Gardens

For Anne Knutson, the highest praise arrived in a snarky blog post loaded with backhanded compliments. Her next-door neighbor, designer Sherry Hart, took mock aim at Knutson in her popular blog, Design Indulgence, after Knutson invited her to stop by and see the results of the prolonged landscaping activity Hart had been hearing through the bushes.

The tranquil trickle of water can be heard throughout Sandy and Susi Smith’s garden, lending a Zen-like flow of positive energy. Weeping Japanese maples, scrubby pines, and climbing hydrangeas visually transport visitors to an Asian locale.

Ashe-Simpson Garden Center will be in a new home by the middle of October, making way for a new shopping center that will include Whole Foods and Taqueria del Sol.

The Buckhead Men's Garden Club is moving its greenhouse from the Atlanta History Center to Historic Oakland Cemetery. The new facility will help the cemetery restore its lush Victorian-era landscape.

Atlanta may be known as a city in a forest, but for gardeners, all those shady trees present a challenge. Back in 2009, when Suzy Smith and her husband, Ed, spotted this Sandy Springs home with a flat, sunny area, they were sold.

When Chamblee's Ashe-Simpson Gardening Center closes this summer, it's just another sign of the uphill battle facing indie garden centers.

Southeastern Horicultural Society task force meets to plan return of Atlanta's beloved flower show in the next couple of years. New format would likely include urban agriculture along with flower design. Society is seeking sponsors.