SUPERnatural: Glass Art in Bloom

I can't express how exciting it is to have friends visiting again! Some friends recently visited from Washington, DC, and the Dominican Republic. We excitedly enjoyed a sneak peek of SUPERnatural: Glass Art in Bloom, officially opening at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on May 15, 2021! It's yet another magnificent yet wholly unique summer exhibition here.

SUPERnatural | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

This show, going on through October 31, 2021, features the work of contemporary glass artist Jason Gamrath. Gamrath's career has been inspired by fellow Seattle artist Dale Chihuly, who has exhibited at the Atlanta Botanical Garden numerous times, including in 2004 and again in 2016, to name a couple.

There will be a total of 13 installations, comprised of approximately 150 pieces of glass, representing brilliantly colorful blooming plants, and approximately 30 of those are new, specifically for this exhibition! 

Carmen and Colomba | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

I've been visiting this Garden since the late 1980s and I was totally blown away, so you can imagine how impressed my friends Carmen and Colomba were. It was their first time at the Garden. Actually, it was their first time to Atlanta and the Garden was their first local tourist attraction, which ended up being the favorite of their visit—and they packed a lot in! Of course I was thrilled to share the Garden with them, it being one of my favorite destinations in the city.

SUPERnatural | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

Garmath's interpretation of the Aquilegia plant is magnificent! I didn't know it was fashioned after a real flower—too many science-fiction movies, I guess. These are "planted" in front of Longleaf Restaurant where garden-goers were dining, mostly alfresco because it was such a beautiful day. Lots of photos were being made here.

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

As is the case with so many flowers at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the peonies are absolutely stunning! It's no wonder they're such a popular flower in bridal bouquets. I love visiting the Garden this time of year...there's no other place like it in the city.

SUPERnatural | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

To call Garath's "Large Orchids" large is an understatement. I'm 6'2" they totally dwarf me! The ones we saw are along the Great Lawn and, of course, inside the Fuqua Orchid Center, which opened in 2002 and has become one of the most popular attractions at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and for good reason...it's home to one of the largest collections of various species of orchids in the Southeast, the world even!

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

As mentioned, I've been visiting the Garden for decades, but I don't recall a time when the Rose Garden was quite so stunning. It was like the Garden was showing off for my friends, for which I'm grateful. Did you know that the Rose Garden predates the incorporation of the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 1976? You'll learn a LOT on one of the Garden's tours!

SUPERnatural | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

Native to Africa, we got to see the real-time installation of a cluster of Kniphofia, commonly known as Red Hot Poker plants or Red Hot Torch Lilies. The gardeners "planting" the towering sculptures were very kind in answering the burning questions that my friends had. That kind of courtesy goes a long way in making someone's day, so I'm grateful to them for enhancing my friends' visit to the Garden.

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

We toured the Desert House in the Conservatory where I got to explain that there are no cacti in the Desert House, but there are LOTS outside in the Skyline Garden, some of them in bloom on this particular visit.

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

One of the aspects of the Atlanta Botanical Garden that I love most is the fact that every time you turn a corner, look up or down, side to side, you see yet something else that is beautiful and fascinating. Any visit to the Garden has the makings for a great day!

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

I also don't visit the Garden without a camera. Okay, I don't go most places without a camera, but I know that the Atlanta Botanical Garden will always provide amazing subject matter for my lenses. And it has consistently proven to be a favorite of friends visiting from out of town.

Be sure to catch SUPERnatural: Glass Art in Bloom this summer and before it closes on October 31, 2021. And bring some friends...they too may find that it's a favorite of theirs.

Atlanta's Spectacular "Chihuly in the Garden"

Part of its 40th anniversary celebration, the Atlanta Botanical Garden is home of a spectacular "Chihuly in the Garden" exhibition. This exhibition features 19 installations, three created just for this exhibition.

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

The above installation, Fire Amber Herons, is my personal favorite. It's located in the Ferst Fountain, where you will discover Lily, Lottie and Luna behind a waterfall, in the Perennial Garden.

A mere two years after President & CEO—and visionary—Mary Pat Matheson assumed leadership of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, she again put the Garden "on the map" with a Chihuly exhibition in 2004 that increased visitorship to record levels. She's continued to do so since.

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

Did you know that the Japanese Garden in the Atlanta Botanical Garden pre-dates its 1976 founding? Go on a guided tour of the Garden and you'll learn lots of fascinating facts and factoids about our "Oasis in the City".

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

The two immediately above photos are Turquoise Marlins and Floats, featured in the Japanese Garden.

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

Located in The Gardens in Storza Woods, opened only in recent years, you'll discover three groupings of Red Reeds. Red is my favorite color, so I found these particularly magnificent. They're strategically placed, so you may or may not see them as you come upon them, but you'll definitely see them! 

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

Sapphire Star, in Howell Fountain at the end of the Crepe Myrtle Allée and the top of the Great Lawn, is magnificent! You can't miss it and you won't be able to resist taking a photo of or with it. 

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

Immediately under the Canopy Walk (which opened only in 2010) is Green Hornets and Waterdrops. Its backdrop is another favorite...several "plantings" of Neodymium Reeds, the purple "stalks" that the sun makes sparkle during daytime and strategic lighting makes spectacular in the evening.

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

At the top of the relatively new Water Mirror in Storza Woods is the 30-foot tall Saffron Tower. I'm not convinced if it's more spectacular during the day or when fully illuminated—all its neon tubes—in the evening!

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

In the lobby of the Fuqua Orchid Center you'll be mesmerized by Sapphire Neon with Neodymium Reeds, Floats, and Logs. This installation features multiple techniques used by artist Dale Chihuly, set among natural elements.

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

I've seen this exhibition many times now, with friends Barry, Jacquetta, Luc and Saffold, all on separate visits, and the one installation that has grown on me the most is the Black and Green Striped Herons with Icicle Clusters, displayed in the Fuqua Orchid Center. It's truly magnificent and a favorite backdrop for visitor photos, group and individual.

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

Lining both sides of the Great Lawn, in front of the Fuqua Conservatory, you'll see the splendid and spectacular Carmel and Red Fiori. I love the movement of Chihuly's work...you can't help but be moved by it.

Chihuly in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden | 2016

The above, Ikebana, is located in the Tropical Rotunda in the Fuqua Conservatory. Be sure to look around when in the Conservatory...there are multiple sculptures here, each unique and splendid.

Want a video sneak peek? Check out this video featuring Dale Chihuly himself exploring Chihuly in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. 

This 40th anniversary exhibition will be on display through October 30, 2016. See it and be mesmerized! Then see it at night...see Chihuly Nights!

A Look Back at Summer in the Garden

I want to share with you a few of my favorite images of the Atlanta Botanical Garden from a couple of daytime visits this past summer. Keep in mind that some of these were made inside the Orchid Center, so you can enjoy the same beauty during winter.

Earth Goddess being hand watered | Atlanta Botanical Garden

I love, love, love this photo of Earth Goddess! How awesome to capture her hand being hand-watered.

My friend Wendy was visiting from Washington, DC, and we were just starting our walk across the Canopy Walk when we saw this...and I started snapping. This was Wendy's first visit to the Garden and Earth Goddess impresses...it's usually a first-stop when I'm touring friends around Atlanta Botanical Garden their first time. 

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Keep your eyes open...there is so much incredible beauty to see, smell, hear...to experience! Mind what you touch and taste, of course. 

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

There were a LOT of butterflies, of various species, at the Garden on this particular visit. I got some pretty good shots of a couple of them. Even at my age, chasing butterflies is great fun.

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

I've always loved the lily pads at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and they've had them for many, many years...now throughout the Garden! There have been lilies in the fountain in front of the Fuqua Conservatory since it opened in 1989...when I remember a certain three-piece "Nessie" topiary that ran the length of that water feature.

I love the above photo not only for the gorgeous flower, but also for the goldfish just poking its head out just from under the lily pad. 

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

I've also always loved the pattern of dragonflies, although I tried as a kid to avoid them when swimming in lakes and rivers. They've been immortalized in many forms of art and their symbolism spans more topics than I can possibly share here, but the one that I think I like the most is "change"...something I've embraced as a desirable ability for many years.

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

These carnivorous beauties can be found in the High Elevation House in the Fuqua Orchid Center...lots of them!

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

The Nepenthes Pitcher Plant...stunning! Did you know that the Dale Chihuly sculpture in the Hardin Visitor Center at the Atlanta Botanical Garden was fashioned after this plant? 

If not, the next time you visit, have a look at the top of the sculpture and you'll see three pieces that have maroon colored lips. You'll immediately recognize them as Nepenthes Pitcher Plants!

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

If you love honey as much as I do, you naturally love bees. My mother is terribly allergic to bee stings, but I've thus far avoided that devastating sentence. They're fascinating creatures and give us so much more than many realize.

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

Growing up my favorite color was orange. It's now dark red, but I still love a vibrant orange, except maybe for the invasive construction cone! It's much too prevalent in traffic these days. But, orange flowers...give me all you got!

A Day in the Garden | Atlanta Botanical Garden

I'm not exactly sure how large this particular variety of lily pad can grow, but I seem to recall hearing on a garden tour many years ago that it can grow approximately six feet wide! These particular ones were several feet wide when I made this photo...stunning no matter their diameter! 

I hope these few photos inspire you to break out your camera and visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden, during every season! Throughout its 30 acres, there is delightful beauty and magnificent splendor to discover. Treat yourself!

ATLANTApix: Chihuly in the Garden

Chihuly Sculpture in the Atlanta Botanical Garden

"Chocolate Covered Weekend" is now! Head over to the Atlanta Botanical Garden for a full two days of chocolate inspired events, learning activities, and tastes. 

"Stop by the Edible Garden Outdoor Kitchen where Atlanta chocolatiers and pastry chefs whip up decadent treats or enjoy chocolate games and crafts with the family. Visit the cacao tree where it all begins and discover more about the chocolate making process."

And of course while you're there, check out both of the Dale Chihuly sculptures. This one (photo) is in the Parterre Garden and the other is hanging in the Hardin Visitors Center.

ATLANTApix and ATLANTAvidz of the tourATLANTA blog features a daily photo or video relative to Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: "Maple Leaf Rag"

"Maple Leaf Rag" by Dave Horner

When tourists enter the Hardin Visitor Center at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, they're welcomed by the breathtaking Nepenthes Chandelier by Dale Chihuly...but there's more. 

Displayed on the left wall, as you enter the visitor center, Maple Leaf Rag by Dave Horner is a collection of five maple leaves, each nearly as wide as I am tall, ranging in color from summer-green to fall-red.

The carbon steel and acrylic sculpture, designed from maple leaves from the Garden itself, shares the same name as the most popular ragtime song ever. It was composed by Scott Joplin in 1899—more than 100 years ago! I did not know the name of the song but as soon as I heard it, fun memories associated with the song came flooding back.

The next time you're at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, look up and left to check out this beautiful piece of artistry...inspired by the Garden itself.

ATLANTApix and ATLANTAvidz of the tourATLANTA blog features a daily photo or video relative to Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: Levy Parterre

Levy Parterre at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

What is a parterre, you ask? In all honesty, before discovering the two currently on display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, I had never heard the word parterre. If the Fuqua Conservatory or Canopy Walk aren't quite enough the tip the scales of decision toward visiting the Garden, then maybe the Dale Chihuly-created parterres will.

While I love the Nepenthes Chandelier hanging in the atrium of the Hardin Visitor Center (Its bright greenness is actually the wallpaper on my laptop), the Levy Parterre (photo) nestled between the Rose Garden and the Alston Overlook is just as remarkable.

Starting on February 5, 2011, the 2011 annual "Orchid Daze" will feature thousands of blooms coupled with an array of water features in an exhibition titled "Liquid Landscapes." Or if you're looking for a romantic idea for Valentines Day, consider "Valentines in the Garden: Romance Blooms!" on Saturday, February 12, 2011.

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!

ATLANTApix: The Nepenthes Chandelier

The Nepenthes Chandelier

Welcoming visitors and foretelling a fantastical escape from the city is The Nepenthes Chandelier (pictured here). The centerpiece of the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Hardin Visitors Center, the Dale Chihuly-created chandelier's design was inspired by the garden's carnivorous plants collection.

Originally housed in the Fuqua Conservatory, part of a 2004 art exhibit, the Chandelier was later moved to the Visitor Center to ensure more guests have the opportunity to see its one-of-a-kind beauty.


ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!