Gardens

If you’re thinking of getting some new potted plants, prepare yourself for success by reading the nursery tags that say how much water and sun the plant needs. Those lush hanging baskets of ferns and pink petunias need water every day or so.

Marigolds are a good pick for Georgia’s spring and summer. If the plant is destined for a pot, pick a short variety. Otherwise, pick any variety. They come in orange and yellow, from big and puffy to tiny and dainty.

If you would have told Lisa Frank 40 years ago that the woodlands she inherited when she bought her 1950s ranch house in Buckhead would turn into a whimsical garden, she would not have believed you. Frank was a busy writer who launched public relations departments at the High Museum of Art and Atlanta Botanical Garden. In the 1990s, she started dating Terry May, the then-superintendent for grounds at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The gardener had permission to take home rare plants that the garden could not accommodate, and he started planting in Frank’s garden on a whim.

"This is the most diverse collection of plants found anywhere in the world outside of a tropical rainforest, and we wanted to keep it forever wild.”

Writer and author Felicia Feaster is a former HGTV website editor, where she started 11 years ago as the editor-in-chief of a new gardening website called HGTV Gardens. That experience, combined with her own avid gardening, led her to where she is today: the author of The Gothic Garden: The Mystery, Beauty, and Lore of Dark Gardening, which debuted in November. Here, she explains what the concept is and how she wrote the book.

The past few decades have seen a rise in the “anti-lawn movement,” which prioritizes native plants that welcome pollinators and work with, rather than against, the natural environment. This cultural shift comes as Atlanta grapples with increased climate challenges.

Nothing says spring in Atlanta quite like azaleas. The fragrant blooms, ranging in color from white to pink to fiery orange, first appear in early March, transforming the Southern landscape into a blaze of color. For Atlanta gardeners, the burst of azalea blooms can seem all too quick, leaving behind a humdrum bush of green leaves. But with some thoughtful planting, it’s possible to enjoy azaleas all the way into deep summer.