Out of concern for the health of our community and staff,
Smith-Gilbert Gardens will remain closed
through Friday, April 10, 2020.
Welcome to Smith-Gilbert Gardens!
Smith-Gilbert Gardens is the City of Kennesaw’s botanical garden. Voted one of the top five places to take children in the Atlanta metro area, the 17-acre property is rich with botanical, artistic and historic treasures.
Fifteen themed garden spaces, anchored by the reconstruction era Hiram Butler House, contain more than 4,000 curated plant species. The award-winning “Garden with Wings” butterfly house and pollinator garden promote conservation of beneficial Georgia native plants and insects. The crevice garden displays a gardening style and plant collection rarely seen in the southeastern United States. Robust collections of hydrangeas, camellias, conifers and roses along with woodland and perennial gardens inspire visitors to explore variety for their own landscapes. Blending horticulture and art, the bonsai collection includes more than 70 specimens, diligently trained during monthly work sessions that are open to garden visitors. Thirty remarkable garden sculptures by nationally and internationally known artists add drama to the landscape. Koi ponds, a waterfall, and child-friendly play structures throughout the property round out the experience.
Smith-Gilbert Gardens’ conservation mission is evident throughout the gardens. A minimal-toxicity ethic means that we curtail the use of chemical treatments in garden maintenance. Through best practices in collection management and collaborations with Georgia Power, State Botanical Garden of Georgia and Atlanta Botanical Garden, we work to preserve global plant biodiversity and improve local habitat. Our educational programs share knowledge of and passion for nature, while inspiring participants to be conservation minded.
We hope that you will enjoy your visit to our website, but most importantly, we invite you to experience firsthand the beauty and fascination of Smith-Gilbert Gardens.
NEWS
Facebook Posts
Fans of the Masters Golf Classic are familiar with the Azaleas that line the course but I’d like to introduce you to our native...
18 hours ago
Stop what you’re doing and enter the lottery for the AJC Peachtree Road Race now! Registration closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. EST. You only have hours left to sign up to participate in the world’s largest 10K. Use your time from the Garden Gallop 5K as your official qualifying time. Register: www.AJC.com-peachtree.
21 hours ago
Here is a close up detail of just a tiny portion of what’s in bloom in the Crevice Garden Right now...
1 day ago
EVENTS
Photo credit: Jonathan Kim
Easter Egg Hunt – ALL TICKET SALES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED
Please check back after 3/31
Make family memories for a lifetime!
Come early to enjoy all the fun: age-appropriate Easter egg hunts for children ages 0-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12 years, prizes, games, crafts, story time, and face painting. Plus, meet the Easter Bunny! Don’t forget to explore the gardens, sculpture collection, koi ponds, historic Hiram Butler House and Garden Gift Shop. Bring your good camera! Photo opportunities abound in the beauty of spring at SGG.Offsite Parking
Parking for this event is offsite at Adams Park in Kennesaw, near the Ben Robertson Community Center. Free shuttle buses will run from 9 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. Folding strollers are permitted on the shuttles.Advance tickets are required.
This event is available by pre-registration only. Tickets will not be available the day of the event. It will sell out, so please purchase tickets early. Member Prices Non-Member Prices Adults: 2 complimentary tickets Adults: $10 Children: $5 Children: $10Early ticketing for garden members begins on February 18.
Membership has its privileges. Current members will receive an email link to purchase tickets beginning on 2/18 – a full month before the general public! You will also enjoy discount tickets for your children, and 2 complimentary adult tickets for this event. MEMBERS, if you have not received the ticket link, email info@smithgilbertgardens.com for the link to purchase tickets.Non-member tickets will be available on April 1, while supplies last.
Led by Bonsai Curator Rodney Clemons
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Open to visitors; included with garden admission
Rodney Clemons visits Smith-Gilbert Gardens on the 2nd Saturday of each month (some exceptions as noted on the events calendar) to oversee, evaluate, care for, and prune the Gardens’ bonsai collection. Along with a small group of well-trained and very experienced volunteers, Rodney provides expert care in all aspects of maintaining the collection.
Visitors are welcome to ask questions and talk with Rodney and the volunteers to learn more about this ancient art.
If you’re interested in learning more about bonsai, please plan a visit on the 2nd Saturday.
(Please note: We request you do not bring your personal bonsai trees to the Gardens.)
Guided Bird Walks
3rd Saturday of every month, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
A haven for wild birds
Smith-Gilbert Gardens lies along a major migratory flyway, and is a convenient destination to see a great diversity of wild birds. The gardens are an oasis for the scores of migratory bird species that fly through each spring and fall. Dozens of year-round resident bird species call the property home as well. A diverse habitat attracts and sustains them: seventeen acres of forest edges, grassy areas, perennial borders, as well as ponds and streams. The garden staff curtail the use of chemical treatments and so the property offers a healthy buffet of fruits, seeds and bugs for the birds and other wildlife to gobble up.
Watch with us!
Come enjoy watching birds with us! Our expert birding guides have spent years learning to identify birds by sight and sound, and have a passion for wild bird conservation. You’ll learn keys to bird identification, where you can look for wild birds in your neighborhood, how to make your own backyard a habitat for wild birds, and more. This monthly meetup is included with garden admission.
Support Smith-Gilbert Gardens at our Spring Plant Sale!
The Spring Plant Sale directly supports the horticultural collections at Smith-Gilbert Gardens. Choose from a diverse array of pollinator-friendly native and ornamental plants, including many rare cultivars not available in garden centers. Not everyone is a plant expert, so staff horticulturists and Master Gardener Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and offer gardening tips.
MEMBERS: Smith-Gilbert Gardens Members receive a 10% discount! Please present your membership card at check out. Click here to learn more about our membership program, or click here to join right now.
Plant selection will continue to grow as the date gets closer, so check back often. Here’s a partial list of what will be available:
Witch Hazels
Native Azaleas
Hydrangeas
Magnolias
Dogwoods
Redbuds
Saturday, April 25, 2020
8:00 a.m. MEMBERS ONLY. Come early and get first choice!
9:00 a.m. Plant sale opens to the public. Garden admission is required to access the plant sale area.
12:00 p.m. Plant Sale ends. The gardens remain open until 4 p.m., so why not stay a little longer?
