“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” – Mary Oliver, Upstream
I have had the great joy of hosting several garden tours at Devotion this spring. In my garden library is a book by Betty Montgomery titled “A Four-Season Southern Garden.” What a small world—Betty was one of my visitors. I was thrilled to meet such an acclaimed gardener and make a new friend.
Betty Montgomery (right) and me…what a treat to meet a life-long gardener.
Two artists, Jennifer Edwards and Benjamin Quinlan (@benjonquin on Instagram), came for a weekend to draw in the garden. What fun it was to see what they chose to paint and their very different art styles.
Benjamin Quinlan painting the yellow lady’s slippers. Jennifer Edwards interprets the courtyard garden through watercolor.The south garden through Jennifer’s eyes and art.Titled ‘Friends are Welcome Here’ is Jennifer’s watercolor sitting at Robinson Creek looking up to my house. Ahhh, I love it!
While the artists were at work, I simply took my camera around Devotion to photograph the season.
Sweetbay magnolia in bloom.Sarracenia leucophylla ‘Fruit Punch’ added to the garden amid primrose ‘Siskiyou’.Kousa dogwood ‘Venus’ in bloom.
Then it was off for a week of hiking and public garden visits.
Peaks of Otter is an historical area along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Thomas Jefferson talks about the singular beauty found there in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. To celebrate Sue Wasserman’s 60th birthday, we hiked Sharp Top Mountain, Fallingwater Cascades Trail, and Harkening Hill. Each trail had its unique collection of wildflowers and varied degree of difficulty. I can honestly say that the 1.5 miles up Sharp Top is some of the most challenging hiking in my life, but oh, the rewards!
The view from Sharp Top includes Abbott Lake and our lodge. 1500′ of elevation certainly changes one’s perspective on things.Bleeding heart, dicentra, kept us motivated to climb higher.Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, had naturalized profusely along the lower trail.Rhododendron along Fallingwater CreekBowman’s root, Gillenia trifoliata, is not showy but oh so sweet in the woods.Speckled wood lily clintonia shines in the woodland.Pinkster azalea along the Blue Ridge Parkway.Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, in bloom on the Harkening Hill trail.Four-leaf milkweed, Asclepius quadrifolia, to feed the monarch butterflies.Balance Rock with spiderwort, tradescantia virginiana.Spiderwort in the morning light.
Then I was off to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for Origami in the Garden. It was a delightfully cool and cloudy morning in the garden as I reflected on my southern roots.
Southern magnolia smells so sweet!Stewartia pseudocamellia in full bloom. I have one at Devotion and I look forward to its bloom in a few weeks.I adore the bark of the stewartia!Lacecap hydrangea…such a glorious color.Hydrangea arborescens ‘Hayes Starburst’. A new cultivar for me.Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Bloom’Earth Goddess, 20 feet tall and holds more than 18,000 individual plants. Metal origami sculptures have been added to the fountain.
Origami in the Garden is the largest-ever exhibition by artists Jennifer and Kevin Box. It features 19 installations of nearly 70 larger-than-life sculptures inspired by origami – the centuries-old Japanese art of folding paper.
“Scents of Gratitude.” And I always marvel at the Atlanta skyline from this urban oasis.Tulips larger than life.“Consider the Lilies” greets you as you meander the gardens.“Scents of Sincerity”“Pinwheel Wildflowers”Dale Chihuly in the garden. Surrounded by delphiniums and foxglove.
This garden was so incredibly well labeled! A slow stroll will definitely provide introductions to old and new friends planted so meticulously. Origami in the Garden is on view through October 16, 2022. Don’t miss it.
