By now, most people aren’t surprised to learn that Vince Dooley really loves gardening. The hobby he famously chose over golf in retirement has become a fairly serious pursuit in recent years. His 2010 book, “Vince Dooley’s Garden: A Horticultural Journey of a Football Coach,” introduced him as a bona fide figure in the polished world of expert gardening. The coach even has a hydrangea and a camellia named in his honor.
This weekend, Dooley is the honorary chair of the Southeastern Flower Show, a fitting venue to advocate his blossoming second life as a master gardener.
Q: Is it intimidating to be around so many experts at the flower show?
A: It’s a genuine pleasure to be at the flower show and see all the landscape designs. They induce the flowers to come out early so you get a chance to see what’s going to be happening as the spring closes in a little bit ahead of time. That adds to the excitement of it. I think this year will be the best flower show ever.
Q: Is it important to have your master gardener certification?
A: What’s more important than being a master gardener is that I’ve been around masters. Two gurus, Michael Dirr, who has written the bible on woody plants and trees, and Allan Armitage, who’s written the bible on perennials and annuals. Those two have been my mentors, and I’ve had the good fortune of being around them through my horticultural journey.
Q: Do you still collaborate?
A: Yes, Armitage lives right around the corner, and I see Dirr once a week. We take trips together. We’re going up to Jim Gibb’s garden in the middle of March. He’s a respected landscape architect in Atlanta. He has a garden that I’ve written about in the book. It’s probably the biggest hidden secret in Georgia as far as gardens are concerned. He has about a million daffodils that will be in bloom very shortly.
Q: What’s blooming in your garden now?
A: I’ve got a garden for all seasons. I don’t care when you go out, there’s always something going on. The winter jasmine is coming. The Lenten Rose is out – that’s kind of the dawn of the new spring. You’ve got some early blooming cherries. There’s a flowering apricot tree. Gardening is an endless and exciting journey. You just keep learning.
Q: When the book came out, were people surprised to learn you were really passionate about gardening?
A: I think the book was the proof that I was. People had heard about my interest. I had been around speaking at different places about gardening. But never to the extent of writing a book. This book has confirmed the fact that, yes, he really is a gardener. But I wanted the book to also be an inspiration to anyone who wants to be a gardener. Because if I can do it, anybody can. And if I can write a book about it, anybody can do that, too. I just opened my big mouth and said I was going to do it, and now I did it.
The Southeastern Flower Show
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
Adult single-day tickets $14-$18
Cobb Galleria Centre
Two Galleria Parkway, Atlanta
www.sehort.org
Coach Dooley will be signing his book, “Vince Dooley’s Garden: A Horticultural Journey of a Football Coach” from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 27 at Eagle Eye Bookstore. Flower Show attendees can have their photo taken with the coach for $5 or for $3 with book purchase. 2076 N. Decatur Road. 404-486-0307, www.eagleeyebooks.com
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