The Superbowl will be played in Atlanta on January 30, but that's not the only super thing in town. Over in Midtown, not too far from the Georgia Dome, is a nature lover's delight featuring numerous theme plantings, including desert & rainforest habitats in the huge conservatory. The Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG) was transformed from a dream to reality in the the late 1970's by a small core of eager volunteers. First operated out of a trailer, the Garden has developed through several major building projects and outdoor expansions into a horticultural oasis on 30 acres in the middle of the city. This includes fifteen acres of woodland, many demonstration gardens and the newly completed Children's Garden, Atlanta's first garden designed specifically for children.

The outdoor gardens change with the seasons, of course. With the leaves off the trees, it's easier to appreciate interesting bark or twig structure. And there's whimsical sculpture throughout the gardens to capture your attention.

In winter most plants are dormant, but in this mild climate some still bloom in January. Pansies provide a splash of cold-hardy color, while rosemary provides a dark green contrast.  

The Rose Garden doesn't look like much in the winter, but later in the year it will burst into bloom. Showcased among the plantings are the previous, current, and next years' All-American Rose Selections.

Other outdoor areas of interest are the Upper Woodland, which is devoted primarily to Southeastern native plants. It is also home to the Camellia collection, featuring cultivars that provide blooms from November to February. The Japanese Garden is a place of meditation, stillness and contemplation. Nearly everything is green, with subtle variations of texture and shading. The Vine Arbor houses a collection of native and exotic vines suitable for the Atlanta area, and the Vegetable Garden focuses on cultivars and techniques appropriate for the area. The 15 acres of the natural woodland of Storza Woods are one of the few remaining hardwood forests in the city.

The Herb Garden, which showcases a wide variety of herbs which flourish in the region, is one of the first displays created at the ABG. Enclosed by brick walls, the center area is a traditional English knot garden consisting of intertwined rows of barberry, germander, green santolina and lavender, and edged with dwarf boxwood. Each border features herbs with different functions: culinary, medicinal, and plants used in teas and fragrances. This garden is maintained today with the help of the Chattahoochee Unit of the Herb Society of America.

No other rock garden in the Southeast rivals, in size or interest, the Rock Garden of the ABG. Many people have the impression that a rock garden is only for high altitude plants which won't survive in the southern climate. That definition has been altered to include "gardening among the rocks with unusual dwarf perennials, shrubs, trees, grasses, and bulbs." While the rock garden is primarily a spring garden, there is something in bloom most of the year.

You may not think of cactus as something to plant in Atlanta, but there is a large collection of these Western Hemisphere plants along one side of the conservatory. The plants are provided with shelter during the winter, not for warmth, but to limit the amount of rain they receive, so their roots will be less likely to rot in this moist environment.  

The Dwarf Conifer Garden, sited in front of the Conservatory, features more than two hundred dwarf and unusual varieties of conifers planted around granite rock and on gentle slopes. Families and genera from all over the world are represented. 

When viewed as a whole, the surprising diversity of colors and textures offered by these cone-bearing plants becomes evident. Although they are not deciduous, some change color slightly with the seasons.

The Carnivorous Plant Bog is as full of surprises, useful facts and memorable discoveries as any exhibit here. Located behind the Conservatory, the Bog is planted with hardy carnivorous plants, including pitcher plants, sundews, and butterwort. These plants grow in nutrient-poor wetlands in the Southeast U.S., and have adapted to their environment by developing the ability to trap and digest insects. The Venus fly-trap closes around its prey when the insect brushes against tiny "trigger hairs." Pitcher plants attract insects with color, fragrance and nectaries. Once inside the pitcher, slippery walls prevent its escape, and then the insect is dissolved by enzymes. The sundew simply catches small insects with sticky leaves.  Many carnivorous plants are endangered in this region because of habitat destruction, and the ABG is actively involved in an extensive recovery program.

Take a single step into the Fuqua Conservatory and be transported from one world to another. The computer-monitored environment houses more than 6,000 plant species from tropical and desert climatic zones around the world.  Priority is given to plants which are sensitive, rare, threatened or endangered. It's easy to trace the evolution of plants just by walking through the Conservatory, moving from prehistoric ferns to cone-bearing cycads to advanced flowering plants. In addition to the plants, there are several species of tropical frog species on display in the conservatory. Look for the terraria that contain colorful poison dart frogs!

A beautiful display of blooming orchids greets visitors coming in the main doors. The 1,000 orchids in the ABG's collection are rotated into the Conservatory as they come into flower. The Waterfall Display in the Rotunda is reserved as a showplace for species orchids. Both epiphytic and terrestrial species from around the globe are represented in the collection. Some of the special orchids in the collection include Coryanthes, which grows exclusively in ant nests in the wild; Phalenopsis, the moth orchid; and Stanhopea, known for its flower stalk which grows downward (and through the potting medium to hang from the bottom of the container when grown in a pot!).

Palms from Old-World islands such as Madagascar and Seychelles are a specialty of the Tropical Environment. The palm-like cycads are also represented, with examples from most of the eleven cycad genera including Ceratozamia, Cycas, Diion, Encephalartos,Macrozamia, and Zamia. A spectacular variety of epiphytes are also on view, including orchids, bromeliads, ferns and blueberries (yes, there are relatives of our native blueberries that live in the tropics hanging from trees). 

In the Desert Environment there are only Old World Succulents - no cacti! To most people, all strange-looking and prickly plants are cacti, but those are members of one family only: Cactaceae. Succulents have representatives in 27 other families. Apart from cacti, 90% of all succulents are indigenous to the Old World. A major focus of this collection is plants from Madagascar (the fourth largest island in the world, off the southeast coast of Africa - 85% of its 12,500 species of flowering plants are confined to the island), but many other rare and interesting succulents from Southern Africa are also on display. The family Euphorbia is well represented, with many diverse types, including many cactus-like stem succulents, and there are many plants in the Aizoaceae (popularly known as Mesembs), as well as many Aloes. And there is a specimen of the unique Welwitschia mirabilis - this strange plant from the Namib desert, with its single pair of strap-like leaves, has no other living relative.

The Special Exhibits Room brings together ant plants, tropical pitcher plants and native carnivorous plants. Ant plants, just as the name implies, are plants that coexist with ants. The ants receive food and shelter when they colonize the roots, leaves or stems of the plants, and in return the plants receive protection from other insects and dispersal of their seeds.

Tropical pitcher plants, native to southeast Asia, have adapted to growing in nutrient-poor soils by attracting and digesting small animals to obtain nutrients. The upper pitchers trap flying insects, while the lower ones capture crawling insects.

A wide variety of native carnivorous plants, including sundews, pitcher plants, and Venus fly-traps, are displayed in terrariums. 

Getting there

Located at 1345 Piedmont Ave. 
(404) 876-5859
Free, on-site parking

Open Tuesdays-Sundays (Closed Mondays)
9 a.m.-6 p.m. ... Fall & winter
9 a.m.-7 p.m. ... Spring & summer

Adults: $7.00
Seniors: $5.00
Students: $4.00
Children under 3: Free

Additional Information:

Atlanta heats up for Super Bowl XXXIV
Superbowl XXXIV Host Committee

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