By Barbara Schneider, Gibbs Gardens
Photographs courtesy of Gibbs Gardens
Making the best out of a bad situation has become an art form for Jim Gibbs, the owner, designer and developer of Gibbs Gardens. When the remnants of Tropical Storm Irma collided with Gibbs Gardens on September 11, 2017, the storm wiped out a forested hillside of mature trees, leaving more than 50 huge root balls in its wake.
Bright red azaleas provide a vivid contrast to lush green conifers in the Inspiration Garden.
Jim Gibbs quickly got down to business—cleaning up the mess and fixing everything fixable. By the next morning, Gibbs was a man on a mission: The muddy mess would be transformed into one of his most complex and difficult gardens—and designed specifically for home gardeners. Three years later, the new 15-acre Inspiration Garden opened and has continually grown with collections of plants ideal for home gardens.
Orange azaleas look almost golden on a sunny May afternoon.
Inspiration Garden Collections
Gibbs Gardens Inspiration Garden is amazing year-round, but May is prime time for this dramatic display of new and native azaleas as well as Drift and Knockout roses set against Japanese maples, conifers and an exciting selection of flowering trees and shrubs.
Set on hillsides approaching the Manor House—one of the highest sites in northeast Cherokee County—the Inspiration Garden offers dramatic views of the surrounding gardens and the perfect location to showcase the Inspiration Garden’s Collections of plants ideally suited to home gardens.
Azaleas with lavender petals are perfect for springtime photos.
The Native Azalea Collection includes more than 800 early-, mid- and late-blooming native azaleas, representing more than 100 varieties in shades of pink, orange, red, yellow and white. The Encore Azalea Collection includes more than 1,200 plants in all 33 varieties; they bloom April through November. Thousands of Kurume, Indica, Glendale and Satsuki azaleas have been added through the years to extend the azalea color season. New azaleas and existing native azaleas combine to create displays of more than 3,000 azaleas.
To add spring, summer and fall color, Gibbs planted the Drift Groundcover Rose series—all dwarf and low maintenance—plus the Knockout Rose series.
The Evergreen Dwarf Conifer Collection features hundreds of dwarf conifers representing 200 named species in a wide range of colors, textures and forms.
Annuals and perennials blend to create a spring border.
The Dwarf Japanese Dissectum Maple Collection includes more than 100 varieties. In addition, Gibbs has planted hundreds of Acer palmatum and Acer japonicum throughout the gardens, interspersed among shade-loving or deciduous flowering shrubs.
Color Blooms Throughout The Gardens
Deep-blue water iris, blooming in the Japanese Gardens’ many ponds, attract butterflies, dragonflies and birds. Hundreds of ancient rhododendrons are in bloom, their spicy, clove-like fragrance scenting the spring breeze. Rhododendrons display shades of pink, red, white, purple and lavender blossoms that flower into June. Today there are hundreds of rhododendron shrubs of numerous varieties on display in the gardens.
Pure purple azalea petals provide a bold contrast.
Beautiful plantings of Knockout roses flow through the Valley Gardens as well as the Inspiration Gardens. In the rose garden above Le Jardin, Gibbs planted numerous varieties of roses, including more than 100 varieties of Heirloom roses.
The blossoms of roses and crape myrtles bring spring beauty and color to the Valley Gardens.
More roses, especially climbing roses, are planted on four levels near the Manor House. Long curved beds of White Dawn climbing roses provide a dramatic contrast to the dark metal arches that provide support. Nearby the most amazing 130-foot-long “walk-through” arbor is covered with New Dawn blush pink roses.
The 130-foot-long “walk through” arbor near the Manor House, covered with blush pink New Dawn roses, is a favorite place for taking photos.
Hundreds of hydrangeas—representing more than 100 varieties—are planted in a forested area on a north-facing slope. Their blossoms, in shades of pink, blue, white, lavender and purple, appear in May and continue until October.
A rainbow of annuals, perennials, azaleas, foxglove and hydrangea come into May bloom in the upper gardens. The artistically designed plantings in the Manor House Gardens combined with dramatic views of Mount Oglethorpe and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains create an unforgettable garden experience.
World-Class Destination Garden
Honored with the National Garden Clubs’ Award of Excellence, Gibbs Gardens has been named one of “The 10 Best Places in the World to See Daffodils,” by Flower Magazine; “Georgia, swathes of splendor,” by Georgia Daffodil Association; “Thirteen Best Botanical Gardens in America” and a top garden in Georgia by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Explore Georgia and the “100 places to visit in North Georgia before you die.” Gibbs Gardens always has something new in bloom—its 24 garden venues offer unique and continuous delights for garden lovers of all interests. To learn more about Gibbs Gardens go to gibbsgardens.com.
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
By Laura Root
Photos courtesy of Jackson & Perkins
Gardeners are always thinking ahead to the next season or the next year. And, fall is the ideal time to think about spring. Flowering shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs are great choices.
Click here for an interesting article about spring bulbs.
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