Atlanta Blooms!

Sometimes big things come in small packages – especially when they’re planted by the tens of thousands producing waves of spring blooms that last more than a month. Stored inside one little resting bulb is enough life, energy and nourishment to delight thousands of guests    

But what if the Garden’s bulbs bloom, and no one’s around to see them? They’re just as gloriously beautiful, but without the smiles, awe, joy and pictures, the season loses its luster. And that’s just what happened in March 2020 when – during the dawn of the Covid pandemic – the Anne Cox Chambers Flower Walk bloomed with more than 37,000 bulbs for Atlanta Blooms!, and because the Garden was closed, the view was enjoyed only from the internet.

For that reason, the horticulture team decided last fall to repeat the planting, as closely as possible, so guests could enjoy it for themselves in spring 2024. 

When the team thinks of Atlanta Blooms! it plans for a crescendo. Starting in early March (sometimes late February) with narcissus, hyacinths and crocus, the Garden’s display builds with blooms, shifting to narcissus and tulips, then finishing out the season with anemones and tulips. Not every seasonal bed gets all bulb types, but the Flower Walk is large enough to incorporate as many as possible. Often bulbs are layered there, meaning multiple types are planted with one another. In Flower Walk, at least two types are often planted together to make a long-lasting statement – hyacinths with tulips, daffodils with tulips, tulips with tulips. 

Some varieties from the 2020 planting were no longer available last fall. So the team is anxious to see how the additions of Anemone ‘His Excellency’, Narcissus ‘Le Torch’ and Tulip ‘Double Bubble’ will perform alongside longtime favorites and stellar performers like Tulip ‘National Velvet’, Tulip ‘Temple of Beauty’, Anemone ‘Mount Everest’ and Narcissus ‘Las Vegas’.

Planning the bloom and color sequences brings the ultimate satisfaction when guests see all the thoughtfully designed beds, then round the corner to Flower Walk and say “Wow!”  Especially when they will enjoy the flashback planting in person.