Atlanta Botanical Garden

The last day we were in Atlanta in August, Pedro and I began our day with an extraordinarily delicious breakfast at Stonehurst Place.

We would spend the first half of the day at the Atlanta Botanical Garden before heading to the airport and our trip home. It was easy walking distance from Stonehurst Place, but the heat and humidity were unbelievable, which made it a challenging walk.

The botanical garden was featuring “mosaiculture,” a type of gardening that looks like topiary, but is really thousands of small plants placed over steel structures. These are all living plants, and must be cared for, fed and watered and trimmed. The theme was Alice’s Wonderland Returns, so you will recognize many characters, as we did.

A garden brochure includes this introduction: “Mosaiculture first became popular in Europe in the 16th century as wealthy landowners commissioned elaborate three-dimensional gardens, or “embroidery beds.” By the late 1860s, the term “msoaiculture” was used for the first time in France, referring to the mosaic-like appearance of the surfaces of planted sculptures. Initially, mosaiculture referred to simple geometric forms, but became more complex as it gained acceptance in Europe and in North America.”

We stepped into the enclosed, climate-controlled tropical garden of the conservatory, and it was cooler! The first time in my life I ever stepped into a tropical garden section and drastically cooled down. What a relief.

The Fuqua Orchid Center is quite large, which suits me, as they are one of my favourite flowers of all.

Back outside we were slammed with the sticky heat once more. The gardens opened in 1976 and today contain 30 acres of curated growth. It is, as they claim it to be, an oasis in the city. Pedro and I enjoyed the Kendeda Canopy Walk, in which the trail is high in the air, allowing us to enjoy the trees at a new perspective.

From up there, we spotted the most stunning mosaiculture we had yet seen, but she was having work done. We promptly found a way to come down off the walkway and find the beauty on the ground. I mean, I won’t judge when a woman has a little work done.

We then walked back to the B&B drenched in sweat. Grabbed our bags, thanked our host, and called an Uber back to the airport. Atlanta was much of what I expected: interesting city, but hot. If I ever go back to Atlanta in more pleasant weather, I hope to explore more of the Civil War history and the music scene, but for now, I am happy. I added Georgia to my list of states visited, which leaves only 5 unvisited, plus all the territories.