CHRISTMAS TREE TRIVIA Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850. In 1979, the National Christmas Tree was not lighted except for the top ornament. This was done in honor of the American hostages in Iran. The tallest living Christmas tree is believed to be the 122-foot, 91-year-old Douglas fir in the town of … Read More
The Conifers of Smith-Gilbert Gardens…
Written by SGG Volunteer John Dolan, Ph.D Smith-Gilbert Gardens (SGG) offers the visitor a large variety of conifers with many different wonderful species for all to see and enjoy. The SGG is home to 230 conifers representing 26 genera. One of twelve American Conifer Society member gardens in the southeastern U.S., and designated an ACS Reference Garden, the Conifer Garden … Read More
2017 Fall Migration
Written by SGG Volunteer Birder Pat Pepper I have written many blogs about the wonderful birds you can see in Georgia only during migrations, such as Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, and beautiful neo-tropical warblers. This blog, however, is not about a few eye-catching migrants, but about the wonderment of seeing even very common birds migrating in large numbers. Several weeks … Read More
Bringing Your Houseplants Indoors for Winter
Written by SGG Garden Manager Lisa Bartlett If you have let your houseplants ‘holiday’ outside under a tree or on your deck for the summer, by early fall, it’s time to get them ready to bring inside. We started doing just that this week at the gardens. Many of our orchids, begonia and other tropicals suffer damage if temperatures … Read More
Not Your Grandmother’s Daylily
Written by SGG Volunteer and Master Gardener Rita Buehner Orange daylilies growing in masses of wild clumps by country roads and gardens are a joy to behold in June. They provide many days of blooms and a cloud of color. My grandma’s generation counted these hardy beauties among their favorite plants. And so do I! But, oh, how these plants … Read More
The Dance of the Hummingbirds
Written by Anna Seden “They’re dancing again!” I hollered from the kitchen to my husband. “What?!” “The hummers! They’re back at it again!” He wandered to the kitchen window where I was standing and looked over my shoulder. There they were. Two little hummingbirds at our feeding station were doing some sort of winged dance that only occasionally allowed them … Read More
To Bee or Not to Bee…
Written by SGG Volunteer John A. Dolan, Ph.D Recently this Smith Gilbert Botanical Gardens volunteer was investigating some plants near the Hiram Butler house, and some of the surrounding flowers were covered with what looked like 2 species or “types” of honey bees – both were foraging for pollen that the bees bring back to their respective hives to … Read More
Bluebird Box Update
July 26, 2017 Empty nest. Yes, the house wrens have fledged. We’ve had two nestings of house wrens in our Smith-Gilbert Gardens bluebird box. No bluebirds this year. Because of the hot temperatures, there will probably not be any more nestings this year. It’s hot outside and hotter in that box. I will still check for the next couple of … Read More
Bluebird Box Update
July 19, 2017 Our house wrens are growing quickly. I can see 4 nestlings. We started with six eggs, so if you can spot more nestlings in the photo let us know. The parents were nearby and did not like me checking in on their home and they were not shy in letting me know. By next week they will … Read More
Bluebird Box Update
July 5 Nest two of the summer of 2017 nesting season brings us six more house wren eggs. (One egg in this photo is hard to see.)