Atlanta Botanical Gardens - Concerts in the Garden Returns!

Tickets for the 16th annual Concerts in the Garden go on sale April 6.

Concerts in the Garden returns this summer to the Atlanta Botanical Garden with a diverse lineup of acts, both at the Midtown and Gainesville venues. The 16th annual outdoor series, presented on the Great Lawn at the Midtown garden and at the Ivester Amphitheater at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville, features: In ATLANTA: Wednesday, June 6:  Sheryl Crow Friday, June 15:  The Wood Brothers Friday, June 29:  JJ Grey & Mofro Friday, July 13:  Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers Friday, July 27:  Michael McDonald Saturday, Aug. 4:  Mary Chapin Carpenter Friday, Aug. 24:  Guster In GAINESVILLE: Saturday, May 5: Boz Scaggs Saturday, Sept. 22: Melissa Etheridge Look for more acts to be announced this spring. Tickets are on sale at concertsinthegarden.org and at Garden admissions. Seating is general admission, and ticketholders are welcome to bring blankets or low-rise chairs. Cash bars and food purchases will be available. The mission of the Atlanta Botanical Garden is to develop and maintain plant collections for display, education, research, conservation and enjoyment. The Midtown Garden is located at 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE  and open from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.. For information, visit atlantabg.org or phone 404-876-5859. The Gainesville garden is located at 1911 Sweetbay Drive, Gainesville, 30501 and open from Tuesday –Sunday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For information, visit.atlantabg.org/visit/Gainesville or phone 404-876-5859.

Atlanta Botanical Garden - Frog Sculpture Exhibit LEAPS into Gainesville!

Frog sculpture exhibit leaps into Gainesville garden Things are hopping at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville, with Ribbit the Exhibit, an exhibition of 23 whimsical frog sculptures sure to bring smiles to the young and young at heart. Presented through July 15, the exhibition of copper sculptures is the creation of North Carolina artist Andy Cobb, who left the corporate world after 21 years to focus on his art, including frogs, birds, and fish. The artist hand draws each piece and then cuts it from sheets of copper.  The pieces are then hammered and folded into the desired shape over a steel armature.  Finally, the sculptures are assembled utilizing a brazing process and then colored with a natural patina.  It takes an average of 120 hours to create each of the pieces, which range in size from 32" to almost 6' tall.   Visitors will delight in the 19 installations of frogs taking part in a variety of everyday activities in the garden – from painting pictures to bird watching to watering plants, and each frog has its own unique personality. Take “Marvin the Lawn Mowing Frog,”  which, according to his bio, took first place in the World Nationals Lawn Mowing Competition by mowing 16 acres of grass in six hours!   And then there’s Zenny (meditating on a lily pad), which began life in a Buddhist monastery but joined Ribbit in order to travel to beautiful botanical gardens and meditate. “We are thrilled to welcome Ribbit because it is an exhibit that charms and delights all ages,” said Mildred Fockele, Vice President, Horticulture and Gainesville Garden Director.  “Each frog has its own unique personality, and they all fit so well in a garden setting.” Ribbit the Exhibit is accompanied by various frog-themed activities for children and families – from new Discovery stations to scavenger hunts.  And joining the Ribbit frogs are two frogs from the Atlanta garden’s 2014 Mosaiculture exhibition, Imaginary Worlds.  Their oversized metal topiary frames are stuffed with colorful, ornamental annuals that are manicured weekly to maintain the lifelike character of the frogs.

Concerts in the Garden Set to Kickoff!

 Concerts in the Garden returns this summer with a diverse lineup of acts at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, both at its Midtown and Gainesville locations.

The 15th annual outdoor series features 11 great acts – eight on the Great Lawn at the Atlanta garden and three at the Ivester Amphitheater at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville:

In ATLANTA:

• Sunday, June 18:  Gladys Knight
• Friday, July 7:  Michael Feinstein: Songs of Sinatra
• Friday, July 21:  Barenaked Ladies
• Sunday, July 23:  Brandi Carlile
• Friday, August 11:  American Acoustic: Punch Brothers & I’m With Her
• Friday, August 25:  Buddy Guy
• Friday, September 8:  Garrison Keillor Prairie Home Love & Comedy Show
  

In GAINESVILLE:

• Saturday, June 10:  Vince Gill
• Saturday, September 30:  TajMo: The Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' Band
• To be announced
  

Tickets go on sale to Garden members beginning April 14 and to the general public on April 21 at www.concertsinthegarden.org and at Garden admissions.  Gates open at 7 p.m., and shows begin at 8 p.m.  For Sunday performances, gates open at 6 p.m., and shows start at 7 p.m.  Seating is general admission, and ticket holders are welcome to bring blankets or low-rise chairs.  Cash bars and food purchases will be available.

Frog Sculptures LEAP into Gainesville This Spring!

Ribbit the Exhibit hops into the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville this spring with 23 whimsical frog sculptures sure to bring smiles to the young and young at heart. Presented April 15 – July 15, the exhibition of copper sculptures is the creation of North Carolina artist Andy Cobb, who left the corporate world after 21 years to focus on his art, including frogs, birds, and fish. The artist hand draws each piece and then cuts it from sheets of copper.  The pieces are then hammered and folded into the desired shape over a steel armature.  Finally, the sculptures are assembled utilizing a brazing process and then colored with a natural patina.  It takes an average of 120 hours to create each of the pieces, which range in size from 32 inches to almost 6 feet tall.   Visitors will delight in the 19 installations of frogs taking part in a variety of everyday activities in the garden – from painting pictures to bird watching to watering plants.  And each frog has its own unique personality.   Take “Marvin the Lawn Mowing Frog,”  which took first place in the World Nationals Lawn Mowing Competition by mowing 16 acres of grass in six hours – according to his bio!   And then there’s Zenny (meditating on a lily pad) which began life in a Buddhist monastery but joined Ribbit in order to travel to beautiful botanical gardens and meditate. “We are thrilled to welcome Ribbit because it will be an exhibit that charms and delights all ages,” said Mildred Fockele, Vice President, Horticulture and Gainesville Garden Director.  “Each frog has its own unique personality, and they all fit so well in a garden setting.” Ribbit the Exhibit will be accompanied by various frog-themed activities for children and families – from new Discovery stations to scavenger hunts.  And joining the Ribbit frogs will be two frogs from the Atlanta garden’s  2014 Mosaiculture exhibition,Imaginary Worlds.  Their oversized metal topiary frames are stuffed with colorful, ornamental annuals that are manicured weekly to maintain the lifelike character of the frogs.

New Botanical Garden Opens in Gainesville This Spring!

I am so excited to see and hear about this!  While I absolutely adore the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, this new site will be much easier to access and visit for those of us in the North Georgia area. 

How excited are you for this new venue?  Check out the official press release below!

"The new Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville, will open May 2, celebrating years of planning and development of one of North Georgia’s most beautiful landscapes aimed at connecting visitors with both the natural word and cultural amenities.

As an extension of the renowned Atlanta Botanical Garden, the $21 million initial phase, developed on 168 acres given to the Atlanta Garden in 2002 by Gainesville philanthropists Charles and Lessie Smithgall, will include a contemporary visitor center, 2000-seat amphitheater, a train garden, and five acres of display gardens featuring nationally recognized plant collections.  Future plans call for an interactive children’s garden, a native plant conservation nursery, and a student training and education center.

'The opening of this garden marks a dream come true for so many – from our donors and supporters to our staff and the Smithgall family,' said Garden President & CEO Mary Pat Matheson.

The site, off Cleveland Highway, has been dubbed a “Smithgall Woodland Legacy” as a tribute to the late Charles Smithgall and his widow Lessie.

Botanical gardens are enjoyed as outdoor museums of living collections where visitors may connect with the wonders of the natural world.  At the Gainesville Garden, they will be amazed by the great diversity of plants featured in a series of carefully designed gardens, said Mildred Pinnell Fockele, Vice President of Horticulture and director of the Gainesville Garden.

'It’s very exciting to see the plants thriving in the gardens – from the beautiful deciduous magnolias, lilacs, and native azaleas that create a spring explosion, to the masses of blue and white hydrangeas and summersweet for summer color and fragrance, to the wonderful fall color of understory maples and fall-flowering perennials,' she said.  'It truly is going to be a multi-season garden.'

A horticultural operation has long been established on site, including a state-of-the-art greenhouse and a 3-acre conservation nursery, the largest in the Southeast.  When fully developed, the Gainesville Garden will allow the Atlanta Botanical Garden to broaden its plant conservation efforts with endangered species.

At the same time, visitors will be given access to beautiful green space and cultural amenities.  They include outdoor concerts, Wine in the Woodlands series on the last Thursday evening of every month May through October, and exhibitions such as Nature Connects 2, Art with LEGO Bricks by Sean Kenney September 18-January 3.

'The new garden will enable us to evolve to the next level, reaching people across the state and expanding our vital plant conservation programs,' Matheson said.

Opening weekend festivities will be held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3.  The event, free with admission, will emphasize fun activities and family entertainment, including face painting, games, children’s performances, and other live entertainment.  Discovery Stations throughout the garden will offer lessons on trees of the woodlands, garden railroads, and musical instruments made from plants.  Food and beverages will be available for purchase."