The Atlanta Botanical Garden is putting it together on land on Cleveland Highway near Limestone Parkway which was donated by Charles and Lessie Smithgall of Gainesville almost four years ago.
Executive director Mary Pat Matheson says a fledging nursery and 5,000-square-foot greenhouse are already operational on the 168-acre site.
"The site is functional (right now) from the perspective of growing plants," Matheson said, "and that is what this facility's all about. It is not designed right now as for instance our visitor interpretive center, which will come later."
Matheson said the Atlanta Botanical Garden will also eventually create an area where a collection of trees and shrubs will be grown and studied. In addition, the arboretum will be used to expand the garden's current native plant conservation program.
She said the project received an anonymous one million dollar shot in the arm in November 2002, two years after the Smithgalls donated the land, which enabled the garden to jump-start work on the arboretum by expanding the garden's native plant conservation program. Endangered plants are being propagated at the arboretum , and plants are being grown from seeds collected in Asia and evaluated for their suitability to southeastern landscapes.
The morning hours next Saturday will be for garden members only; the public is invited the visit the site that afternoon.
Matheson said temporary signs will be in place near Cleveland Highway/Limestone Parkway to direct visitors to the site.
Matheson will be the guest Sunday morning on Northeast Georgia This Week at 7:35 on AM 1240 WGGA and 8:05 on WDUN NEWS TALK 550.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/4/160748