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Gibbs Gardens Daffodils

I waited for several years to visit Gibbs Gardens when the spring daffodils were blooming. March 26, 2016 was closer to the end of the season, but there were plentiful daffodils and other blooming plants to enjoy. Gibbs Gardens, located in Ball Ground, Georgia, has one of the largest daffodil gardens in the world.

gazebo & daffodils at gibbs gardens
Gibbs Gardens 

Daffodils appear on my blog often, and I’m excited to finally share the pics of the gardens. It softly rained from time to time that day. The white cherry blossoms and the Japanese garden were stunning. The stroll through the gardens and forest felt magical.

swath of daffodils on slope
unknown daffodil
plants from Gibbs Gardens
What is this plant? Some type of Euphorbia I think.
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view from the top of the hill
side of pond Japanese Garden
Japanese Gardens – the largest in the Nation!cypress stairstep over pond
Snowy White Cherry Blossoms
Cherry Tree
View leaving the Japanese Garden

I’m currently digging & transplanting crowded daffodil bulbs in my yard,  spacing them out, & hoping they will bloom next spring. I have a post in the works about that process.

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Growing Bearded Iris in Georgia

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This Bearded Iris traveled a long way to get here, and bloomed the first year after transplant! The season grew so busy this year, that I didn’t get these pics posted this Spring. My friend in Raleigh dug up two paper grocery bags brimming with iris rhizomes last year from her garden.

I brought them home, and planted a few groups in different sunny spots. Walter Reeves’ website  walterreeves.com discuses when and how to divide iris rhizomes. I also found the American Iris Society’s detailed instructions about how to plant and grow iris very helpful.

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The only one that bloomed this year was this regally dark and majestic purple beauty. I posted in the past about my Dutch Iris -which is planted in the same area. They are similar, but the bearded iris is larger, has more frilly flowers, and more striking foliage. The American Meadows All About Irises page contains helpful info about the kinds of irises, their histories, and how to purchase and grow them. I am so happy to have them growing here. As a bonus, the deer and squirrels don’t seem to find them tasty.