Atlanta Botanical Gardens

If you’re a fan of flowers, gardens, outdoor art installation or even all three, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens should be on your list, no matter what time of year.

With nearly 30 acres of carefully landscaped gardens just on the edge of Piedmont Park, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens are an ideal way to spend the day. I chose to revisit the Gardens on a beautiful spring afternoon, and I was captivated by innumerable daffodils and every color of tulip that I could imagine.

One of my favorite parts of any garden walk is the vast array of textures that can be found. I’m no green thumb, so only the hardiest of native plants tend to thrive in my yard. I find the more unusual (and most likely more finicky) plants to be mesmerizing.

I particularly loved the windflower, with its feathery petals and boldly textured center. They come in a wide assortment of colors, but I loved the red ones best.

We were also fortunate enough to visit during the annual bonsai show, which I found to be particularly interesting. The bonsai on the left was my favorite, reminding me so much of giant redwoods on the more manageable scale. The bonsai on the right is over 1000 years old – which is just absolutely mind blowing. I can’t even keep up with watering my houseplants.

The conservatory is my favorite place to be, because I am an absolute orchid aficionado, but I also love the poison dart frogs that are on exhibit – it’s really fun to take a few moments to see if you can spy all of the different species on display, as many of them are masters of hiding.

The Fuqua Conservatory was constructed in 1989, and the Fuqua Orchid Center was added in 2002. There are over 2000 species on display, so you’d be hard pressed to find something that didn’t strike your fancy. I am always impressed at how each specimen is glossy magazine perfect, nary a branch, twig, petal or bloom out of place.

While I am enamored with all orchids, I particularly love Vandas. I love to see them growing in their traditional slotted wooden baskets, roots hanging every which way.