Events

Gardens for Connoisseurs

A Mother's Day Tradition Since 1984

Saturday - Sunday, May 7 - 8
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

From tranquil woodland settings to intimate urban spaces, explore exquisite design and enchanting planting ideas by talented landscape designers and homeowners. The Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour includes eight private gardens and a special bonus garden. Ticket holders also receive free admission to the Atlanta Botanical Garden on tour days from 5 - 7 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

$25 Advance Tickets
$30 Day of Tour
$10 Individual Garden Admission
Children under 12 Free

Tickets are valid both days of the tour
Tickets available online until noon on May 6
Tickets purchased online by April 28 are mailed
Tickets purchased online April 29 - May 6 available at Will Call
Will Call located at 3265 Valley Road
$30 day of tickets available at tour gardens (cash or check)

Tickets are also available at select retailers:
List of Retailers

Please note: No re-entry to gardens. This walking tour may include uneven terrain. Information subject to change. Rain or Shine.

Tour Location 1: Debbie and Don Swann

3265 Valley Road, Atlanta, GA 30305 | Tour Map

A vast tree canopy welcomes visitors into a peaceful garden where shade gardening and outdoor sitting rooms combine to form a welcome respite from summer heat. Pea gravel paths wind back through shade plantings of ferns, hostas, boxwoods, camellias, and annual plantings. Vignettes invite the visitor to relax and contemplate views of fountains and ponds. A picturesque hedged pool and patio provide a sunlit counterpoint to the surrounding canopied garden spaces. With a passion for gardening, the Swanns designed this urban oasis in collaboration with Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts.

Tour Location 2: Elaine and John Carlos

4118 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA 30342 | Tour Map

An expansive setting of mature trees and a sweeping lawn set the stage for the classically inspired gardens of this Gothic revival estate home. Adjoining the motor court, a side courtyard leads to a striking perennial parterre with delphiniums, foxgloves, echinacea, edgeworthia, peonies, euphorbia, and irises. A spacious rear garden showcases a walled grotto fountain and swimming pool flanked by white crepe myrtles and hydrangeas. Brimming with mixed perennials, classical cast stone containers provide architectural accents around the pool, terrace, and covered loggia. Garden design by Alec Michaelides, ASLA.

Tour Location 3: Diane and Gary Bush

5 West Wesley Ridge, Atlanta, GA 30327 | Tour Map

Designed in 1980 by architect Henri Jova, this contemporary home is perched above a woodland setting featuring tranquil garden areas and a walking trail to the Chattahoochee River. Descend a path to stacked stone Koi ponds with cascading falls and a wooden bridge over a lively stream. Hidden amongst the trees, discover an herb garden with beehives used for natural pollination and making honey. From the pool area surrounded by magnolias, a wooden boardwalk lined with towering Cryptomeria leads to a lower garden and a stone patio by the river’s edge.

Tour Location 4: Lisa and Herbert Short

1015 West Wesley Road, Atlanta, GA 30327 | Tour Map

Beautifully situated on two wooded acres, the owners have breathed new life into this Clem Ford designed Federal style home and gardens. Planned in collaboration with landscape designer Louise Poer, garden lovers of all ages will enjoy strolling the pea gravel walkways that lead to formal English boxwood gardens with imaginative boxwood topiaries and arbors. Resplendent Japanese Magnolias shade a serene rear courtyard edged with azaleas and boxwoods. Adjacent to the formal gardens, a cheerful urban kitchen garden accented with barnyard inspired topiaries will delight visitors with a special surprise feature!

Tour Location 5: Louise and David Poer

17 Westminster Close Drive, Atlanta, GA 30327 | Tour Map

Inspired by her travels in England, Louise Poer has designed a jewel of a cottage garden fastidiously groomed to highlight a multitude of fanciful topiary creations. Adorned with animal-shaped pruned boxwood and arborvitae, a formal space reveals rose trees, phlox, a palm, hydrangea, camellias, and lilac. An adjoining informal garden features Leyland cypress, sasanqua, and woodland plants in textures of varied greens to form a tranquil ambiance. Expressing her love of birds, birdhouses are interspersed throughout the garden, including a custom, copper-roofed birdhouse made from intertwined mountain laurel branches.

Please note: There may be a wait due to the garden size.

Tour Location 6: Paul Hagedorn

353 Peachtree Battle Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30305 | Tour Map

Awarded the prestigious 2011 Philip Trammell Shutze Award for Classical and Traditional Landscape & Garden Design, this exquisite garden echoes the Mediterranean architecture of the 1926 estate. Designed by nationally recognized landscape architect Richard Anderson, the landscape showcases cold hardy palms, Arizona Cypresses, and agaves. A fountain with flanking stairs links the loggia and Yorkstone paved courtyard to a serene pool terrace with a pool house designed by Pak Heydt & Associates. Rainwater harvested in a 10,000 gallon underground cistern provides sustainable irrigation for the grounds.

This location includes a bonus garden at a property nearby.

Tour Location 7: Ryan Gainey

129 Emerson Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030 | Tour Map

Over the course of 40 years, Ryan Gainey has transformed his “Garden of Poetry and Prose” from an original 1917 cut flower nursery to a Southern cottage garden. Bursting with roses, camellias and hellebores, this romantic garden is adorned with original accessories designed by Gainey and his artist friends, including the celebrated Christine Sibley and Count Beauregard DuBois. In partnership with his friends Mary Wayne Dixon and Tom Woodham, Ryan founded the Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour in 1984. Recognized internationally as a garden designer, original renderings of his design work in collaboration with Carlson & Mosley architects will also be on view. Horticulturally maintained by Ryan and Robert Willis.

Tour Location 8: Greg Simms and Bill Becker

544 Elmwood Drive, Atlanta, GA 30306 | Tour Map

Hidden behind a classic 1920s bungalow, this charming “less is more” garden is reminiscent of Charleston and Savannah’s secret gardens. With an economy of space and maintenance in mind, the owners have transformed a small space once overgrown with bamboo into a unique urban retreat. Reclaimed materials from the original house, such as doors, mantles, and unearthed slate, were incorporated into their garden design. Lady Banks roses, cascading confederate and star jasmine form the backdrop to whimsical vignettes in various garden spaces, while textured groundcover and seasonal plantings provide spectacular color.

Tour Location 9: Atlanta Botanical Garden

1345 Piedmont Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30309 | Tour Map

Enjoy spring in the Garden! Free admission to Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour ticket holders from 5 – 7 p.m. on the Saturday and Sunday of the tour. Complete the day with a memorable stroll through the fragrant Rose Garden and the exotic Fuqua Orchid Center. Take in woodland views from the Kendeda Canopy Walk, relax by the tranquil waterfalls of the Cascades Garden, and discover the bounty of the Edible Garden.