Tag: plants

While the labs of the Southeastern Center for Conservation may lack the dazzle of the Atlanta Botanical Garden's orchid show nearby, they are bursting with life, home to thousands of species of orchids and other plants—many of them endangered—native to the Southeastern United States, the Caribbean, and Central America. Growing in sealed plastic containers or tucked away in temperature-controlled seed banks, these species are an insurance policy against catastrophic climate change and human-propelled biodiversity loss—keys to the plant ecology of the entire Southeastern region.

Cassandra Quave, an associate professor of dermatology at Emory University School of Medicine, researches plants that have been used by traditional healers and are known to have therapeutic properties. More than 34,000 medicinal plants have been used throughout history, and each contains thousands of different molecules. Her lab works to identify which molecules—or combinations of molecules—provide the benefit.

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.

The Victorian Atlanta opened its Ponce City Market plant shop in 2017. On December 31, it will shut its doors for the last time with plans to reopen in New City Properties’ nearby Fourth Ward mixed-use development. Targeting a spring launch, the brighter, bigger Victorian will feature a cocktail bar focused on plant-driven drinks.

The Kai Garden doesn’t have a retail storefront, an ecommerce site, or even regular business hours. Yet the grounds of Eric Mack’s East Lake residence are home to a sprawling one-man nursery and pop-up shop with one of the city’s best selections of rare and unusual plants.

On the sunniest Deep South day, wisely planted under the dark green backdrop of a shady tree, a clump of coleus will shimmer with most all the pinks and greens and yellows of other flowers—without a single bloom.

No sun? No rain? No dirt? No problem. Sprouts can do without.

Houseplants aren’t merely decorative—they’re good for your health, too. Here's a few shops around Atlanta where you can buy houseplants.

As Georgia’s weather starts its spring ascent toward another sweltering summer, it’s time to plant ginger. Here's how to grow it so that it'll be ready for fall pie season.

Days after COVID-19 began canceling Atlanta, I dealt with my own anxiety by spending a full Saturday digging in the dirt: planting shrubs, weeding, top-dressing the soil, potting herbs.