Free Botanical Garden Walk & Talk featuring a Tour of the Fall Garden + Gardening How-To Tips

IN A NUTSHELL:  Hope you can join us Friday morning for this delightful 3-hour event at the GA Perimeter College Native Plant Botanical Garden.  Each fall and spring the "GPC Decatur Campus" sponsors these free "Friday open-house Walk & Talk" combos hosted by expert naturalists.  The guided 1-hour Walk focuses on some of the hundreds of species of trees, wildflowers, shrubs, vines, ferns and other fascinating plants in the amazing garden.  Its shady "Ferns of the World" trails are said to showcase more species of live ferns than any other garden in the United States!  Then after a half-hour break, the indoor 1-hour Talk - usually an informal slide presentation - covers a specific gardening topic related to the Walk.

WHEN & WHERE?  Our Atlanta Outdoor Club "subgroup" will gather at 10:00 AM at the garden entrance - see detailed directions & GPS info below.   After introducing one another we'll walk in together and first explore the Greenhouse area where a variety of potted native plants are offered for sale to garden guests at reasonable prices. (If you have to arrive a bit late it's no big deal.  Look for us in the greenhouse area or ask Garden volunteers how to catch up.)

THIS WEEK'S WALK:  At 10:30 AM we'll join native plants expert Rick Barnes near the Greenhouse entrance for the leisurely 1-hour guided Walk entitled "A Tour of the Fall Garden."  A former GPC biology and botany instructor, Rick has used the Garden rffectively as an outdoor lab for his students, offering real-time examples of the earth’s biomes and ecosystems. Like dozens of other Atlanta gardening hobbyists he also finds time as a volunteer to maintain the GPC Garden, and to introduce and nurture appropriate new plant specimens.

THIS WEEK'S TALK:  At about 11:45 we'll regroup in a nearby GPC classroom - first to socialize and enjoy picnic lunches (see more below) - then to participate in the indoor informal seminar-style talk.  This week's presentation, also by Mr. Barnes, is entitled "Gardening How-To Tips."  The Talk will begin at 12:00 Noon and should end by 1:00 PM after a brief Q & A session.  (Feel free to depart early if you must, and if you have time after the Talk, explore more of the Garden on your own!)

BRING a PICNIC LUNCH and BEVERAGE if you like.  It is customary for "Talk" attendees to enjoy lunch together (~11:45 - Noon) at tables in the classroom and share any extra items with one another.  Ice water is available at a fountain in the hallway.  (When you first arrive at the Garden at 10 AM feel free to leave your lunch inside your car, since the parking lot is easy to access after the morning "Walk" - just a few yards away with no fence in between.)

FOR MORE about the GPC BOTANICAL GARDEN and lots of lovely photos click on the following link:  http://gpcnativegarden.org/index.html
The Garden was founded in 1990 by the legendary Atlanta botanist, George Sanko, who still serves as its chief horticulturist and director.   For a complete schedule of GPC's free "Friday open-house Walks & Talks" this season (and their specific topics) click on "Plant Talks and Garden Walks" on the left side of their linked Home Page.

DIRECTIONS from I-285/ I-85 "SPAGHETTI JCN" INTERCHANGE in NE METRO ATLANTA:
1. From the I-285/ I-85 Interchange (near Doraville) take I-285 southward about 15 miles and get off at the Flat Shoals Rd exit (I-285 exit #48 which is 2 mi south of the big I-285/ I-20 interchange).
2. Turn Right onto Flat Shoals Road and go just 0.2 mile (northwestward) to the traffic light at Panthersville Rd.
3. Turn Left onto Panthersville Rd and continue straight ahead for about 1 mile (southward). After passing through the traffic light at Clifton Springs Rd get in the rightmost lane of traffic.
4. About 0.1 mile beyond the traffic light look for a small brown "Botanical Garden" sign and turn Right into the large parking lot.
5. Meet me and our AOC "subgroup" at 10:00 AM in the far side of the parking lot near the garden entrance path. (If you arrive early feel free to explore the garden on your own before you meet us.  Conversely if you have to be late, no problem!  - just look for our slow-moving group in the garden or along its adjoining wooded pathways.)

For a zoomable map or satellite view of our meetup spot near the garden entrance click on the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.

You GPS Users may wish to augment the above directions by entering the following Lat/Lon coordinates of our meetup spot as your destination: 33.68706,-84.27415

The street address & phone number of GPC's "Native Plant Botanical Garden" are:
3251 Panthersville Rd, Decatur, GA    678-891-2668

FREE Event with free Parking and never a Garden Entrance Fee!