BBG : A Garden in May
Friday, May 7, 2010 at 6:00AM Yesterday was perfect for a stroll through the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. While I couldn't possibly take in all sixty-six acres, I did see some of my favorite areas. Here is a quick tour.
First, a few of the more formal areas:
While I am impressed with the beautiful formal areas, my heart belongs to the woodlands.
There are paths wandering through fern glades, over bridges, and past bubbling streams. The long bridge is in a less frequented area and has always been one of my favorite spots.
The bog garden in the next group of photos has a wild beauty. If our back yards looked like this — and part of mine does! — we might think we needed to get rid of the weeds, but for Native Americans who lived on this site many years ago it was a pharmacy. A lot of the plants were used for medicine, and others were used for food, clothing, or shelter.
And here are some of the flowers blooming in the woodlands:
Finally, I stopped by the vegetable garden. Volunteers were there, working. The vegetables grown here are used in BBG's restaurant and also are used to feed animals at the nearby zoo. As for the rabbit, he's the kind of rabbit a vegetable garden needs!
Spring is ending. The temperature was in the 80s, and the air was humid. I saw lots of bugs. By the time I finished my walk, I was sweaty and ready for my air-conditioned car! I am reminded there is lots to do in my own garden before the sticky vapors of summer arrive.
Happy gardening! Deborah
Reader Comments (18)
Those gardens look lovely, I love all the stonework and the different summer houses. Thanks for the tour, Sunny
Great pictures. One of my favorite gardens in the south!
Deborah I remember your last post from these gardens and being in awe at the Japanese Garden - again I'm just scrolling up and down the page - theres so much to see in each of these photos - what a sight for the eyes........... its all so beautiful. Have a lovely weekend
What a beautiful garden. Thanks for sharing.
Goodness, that's a lot of roses, and those stone walls are beautiful, what a lovely tour. Honestly, I look at gardens like this sometimes, and wonder what my problem is...this place is a mess in comparison. However, clearly what I lack here is a grounds keeping crew!
I'm with you. Always impressed by the formal gardens, but my heart is in the woodlands as well. Beautiful photographs! I will so visit that place next time I'm in Birmingham.
I have to get that rabbit for Pat. Great tour. jim
What an amazing place -- such a variety of gardening and landscaping styles. The hardscaping in the formal areas and the flowers in the wild areas are equally impressive. So much beauty.
Gosh! I love the photos of the fern glades, bridge and water! Just beautiful! Lovely to see! Have a great weekend Deb!
aloha deborah,
what a fantastic tour, thank you for taking us around especially since i've never been here and could get lost in the natural garden areas...lots of nice vistas and hardscaping...love the rock walls, gazebos and the formal garden also...this is a very beautiful area.
What a beautiful place! Your photographs made me want to put on my walking shoes and get out there to stroll through these gardens. Fortunately, since it's a bit too far away for an impulse visit, I had your wonderful tour to make me feel as though I had been.
What a pretty tour! I love the woodland areas a lot too, just so calm and relaxing looking. I love that they have a vegetable garden there and share there produce with the zoo.
I can't imagine feeling 80 degrees now, just getting over 60 felt warm to me today.
I love woodland gardens, too. Those photos of trees, water, bridges and ferns make a serene combination.
Looks like a really peacefull place to hang out. I like the stream running through the plants. Don't see many of them down this way so it really stands out to me.
I am so lucky to see a botanical garden through your photos. Beautiful pictures and good naration. These walks are very enjoyable. Happy Mother's Day!
How beautiful! I've never been there and this is so fun to see -- thanks for posting such lovely photos.
You're prior post is a hoot!!! I so enjoy reading your delightful blog!
The formal areas are just beautiful, but I am with you in my preference for natural plantings and the woodlands are just lovely. I am with you though, once summer heat begins to creep back, I like to retreat back into my air-conditioned car and house :-)
Absolutely stunning pictures!