By Laura Qadri, Intown Atlanta Chapter of Georgia Native Plant Society
The ever-sunnier days of late can only mean one thing: the start of garden tour season in Atlanta. Whether we are just curious or seeking inspiration, it feels welcoming and special when gardeners invite us into their carefully designed spaces.
While many tours are curated to highlight outstanding yards by neighborhood, one Atlanta tour is made to feature the beauty of both form and ecological function. On Saturday, June 7th, the Intown Atlanta Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society is bringing back its celebration of landscapes featuring species native to Georgia’s Piedmont ecoregion and the southeast with their fourth annual Native Habitat Garden Tour.
Movements like Homegrown National Park continue to grow in popularity, with more and more people getting interested in incorporating native plants and creating habitat in their gardens and landscapes. The reasons why we should add native plants to our landscapes are many, but finding inspiration for how to landscape with native plants can be challenging. Four years ago, the Intown Atlanta Chapter hosted their first native habitat garden tour to fill in that gap. The Intown Atlanta GNPS garden tour focuses on gardens that provide homes for much more than their human inhabitants – these gardens provide wildlife habitat for birds, frogs, bees, butterflies, and more.
Thanks to GNPS’s Habitat Certification program, chapter leadership knows of many beautiful native landscapes that balance urban living with wildlife habitat. For a garden to be certified as a GNPS native plant habitat, at least 1/3 or 2/3 of the area must consist of native plants, with no cultivation of invasive plant species, and the gardener should incorporate sustainable gardening practices, such as composting, reusing rainwater, and avoiding pesticide use.
The gardens on this year’s self-guided tour are located in Decatur and North Druid Hills. Attendees may visit each garden in any order on June 7th between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The primary gardeners and GNPS volunteers will be on site to answer questions.
On this year’s tour, visitors can see the gardens of four private residences and a lovingly restored urban pocket park. Noteworthy features include a mini-arboretum, bog gardens, and living roofs. Rock gardens and rain gardens work with, rather than against, the environmental conditions. A stumpery and pawpaw grove provide shelter and food for wildlife. The gardeners have also incorporated artistic touches, such as a wren’s nest playhouse woven out of the branches of invasive species and colorful hand-painted signs that educate visitors on plant names and ecological practices.
This one-of-a-kind tour will make you appreciate the rich biodiversity that we have here in the Atlanta area, as well as the dedication and vision of the talented gardeners who have lovingly created habitats that are both beautiful and ecologically beneficial. Wander through wooded trails, enjoy sitting by a peaceful wildlife pond, and watch native bees nectar at coneflowers in a sunny meadow. The native habitat garden tour is sure to leave you inspired to incorporate some new ideas into your own yard, garden, or neighborhood greenspace.
The garden tour is Intown Atlanta GNPS’s major annual fundraising event. Ticket sales support educational, restoration, and advocacy activities focused on inspiring Atlanta to grow and preserve native plants. Find more information about Intown Atlanta GNPS at gnps.org/intown or on Facebook or Instagram.
