The Georgia Botanical Garden

Yesterday we rode over to the gardens, which lie just by the middle fork of the Oconee River.  Owned by the state of Georgia, it operates under the guidance of the University of Georgia, one of three claimants to the title of oldest public college in America.  It is a large facility, looped by a five mile trail that runs along the river for some distance.  There are numerous facilities and classes, including in related fields like beekeeping.  Many types of plants and, indeed, many types of gardens are featured.  I'm going to show you a few of the earlier types.

 The Herb Garden

Medieval gardens were enclosed and patterned, devoted to herbs and other useful plants.  The forest were frightening and wild:  even before the regulation of forests, they were tied to human communities by the swine who sheltered in them, by the hunter, and by outlaws.  The garden a place of order, where the goods of nature were perfected by human reason.

The Physic Garden

The herbs grown by the Medievals often had medicinal value.  In London in 1673, the Worshipful Society of Apothicaries founded a "physic garden" to provide adequate supplies of rare herbs and plants to study in the quest to improve human health.  The University of Georgia maintains this one in a knotwork pattern.

Courtyard

There is a small amount of formal statuary at the garden, including this fountain.  Several archways, most draped with wisteria, provide shade in the summer.

Amphitheater

The Amphitheater is a newer addition -- you can see that the apple trees are still little more than twigs, perhaps two or three years old.  In a few years they will provide food and shade for people who come to witness outdoor plays, in a way that ties this garden to the ancient Athens for which the University's home takes its name.

20 comments:

Cass said...

My son's family loves the Botanical Garden - thanks for the photos!

DL Sly said...

I see that the wisteria hasn't started to bloom there yet. Here it's starting to hang stole-like around the shoulders of the trees and bushes along the roads. Looks really cool.
0>;~}

bthun said...

Nice shots Grim.

"I see that the wisteria hasn't started to bloom there yet."

Down in our holler, the wisteria has been showing off for over a couple of weeks.

Everything around here is in bloom, and the pollen's as high as an elephants eye...

*cough* *cough* *cough* ahhhcheeeeewwww!

Grim said...

Actually, what I meant when I said that "several" of the arches were covered with wisteria was "unlike this one." :) The ones that are in in bloom.

DL Sly said...

The heat threw such a curve ball at the vegetation around here that the trees were in full flower before a single leave had even budded much less sprung forth. Looked really odd.

Oh, and bless you, b.
0>;~}

Grim said...

Yes, bless you.

In any case, I'm glad ya'll liked the pictures. It's a nice place -- I'll surely go back.

bthun said...

"The heat threw such a curve ball at the vegetation around here that the trees were in full flower before a single leave had even budded much less sprung forth."

Yeah, we've a Japanese Tulip tree and a Redbud that can't seem to stick to the calendar. Their blooms came and went before everyone else woke up.

Currently, we've Japanese maples, Pink and white dogwoods, and a few azaleas working overtime. Bulbs will show up sooner or later.

Grim said...

The dogwoods were a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting them for quite a while, but they popped here a week or so ago.

Cass said...

Here in the People's Republik things are just starting to pop. We have cherry trees lining the entrance to our neighborhood and they are just gorgeous.

First Spring in our new house!

bthun said...

"We have cherry trees lining the entrance to our neighborhood and they are just gorgeous."

Aren't they!
This is from the spring of 2009 when both the weather and all the plants decided to sync up and I took a picture of some of the color from under a cherry tree.

"First Spring in our new house!"

Awesome! I always enjoyed starting up a new domicile. Not sure I could survive initializing another home at this point. =8^}

Cass said...

Not sure I could survive initializing another home at this point.

Me either.

It has been a long year. It took us a good 6 weeks of working nights and weekends to move ourselves. We have a lot of stuff, mostly books :p

Neither of us took any time off of work, which (looking back) was a mistake.

The next time we move, I am going to spend the money on movers. But I was trying to be careful with money. This house was a big step up for us financially and I figured it was best to keep expenses down until we figured out how it would all work out.

Oh well - live and learn!

Grim said...

I hear you: moving is no fun.

In 2006 when we moved back to Georgia from Virginia, I made the move in one rental truck, a good two-thirds of which was full of plants from my wife's garden (as opposed to stuff from inside the house).

When we moved in 2009 we needed two such trucks, plus about a dozen runs back and forth with our own trucks -- and I'd been in Iraq most of the intervening time. Where'd we get all this stuff?

It's amazing to think that just twelve years ago we gave away or sold everything we owned and moved to China, with no more than we had on our backs.

DL Sly said...

"Not sure I could survive initializing another home at this point."

"Where'd we get all this stuff?"

I know I will regret saying this (Because I know that during the *elbow grease* part of the move I'm gonna be wondering, "WTF was I thinkin'!?"), but I'm ready to 'give it a go' one more time.
For the last time.
50 days and counting....
0>;~}

Grim said...

What's the to/from on that, Sly?

DL Sly said...

From this last duty station here in NC to NW Montana, Grim. After 22 yrs (28 for MH), we get to settle down and plant some roots.
Finally.
0>;~}

bthun said...

That is wonderful Sly! Beautiful country.

You'll not be far from my oldest bro who recently acquired property in N. Idaho. He's tired of (the politics and taxes of) N.Ca., again.

You'll have to watch out for that lost tribe of dogmen running loose up there. =;^}

Grim said...

Montana, huh? That's brave country for a last home -- lots of snow up there.

Bet it'll be beautiful, though.

DL Sly said...

It is beautiful. And they have this really cool phenomenon called seasons there. With the exception of this current locale, the Dark side casa has been located in distinctly over-sunny and arid locales for almost a decade. I'm more than ready for a little personal *climate change*.
I guess it's more akin to that old saying about yeah, she's beautiful but somebody somewhere is tired of her crap. Hearing your local radio station brag about how it's sunny 360 days a year is only cool for a coupla years. Then it gets old very quickly. I'm looking forward to mountains, lakes and a place where 'humidity' is measured in inches not percentages.
0>:~}

Grim said...

Sly:

Let's talk about January of next year. :)

DL Sly said...

I love those! There's one for living in the desert, too, as well as for the PacNW with all the rain it gets and one for the south with the humidity, bugs and snakes. Thankfully, technology has improved to the point where tools that were not readily available to Joe Sixpack back then are pretty common place now.
0>;~}