Category: Field Trips

Gwinnett Master Gardeners and guests visited the garden of internationally-known, madly passionate garden enthusiast Ryan Gainey.  Not only is Ryan Gainey a gardener, but also a poet, raconteur, philosopher, mentor, visionary, designer, and showman all in one. Upon moving to Atlanta, he began to nurture his own piece of land, a two-acre garden in Decatur, Georgia which has been featured in every major gardening publication in the United States and abroad. Visiting this paradise is a highlight each year for the thousands who partake of the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Gardens for Connoisseurs tour. His garden has been a featured stop for 20 years. As with all of our gardens, this garden reflects the personality of the owner.  It is stimulating, thought-provoking, exuberant, creative, romantic, whimsical, embracing …. but in reality mere words are inadequate to describe this unusual garden. After exploring the many garden rooms, through twists and turns and…

The Cox Arboretum and Gardens is a private estate located in Canton, Georgia.  Numbering over 4,000 living specimens, the plantings display one of the largest private collections of temperate flora in the United States.  The property is also bounded by several large wetland habitats where many migratory and native fowl make their home.  It is situated on 13 acres in the middle of an old-growth southern deciduous hardwood forest, containing many large Oaks, Hickory, Poplar and Sweetgum—some of which are over 100 years old. We were led on a tour of the gardens by owner and garden creator Tom Cox.  Tom served as a national president of the American Conifer Society and he now travels the world in search of conifers that might be adaptable to the Southeastern United States.  Along with Dr. John Ruter, he is in the process of co-authoring a first-ever book on conifers for the South. The opportunity to experience…

The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain in Walker County is considered to be among the finest areas for wildflowers in Georgia. It is part of the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area and is home to the Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail. This area, part of the Cumberland Plateau, contains many species rare to our state:  Virginia bluebells, celandine poppy, bent trillium, Ohio buckeye, twin leaf, and a wonderful variety of other wildflowers. The Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail boardwalk is designed to permit viewing many species of flowers up close with the least impact.  We were extremely fortunate to have Jay Clark, a local expert and author, as our guide.  His knowledge of the history of the area and native plants provided an outstanding opportunity to learn about this unique area. As we entered the trail, we were immediately struck by the awesome beauty of a preserved and unique ecosystem.  The Virginia Bluebells…