Gibbs Gardens is a 90-minute drive north of Atlanta in the North Georgia Mountains. Mr. Jim Gibbs bought 376 wooded acres in 1980 and started planting and creating gardens, and the property was opened to the public in 2012. The gardens are composed of 18 seasonal gardens and 6 color gardens – Daffodil, Manor House, Japanese, Inspiration, Water Lily, and “Le Jardin” color gardens.
The property includes a valley with a stream running through it, and hundreds of springs feed into the stream. The springs are surrounded by millions of ferns, making the property one of the largest ferneries in the nation. In designing the gardens, Mr. Gibbs has created 24 ponds and 19 waterfalls. The whole setting is really quite peaceful.
Around the valley, the land rises up the sides of hills, sometimes wooded, sometimes with planned gardens. The family built a manor house just below the crest of one of the hills, sited to catch mountain breezes, and they still live there.
A couple of years ago, we visited in the spring to see the spring blooms which included loads of daffodils and tulips. Ever since then, I’ve been thinking about going back in the fall to see the leaves changing color, particularly around the Japanese Garden.
The Japanese Pond and Hill Stroll Garden is over 40 acres, the largest Japanese garden in the nation. Across the whole 300-acre property, there are over 3,000 Japanese maples showcasing 200 varieties. Many of these have been planted in the Japanese Garden, but lots have been planted elsewhere, such as in other themed gardens or even in the middle of the woods. The display of colors was beautiful.
Before heading back home, we stopped at a little barbecue shack on the side of the highway for lunch, and this place couldn’t have been more quintessential rural Georgia. It had 5 tables inside and 5 tables on the front porch, and the food was served on styrofoam plates.
