Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens is a former USDA plant-introduction station that has developed into a 51-acre

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

. It is located is

Chatham County, Georgia Chatham County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Georgia, on the state's Atlantic coast. The county seat and largest city is Savannah. One of the original counties of Georgia, Chatham County was created February 5, 1777, and is named after Will ...

, south of

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

History

The garden's collection began in the late 1880s when property owner Mrs. H. B. Miller planted three giant Japanese timber

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

(''Phyllostachys bambusoides'') plants. By 1915 an impressive bamboo grove developed, which drew the attention of noted

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and plant explorer David Fairchild. In 1919

Barbour Lathrop Thomas Barbour Lathrop (January 28, 1847 – May 17, 1927) was an American philanthropist and world traveler. He was born in Alexandria, Virginia to Jedediah Hyde Lathrop, a descendant of the Lathrop family of New Hampshire and Mariana Bryan of V ...

, a friend of Fairchild, purchased the site from Mrs. Miller for $5,430 and leased it to the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

(USDA) for $1. Noted plant explorer Frank Meyer, David Bisset and Alfonso McClure were vital players in the development of the facility as a federally funded plant-introduction station throughout the mid-20th century. In 1979 the USDA closed the site and in 1983 deeded it to the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

; it remains part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Plant collections and gardens

Today, Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens' collections contain around 60 bamboo taxa, said to be the largest American bamboo collection open to the public east of California. Most specimens (genera '' Phyllostachys'' and '' Bambusa'') were planted in the 1920s and '30s. It also displays 40 winter-hardy palm species, including numerous cultivars of

dwarf palmetto ''Sabal minor'', commonly known as the dwarf palmetto, is a small species of palm. It is native to the deep southeastern and south-central United States and northeastern Mexico. It is naturally found in a diversity of habitats, including maritime ...

(Sabal minor). With at least 36 different species, the gardens are also home to one of the largest collections of

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controversy ...

species outside of China, in the Judge Arthur Solomon Camellia Trail. Impressive specimen trees also cast shade across the property, including China fir ('' Cunninghamia lanceolata''), southern magnolia (''

Magnolia grandiflora ''Magnolia grandiflora'', commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching in height, it is a ...

''), Japanese evergreen oak (''

Castanopsis delavayi ''Castanopsis'', commonly called chinquapin or chinkapin, is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 140 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total o ...

''), lord's holly ('' Ilex rotunda''), Oliver maple ('' Acer oliverianum''), Chinese pistachio (''

Pistacia chinensis ''Pistacia chinensis'', the Chinese pistache (), is a small to medium-sized tree in the genus ''Pistacia'' in the cashew family Anacardiaceae, native to central and western China. This species is planted as a street tree in temperate areas world ...

'') and live oak ('' Quercus virginiana''). Rosegarden

The site also showcases landscape roses, native plants of the state of Georgia, and seasonal annuals and educational displays. A 50,000-gallon water garden was completed on the shores of one of the site's lakes in 2012. In 2013, a Mediterranean-style garden was completed in the area by the Bridal Cottage and Conference Center, historically the original entrance to the property when it was a USDA plant-introduction station. In 2015, the new Andrews Visitor and Education Center opened and is the point of entrance for all visitors from the improved and landscaped Canebrake Road entrance drive. Four other gardens were completed in 2015, too. The Woodland Shade Garden offers picturesque views over a chain of lakes, the White Garden boasts three magnificent white pergolas surrounding a lawn and the Formal Garden features four parterres surrounded by olive and white crapemyrtles. The Georgia Trustees Garden replica—the agricultural plot began by James Oglethorpe and existed from 1733 to 1755—also was laid out and features edible, medicinal and crop commodities the first settlers to the Georgia colony were expected to produce. Such items included mulberry leaves for silkworms, as well as grapes, pomegranates, stone fruits, cotton, sesame, hops and sour oranges. In 2016, the Sun Garden was created and is continually receiving new plants to add to this expansive area. Watergarden

Events

Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens hosts various special events and gardening classes throughout the year. Among the special events include the Wild Game Supper (February), Spring Plant Sale (March/April on Easter weekend), Autumn Gardenfest (October) and December Nights and Holiday Lights (November/December); the latter features 600,000 lights in the evenings. The site also offers visitors "pick your own" fruit fields including strawberries (late-March to May) and blackberries (mid-May to early July). Precise harvest times vary annually depending on the weather.

Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens is part of the University of Georgia's Extension. It also benefits from support from the Chatham County government and the non-profit Friends of the Coastal Gardens organization. There is no fee to park at the facility and a gift shop offers a wide array of souvenirs and garden-related items for sale. There is no snack bar on site.

History

Plant collections and gardens

Events

See also