Last weekend the Classic City was graphically spectacular; breathtakingly becoming and overwhelmingly beautiful. It was a gloriously supercalifragilisticexpialidocious presentation of spring’s floral splendor accented by the state’s leading gallery of attractive young women.
Nothing like elevated enchantment in your own hometown. It began with a visit to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia on South Milledge Avenue and ended by driving north down the same thoroughfare just before dusk and ended at a restaurant on Broad Street.
The UGA horticulture department has planted 27,000 daffodils at the enrapturing Botanical Garden and there seemed to be that many attractive coeds traversing about along favored campus streets. Athens is one pretty place, especially in the spring.
The weather was flush with sunshine and benign breezes that brought about the entrancement of visual fulfillment with this fetching landscape. The campus has never looked so good, and I have been monitoring this intoxicating scene since the fifties.
With friends Kathy and Carl Mayhall, who hail from Dallas, in town for the weekend, we wanted to connect them with the Botanical Garden and its luster. They like sports and good food—and there is plenty of that with the Athens/UGA scene—but were charmed by the fragrance and emotional lift that is ever present at the garden.
Natives of Oklahoma, they threw a bouquet our way with resignation that while they love and revere the west, the lush landscape which we take for granted is not a staple of their home base.
Hosting friends in one of our most treasured venues was a reminder that there is so much more to the State Botanical Garden in which so many fail to take the time to explore a sensational spot which requires literally no investment.
A call to Jennifer Cruse-Sanders, Director, brought about an introduction to Dierdre Peters who handed us off to a senior journalism student at Grady College, Gideon Tanner. He hosted us around the gardens where blooms are at peak. In addition to the thousands of daffodils, which were an over-the-top photo-op, there were tulips with an array of brilliant colors, which reminded one of the Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam but it is safe to say that there are more tulips at Keukenhof than one could count.
Jennifer is busy putting the finishing touches on the forthcoming Botanical Garden Ball, scheduled for May 3. This affair is boastfully flattering, uplifting and refreshing. The food is good, accented by intellectually satisfying wine, fit for this eventful occasion.
We are connected to this grand evening, owing to the friendship of Truett Jarrard and Susan Thompson and Geoff and Mary Bess Cole. Truett, retired cardiologist, is Chairman of the Buildings, Garden, and Grounds Committee. Like so many other volunteers who make the ball so inviting, Truett has an affinity for the outdoors and the floral enchantment that the Garden showcases.
The ball this year will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Its theme will be the “Black and White Ball,” a reference to the very first ball nearly a half century ago.
A visit to the Garden is soul enriching anytime you go there. A highlight of any visit is to spend time at the Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden. To hear little voices resonating in the air while in the midst of a floral sensation makes you count your blessings.
Jennifer Cruse-Sanders never tires of walking the garden herself. “I feel healthier,” she said, “when I take a walk through our Garden. Spring is such a wonderful time to spend time outdoors.” She offered this parting shot which is a reminder not to overlook one of Athens redeeming treasures.
“We have a marvelous staff and appreciate the work of the Horticulture Department. They mean so much to the Garden. Our staff is very knowledgeable and hospitable to visitors.”
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is a venue which brings you back. It is an encore haven.