1345 Piedmont Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Admission $18.95 ($12.95 for children)
Open Tuesday through Sunday
April through October from 9am-7pm
November through March from 9am-5pm
Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day
