Atlanta Botanical Garden

While visiting Atlanta, I had the opportunity to visit The Atlanta Botanical Garden. One of the gardens on site is a Japanese Garden. The botanical garden is open during the summer from Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. The Japanese Garden is small and can be viewed in less than an hour. The rest of the gardens are extensive, so a full day may be needed. The Longleaf Restaurant is also on site with some wonderful vegetarian options.

Website: https://atlantabg.org/map-location/japanese-garden/

The Japanese Garden actually predates the creation of the Botanical Gardens. It was originally a bonsai garden that resided in what in the early 1960s was Piedmont Park. The current Japanese Garden was established in 1980 and is a mixture of several Japanese garden styles: hill-and-pond; tea garden. 

The large moon gate and white walls of the garden are better suited to a Chinese garden. However, the cedar roofing of the walls and the side gate appeared more Japanese. As a result, these features are more of a hybrid Asian garden. Nevertheless, the plantings reflected Japanese styles. The garden was very well maintained and full of several varieties of Japanese and local plantings, including a large Virginia Pine as the focal point. 

I was fortunate enough to meet with the Assistant Horticulturist responsible for the upkeep of the Japanese garden, Wade Enos. 

Wade graciously took the time to discuss the garden and allowed me to include his photo in the blog.

Be sure to visit in the early morning and return later in the day to see how the garden changes as the sunlight moves across the horizon.

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