Of all the gardens on the Atlanta Connoisseur’s Garden Tour I am glad this one was included. I have had some sleep, it is a new day and I still have two gardens to see. There is a misty drizzle, but that won’t detour us from this garden, especially since we can walk to it from the hotel! You see, this is the featured Mid-Town Garden and this garden had everything that the other gardens had, except the acres and acres of property.   The crowds were greatly reduced today, so I had a chance to ask all the questions that I had about how these gardens were selected and the specifics set up. This garden was well thought out and designed to get everything the owner wanted in his garden retreat. So let’s walk up the driveway and see it all!

It started with a new paving design at the end of the driveway……..

This neighborhood is nestled between skyscrapers and fancy restaurants, but has retained its colorful, local charm. The lots are deep and this particular house had a very nice manicured front lawn. The homes were older and mostly craftsman style. Many of them have been remodeled and this home had taken on a modern flair. The open air dining and sitting area at the front probably was a screened porch at one time. In order to have the EVERYTHING Garden the previous garage at the top of the driveway was converted into an entertainment area and a new three-car garage and guest house was constructed all the way to the back of the property, where it could be entered by an easier alley entrance.

This is what the old garage looks like now……..

This open entertainment/bar area looks like this……….the pool has been added and so much more!

There was a jacuzzi at one side of the pool…..how nice is that?

And at the back of the house was an enclosed dining area and an open air dining area overlooking the back garden and pool also. The big black boxes hanging all along these sections of the entertainment area are heaters………….

I loved the grass weaving between the stones around the pool. A solid grassy area flowed all the way back to the vegetable garden……   No mowing or trimming here, it was an artificial turf that looked just like the real thing! More time in the pool!

The vegetable patch had its own place in a raised bed………right in front of the fruit tree espaliers. I kept looking at that wall convinced it was trying to spell something out!

Up close and personal in the vegetable patch……..nice lettuces…….

Bamboo has been planted at the top of the retaining wall that leads up to the new garage and guest house. This will completely fill in quickly and give privacy for the garden……..

She’s busy watering, so I won’t disturb her………..

Inside the bar/barbecue/entertainment area I got my first chance to talk with one of the garden assistants and she answered my questions. My first question was, “how were these gardens selected?”  The Atlanta Botanical Garden works closely with many, many, many landscapers and developers. The gardens are selected from a list of gardens that are well maintained or designed by a landscaper or developer. That would make sense, since many of these gardens were on very big (meaning acres and acres of property and very, very, very high end) note the name Connoisseurs Gardens, meaning expert taste in gardens. Secondly, where do all the garden assistants at every garden come from? The Atlanta Botanical Garden appoints a team leader for each of the nine gardens and the leader chooses helpers from several garden clubs in and around Atlanta, mostly from a group the leader is familiar with……..

The assistants work 4 hour shifts over the two days that the gardens can be toured. My only disappointment was the lack of knowledge about the gardens when I asked a question of the assistants. Many were not familiar with the garden, its plants or how it came to be. We were referred to the Connoisseur Booklet that we received with our tickets, that had a small description of each of the gardens. I also would have liked to have met the owners of these gardens…..gardeners like talking to other gardeners. There was only one garden, at the time we toured it, where the owner was present to ask questions. Maybe, I was there at just the right time……….

Next to the bar area was the outdoor shower for the pool…………

and beside that and against the retaining wall on this side were the tomatoes. I’ve never seen tomatoes grown in a case before………Doesn’t that raised bed remind you of an old gun case? It does me……..

and looking at this section of the garden you get the lay of the land and the neighborhood……

and a look through the bamboo. Before long you won’t be able to see any of the backyard from up here….

Here’s the new garage and guest house from this angle………….

And once you go up the steps this is the view……the garage has the doors on the long narrow side, rather than across the back of the structure, which allows a large pull in driveway…….

and all around the turf there was a very nice assortment of plants…..and pots……..

and this statue head ……….

As you can see this city-garden had everything …….the plants and fruit trees, the grassy areas, the pool, the entertainment area, the dining area, the vegetable patch and room to spare for a new garage/guest house!

Walking back to the hotel, we noticed the neighborhood is very conscience of keeping their spot clean and tidy as well……….

I hope you enjoyed the EVERYTHING City Garden as much as we did! We came home with several good ideas and inspiration from this garden and I hope you did too! We have one more garden to see today and I have a feeling I’m going to be there awhile! So we’ll meet you there!