Gardens The State Botanical Garden of Georgia
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Georgia and the southeastern U.S. were a mecca for European plant hunters in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Tradescant, Clayton, Catesby, Michaux and others botanized throughout the area, sending hundreds of new species back to European gardens. In 1765, John and William Bartram discovered (near present day Darien) the famous Franklinia, now extinct in the wild. On a later expedition, William Bartram traveled through or near land now comprising the State Botanical Garden.
Reflecting this history, the International Garden pays homage to three plant hunters whose work has had significant influence in the American South—the Bartrams, father and son (who named Franklinia in honor of Benjamin Franklin) and Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson whose Asian introductions have proven well adapted to the Southeast.
The Age of Exploration is represented by the Mediterranean & Middle East, Spanish America, American South, and China and the Orient collections. This era saw active exploration of the planet in search of new and valuable plants—and a proliferation of botanical gardens to contain and study them. The Age of Conservation, a subject of great concern today, is explored in the Threatened & Endangered Plants section and the Bog Garden. The American Indian Plants section features plants used by the Creek and Cherokee Nations of the southeast U.S.
International Garden Tour
Below is a virtual tour of our International Garden. This is a 360° Quicktime Tour, click and hold to turn and click on the Red Diamonds to move to the next tour section.
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