I am fortunate that over the years I have had the opportunity to visit private gardens of all types and during every season across the United States. This has been a wonderful way for me to gather and share information that I can use in my own garden.

Gardeners in Atlanta (and the surrounding area) will have the opportunity Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, to visit 12 private gardens that range in size and style from cottage to classical and all the variations between. One thing that all the gardens on this tour, presented by the Georgia Perennial Plant Association, have in common is their earth-friendly approach to gardening.

Erica Glasener (ENLARGE)

Bob Norris' mail box garden makes it obvious an avid gardener resides here.

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The definition of "earth friendly" varies from garden to garden and includes things like selecting the right plant for the right place; practicing Integrated Pest Management; using organic techniques; relying on rain barrels or cisterns for a water source; and including drought-friendly plants, both native and exotic in the landscape. With such variety, tour participants should be able to take away at least one good idea from each of these gardens they visit, whether large or small.

Gardeners are known for taking on challenges and Bob Norris is no exception. His well-designed garden is a steep hillside, created by using the soil dug out for a swimming pool. Dense plantings provide enclosure and help to control weeds. Variations of green and combinations with an emphasis on texture all add up to a sophisticated and soothing landscape with intimate spaces where one can relax and contemplate.

Every space is utilized, including the side entrance off the driveway with an elegant wall and gate. The combination of plants around the mailbox clues you in to the gardener that lives here.

Scotty Pannell wanted to reduce turf and create a habitat that was welcoming for wildlife.

The result is a dynamic front yard that showcases drought-friendly groundcovers, like golden creeping thyme as well as perennials, shrubs and a minimum of lawn. The shaded backyard is an oasis with a water garden and a group of one of my favorite natives, Magnolia macrophylla, Big leaf magnolia. Large cisterns which hold 1,200 gallons of water each are hidden under the deck and provide all the water she needs to maintain her garden.

As gardeners, we tend to be problem solvers and Dorothy Mitchell-Leef's creative use of Boston ivy to cover her tall walls and as ornamentation in other parts of her garden, adds a welcome softness to her structured classical garden. She also turned a drainfield into a beautiful bog garden filled with perennials and grasses including Equisetum, horsetail, Cinnamon fern and Hibiscus coccineus.

For Lin and George Inlow, their small garden in Avondale Estates seems much larger, due in part to their clever use of structures and plants to create a series of rooms with a patio for entertaining, a fish pond and an arbor covered with roses and vines that leads to the vegetable garden which includes espaliered apple trees. I was charmed by a small water garden surrounded by cast iron plant and hardy gingers.

Two lovely garden gates, one from Charleston and one from New Orleans, are among the garden structures featured in Dana McPherson and Bill Brown's multilevel urban retreat.

Plant lovers won't want to miss David McMullin's garden in Lithonia filled with exciting and unusual plants, many which are drought-friendly. Adjacent to his garden is his nursery, Very Good Plants, which will be open during the tour.

This is just a sampling of what awaits visitors on this exciting tour of gardens packed with ideas and inspiration. For more information, visit Georgia Perennial

Erica Glasener is a horticulturist and host of "A Gardener's Diary," which airs on HGTV on Thursdays at 7 a.m.

• Big leaf Magnolia
• Botanical name: Magnolia macrophylla
• About this plant: This native tree offers dramatic foliage and large fragrant flowers, up to 1 foot across. Big green leaves, 1 foot to 2 feet long and 9 inches to 12 inches wide, create a lovely canopy of shade all summer and turn yellow in autumn.
• Use in the garden: A great specimen or focal point in the garden. A perfect tree to plant below a deck so that you can look down into the flowers when it blooms.
• Planting and care: This tree is happiest if it receives part shade and a moist well-drained soil.
• Source: Land Arts, 809 N. Broad St. (Highway 11 at 78), Monroe, GA 30656, 770-267-4500 and McMahan's Nursery, 5727 Cleveland Highway, Clermont, GA 30527, 770-983-3666