Spring break has come and gone, so it’s time to get your you-know-what back in the classroom.
Nature's classroom.
A trip to one of North Georgia’s excellent public gardens is a chance to stop and smell the roses — literally and figuratively. But you can also start working on your “Plant Ph.D.”
OK, that advanced degree doesn't actually exist. But it should, given all the intriguing flora-, fauna- — and, ahem, frog- — related learning experiences these gardens offer.
Check out this starters’ curriculum we’ve compiled. Some events require advance registration and have strict space limitations, so be sure to check websites for availability. Who knows, you might find another class or lecture that interests you.
‘Hypertufa Containers’
1-4 p.m. April 18, Smith-Gilbert Gardens, Kennesaw. $40, $30 member. Advance registration required.
The class: Tufa is a porous type of limestone found along the English coastline that's much prized for making containers where plants thrive. Hypertufa is a less expensive, man-made mix of Portland Cement, peat moss and perlite that can be molded into many different shapes. Students will learn to mix the materials and create a planter (molds will be provided) that they can take home. So, "attire should be ready to take a stain or dust," advised education coordinator Stefanie Haerynck. Plastic gloves and dust masks provided, or bring your own.
The "campus": Set on 16 acres around the circa-1880 Hiram Butler House, Smith-Gilbert features some 3,000 species of plants and flowers, 30-plus sculptures, a tea house and waterfall area and a rose garden. A stunning bonsai exhibit of dozens of rare and unique plants and trees, closed for renovation, reopens this summer.
2382 Pine Mountain Road, Kennesaw. Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Admission $5-$7. 770-919-0248, www.smithgilbertgardens.com.
‘Frog Feeding’
11 a.m. Saturdays, Atlanta Botanical Garden
The class: More like a learning lunch — for some 70 of the rare and endangered frogs on display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. These nocturnal creatures "respond quite well" to a daytime nosh session, said Amphibian Conservation Coordinator Mark Mandica. Some species grab crickets with their hands, others snatch flies with long tongues at blink-and-you'll-miss-it-speed. Attendees don't get to feed frogs themselves, but still can learn plenty about Atlanta Botanical Garden's important conservation efforts of the world's rapidly declining frog population (some 300 are so sensitive they live behind the scenes there) and its thousands of other resident frogs. Including, gulp, poison varieties. Extra credit: Watch Mandica and frogs here.
The "campus": Numerous renowned collections both indoor (Fuqua Orchid Center) and out (Dwarf and Rare Conifer Garden), the popular treetop Canopy Walk and the Cafe at Linton's sit right beside Piedmont Park and the Atlanta Beltline.
1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. Open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Admission $18.95, $12.95 children 3-12. 404-876-5859, atlantabg.org.
‘Fabulous Ferns’ lectures
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. May 1-3, Gibbs Gardens, Ball Ground
The class: Like a famous visiting professor, expert Eleanor Craig (aka "The Fern Lady") will discuss new and unusual varieties, as well as planting and care of and popular misconceptions about ferns. Native and exotic ferns that are especially well-suited for growing in the Southeast will be highlighted and available during each day's fern sale (10 a.m.-4 p.m.).
“That’s what gardeners are always so frustrated about,” said Erica Glasener, marketing manager for Gibbs Gardens, home to a Fern Dell and hundreds of fern varieties displayed throughout. “They get excited about certain plants and then they can’t find them for themselves.”
The "campus": 220 landscaped acres featuring 16 different garden venues naturally situated along streams and woody hillsides, including the Japanese Garden and the Manor House, surrounded by hydrangeas, rhododendrons and a 100-foot-long rose arbor. There's a regular series of garden talks, plus "Twilight in the Gardens" special musical events.
1987 Gibbs Drive, Ball Ground. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays (through June 14), then 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays (through Dec. 13). Admission $20, $18 seniors (65 and up) and children (4-17). 770-893-1881, www.gibbsgardens.com.
‘Medicinal Salves’
9-11 a.m. April 15, State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens. $24, $21.60 member. Advance registration required.
The class: Salves are medical ointments used to soothe ailments like joint inflammation, bruises, even headaches. Students will learn to make several different types of herb-infused oils and topical salves (nothing ingestible) from plants, such as one containing chickweed, lavender, rosemary and cayenne.
“It’s like a homemade Neosporin,” said education coordinator Cora Keeber.
The class begins with an “instructional walk” through the onsite herb and physic garden, followed by refreshments (herbal tea, bread with herbal butter). Students take home recipes and the salves they make and also learn about growing herbs and plants used at home.
The "campus": The State Botanical Garden of Georgia's 313 acres comprise numerous specialized gardens and collections, nature trails and four major facilities, such as the tropical conservatory. A variety of tours are offered (reservations required) and there's a cafe and gift shop selling plants.
2450 S. Milledge Ave., Athens. Open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, except for official University of Georgia holidays (cafe, gift shop, visitor center closed Mondays). Free admission. 706-542-1244, botgarden.uga.edu.
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