Garden Tour Focuses on Conservation

Atlanta homeowners will open their gardens to visitors for the fourth annual Artful Garden Tour on Saturday, May 17, to benefit the High Museum of Art. Featuring homes in the Druid Hills, Inman Park, Loring Heights and Virginia Highlands neighborhoods, the tour encompasses seven gardens in total. The Artful Garden Tour is one of four annual fundraisers held by the High’s Art Partners members.

“Conservation is a prominent theme in this year’s tour,” said member and Art Partner’s event chair Tina A. Cox. “Our European- and Asian-style gardens exemplify how one can take drought-tolerant Southern plants and shrubs and still create an artistic and relaxing environment in which to live.” She added, “The best thing about this year’s tour is that the visitors can learn from homeowners and designers about how to create their own drought-tolerant garden retreats.”

Prominent local landscapers David Ellis and Brendan Butler designed and coordinated a selection of the gardens on the tour, while others were envisioned and completed by the homeowners themselves. Glenn Dair, master clay-artist and pottery director at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, worked with Butler to design site-specific works at the Copenhill Lofts—stop #7 on this year’s tour.

Several other local artists, including Doug Dannels and Matt Janke, will exhibit clay sculpture, blown glass, metalwork and painting en plein air during the garden tour, welcoming patrons to observe their work throughout the day.

The lead sponsor for the Artful Garden Tour is KPMG. Harry Norman Realtors is an additional sponsor of the event. The media partner for the Artful Garden Tour is “Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles” magazine.

WHEN:
Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (rain or shine)

TICKETS:
$20 in advance; $25 at the door; $18 for groups of ten or more
Tickets can be purchased online at www.high.org/gardentour or at the following local retailers:

Boxwoods Gardens & Gifts Inc., Buckhead, (404) 233-3400
Hastings Garden Center, Brookhaven, (404) 869-7447
Intown Ace Hardware, Decatur, (404) 378-6006
Intown Ace Hardware, Virginia-Highland, (404) 874-5619
Lush Life Garden & Flowers, Buckhead, (404) 841-9661