Mary Martin's love of gardening was entwined with the strands of her DNA, and her creativity had been firmly rooted since childhood.

When the two combined, they blossomed into an unexpected business.

Family (ENLARGE)

Artist Mary Martin designed a line of champagne savers.

Starting in 2002, it took five years of research for her to perfect Mary's Garden Champagne Savers, an elegant spin on the idea of inserting an upside down spoon in an open bottle of sparkling wine to preserve its effervescence.

"Whenever we had champagne, she knew to put a silver spoon in to save the bubbles," said Jannell Knox of Atlanta, a friend since college.

"So that's where the idea came from, and she was so excited because she said, 'I can incorporate my artistic talents and my love of flowers, and I know this works because we've been doing it for years.' "

Fashioned into daisies, camellia leaves and other botanical shapes, her handcrafted sterling silver wine accessories were sold as high-end dinner party or wedding gifts at Bergdorf Goodman in New York and at several Neiman Marcus stores across the country.

"Mary designed them and then oversaw the entire process," Ms. Knox said. "And she would not only review the samples the foundry sent her, but even the boxes they came in and all the literature associated with it. She was very meticulous, and if there were any flaws, they did not pass muster."

Mary Elizabeth Martin, 55, of Atlanta died of a brain tumor Monday at Piedmont Hospital. The funeral is 10 a.m. today at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. H.M. Patterson and Son, Spring Hill, is in charge of arrangements.

Ms. Martin grew up in Greenville, S.C., with a family that sowed in her an early love of gardening. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1974 from the University of Georgia.

"Mary was always interested in gardening," said her father, John Carlton Martin of Charlotte. "Her grandfather, Rudolf Anderson, was a landscape designer and a widely known camellia and azalea authority in the Southeast during his lifetime."

After college, Ms. Martin settled in Atlanta and turned her Peachtree Battle home into a flowery showcase, complete with a backyard retreat that doubled as an art studio and screened-in entertaining room.

She renovated the previously rustic cottage so strikingly that it was featured in "Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways," a coffee-table book published in April.

Her business required occasional travel to the upscale stores that sold her products. But the journey that left her the most overwhelmed was her hiking trip in Peru, where she trekked to Machu Picchu and soaked up the colorful culture.

"She was interested in anything and everything," Ms. Knox said. "And there was a part of Mary that thought if she was going to do something, she was going to get the biggest award and the highest title."

Ms. Martin became a Master Gardener, played the piano and harp, studied hummingbirds and raised honeybees in her backyard.

"She did paintings. She did pottery. She just had all these fabulous ideas," Ms. Knox said. "She even talked about writing books. And even though she hadn't captured that goal quite yet, I'm sure she would have."

Ms. Martin was diagnosed with a brain tumor only last week, and her friends and family were stunned by her sudden death.

"I was so thrilled that everything was coming together for her, which is why this is such a loss," Ms. Knox said. "I will miss her enthusiasm for life. She was just so artistic and a beautiful, beautiful girl. She had everything going for her."

Survivors other than her father include her mother, Elizabeth Anderson Martin, and a brother, John Anderson Martin, both of Charlotte; and a sister, Ann Martin Bowen of Macon.