2008 Garden Tour
The 2008 GNPS Garden Tour was held on Saturday, April 19, 2008. An early rain swept through, but was finished in time to have a beautiful day for the tour.
In Atlanta, members toured The Mary Howard Gilbert Memorial Quarry Garden at The Atlanta History Center. The garden houses a collection of nearly 500 species of plants native to Georgia, growing in an abandoned three acre quarry. The garden is 25 feet below the surrounding terrain and contains a stream, pond, bog and waterfall.
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The wettest part of the Quarry Garden is lush with Cinnamon fern, Coreopsis, Geranium and Tiarella. |  |
Mountain laurel thrives at the base of a west-facing rock wall. |
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The cool blue of Amsonia is a color not often found in the garden. |  |
Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum) |
Also in Atlanta, members toured Trudy Murphy's garden. This in-town garden is planted on a wooded hillside; it includes many native plants, particularly those suitable for a dry, uplands environment. The garden is lawn-free and seeks to promote a natural woodland setting.
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Green and Gold, Geranium and False Solomon's Seal mix well together. |  |
A vibrant native azalea puts on a grand show for the tour visitors. |
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Christmas ferns make an attractive, yet natural looking edge for the path. |  |
Lowbush blueberry flowers wait for bumblebees to pollinate them. |
In Cherokee County, members were able to tour two gardens in Woodstock. Murrel Creekmore's garden features native plants in a garden setting, including a large vegetable garden with native azaleas bordering it on 3 sides. A terraced area on the side and artful rock work throughout the garden showcase an amazing collection of native plants.
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The view from Murrel's back door beckons visitors to explore the woodland areas. |  |
Visitors explore the terraces that Murrel created. |
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Vibrant native azaleas edge the area around the vegetable garden. |  |
Another view of the terraces and the lush plantings within them. |
The Honeycutt garden demonstrates how native plants can be used as foundation plants and in garden arrangements, including a pool area landscaped with bigleaf magnolias. The back of the garden is a naturalistic approach and contains a variety of shade loving native plants along the path that leads toward an undeveloped acre of woods.
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Black cohosh, Green and Gold, Sedum ternatum, Lady fern and Bellwort combine to make a lovely planter. |  |
Foundation plantings on the left side include native azalea, leucothoe, and anisetree. |
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On the right side, native Solomon's seal and Tiarella create a lush group. |  |
A vibrant red Buckeye borders the area near the street. |