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The Mary Howard Gilbert Memorial Quarry Garden

The three-acre Quarry Garden shelters one of the state’s most comprehensive collections (nearly 600 species) of plants native to pre-settlement Georgia, many of which are rare and/or endangered.  See plants like the Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha), discovered on the banks of Georgia’s Altamaha River and now extinct in the wild; the yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), a signature plant of Southeastern Native Americans; and various species of native azaleas (Rhododendron spp.).  Situated in the center of the garden’s serene landscape lays a glistening pond and bog garden that provides habitat for native water plants, carnivorous plants, and wild orchids while attracting birds and woodland creatures.


Native wildflowers grace the Quarry's entrance from Tullie Smith Farm. A small stream cascades over rocks as it enters the Quarry Garden. Stroll through the mulched paths of the Quarry Garden under the canopy of soaring trees. At right, Rhododendron catawbiense in bloom. A pond and bog garden at the center of the Quarry provide habitat for numerous native aquatic species. A footbridge provides opportunities for viewing the pond's flora and fauna. Heron sculptures, by local artist Thomas Prochnow, can be found along the water's edge. In spring, fiddleheads of the cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) appear to bask in the early morning sunlight. Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis), one of Georgia's most beautiful natives, is an excellent source of color in the early summer garden. Striking flowers aren't red buckeyes' (Aesculus pavia) only claim to fame. Cherokee Indians tossed its pounded roots in water to intoxicate fish for easy catching. The red flowers of swamp hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus) provide vibrant color in wet areas of the garden.


 
         
         
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