We’re pleased to announce that Beacham & Company Realtors was one of the sponsors for the 2014 Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour. This year marked 30 years of this annual tour of Atlanta’s most beautiful private gardens. The 2014 Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour took place over Mother’s Day weekend on May 10th and 11th.
About the Tour
Since 1984, the Atlanta Botanical Garden has encouraged Atlanta residents to explore their neighbors’ immaculately kept yards by hosting a tour of select private gardens throughout the city. The tour occurs every Mother’s Day weekend, and all proceeds go towards benefiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
The Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour is a self-guided walking tour. This year, the tour showcased 11 gardens. Several of the gardens that were selected for inclusion on the tour have been cultivated and maintained by their owners instead of by landscaping companies.
Our Highlights of the Tour
While each of the individual gardens along the tour route had their own charms, we must admit that we had some favorites among this year’s selection. One of the most stunning gardens was Lisa and Paul Brown’s spacious five-acre plot located in the heart of Buckhead.
Despite its location, the Browns’ garden has an sense of serenity and privacy that is hard to find anywhere — much less in bustling Buckhead! The garden is surrounded by woodlands, but it integrates them naturally, making them an essential part of the space. A 10-foot waterfall, several streams, three ponds and a variety of fountains provide continual interest and encourage you to move through the varieties of roses, the butterfly gardens and the native azaleas.
Another breathtaking garden belonged to Ryan Gainey, who has achieved international fame for his skill as a garden designer for his work in his own and in his clients’ gardens. Gainey purchased a 105-year-old home that at one time operated as a cut flower nursery, and he has turned it into a masterpiece of heirloom and antique plant varieties. The garden is whimsical and romantic throughout the year, and Gainey has even added a tree house to encourage a sense of child-like wonder and joy.
Rosie and Lindsay Davidson’s garden featured the most unique and eclectic selection of plant life thanks in large part to Rosie’s love for plants you might not typically see in the South. The Davidson garden was especially delightful to visit with other plant lovers who marveled at the variety present and left with new ideas and plans for their own home gardens.
