By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | After 32 years of planning and maintenance, Jim Gibbs officially opened to visitors his carefully-manicured, 220 acre gardens in 2012, an artistic masterpiece, creating a new venue for all to enjoy. Today Gibbs Gardens is a beautiful new destination in the center of North Georgia, attracting people for its well-groomed beauty in a tranquil setting that soothes the soul.
Late winter and early spring, Gibbs Gardens is in the midst of its daffodil season, as two million daffodils are showing off their elegant colors. The 50 acres of daffodils are planted all over the gardens, though concentrated below Gibbs’s personal home, the Manor House.
Different seasons mean different colors overflow the gardens. All throughout the year, the Gardens spring into different colors. A Japanese Garden, for instance, in the fall is ablaze with the red, yellow and orange of the season.
Flowering trees burst out in their color and fragrance. The entire gardens, these days in mature majesty, are carefully landscaped for maximum views and color, creating a compelling and satisfying venue.
Gibbs
Jim Gibbs saw in his family farm the possibility to create something distinctive that could, with his skill in landscaping, speak to garden lovers. It all began in 1980, as he and his professional gardeners patiently cut into the mountain soil to nestle bulbs and bushes with certain designs in mind.
So years later, we are seeing the fruition of that design, which tends to overwhelm you as the blooms burst out among the natural mature hardwoods of North Georgia. Springs feed streams which meander through the area to add depth to the gardens. There are 40 acres of ponds, themselves hosting water lilies throughout.
After being open five years now, Gibbs Garden is awash with events that come annually. One natural festival after another sprouts out at you.
- Daffodils: March through mid-April.
- Cherry blossoms: Begin in March for two weeks.
- Dogwoods: Start in April.
- Azaleas: From April, continuing into early fall.
- Ferns: April through late October.
- Roses: Early May through November.
- Hydrangeas: May through early October.
- Watermills: May to in November.
- Daylilies: June through end of August.
- Crape Myrtles: July through August.
- Annuals and perennials: Starting in spring, continuing in summer through fall.
- Wildflowers: September through November.
- Fall color: October through November.
All during the year, the Gardens offer special appearances and talks by experts in garden topics. Meanwhile, artists have also found the Gardens, often populated with Plein Air activities. You also see photographers, amateur and professional, in the Gardens at all seasons, seeking out the best angles to show off the floral beauty. Musicians come to perform in the garden, to add their musical talents in this magnificent setting.
With the Gardens so extensive, while walking the Gardens may be the best way to enjoy the floral beauty, it’s perhaps wise for most visitors to buy a $5 tram ticket. That way at least when you are in distance parts of the Garden, you can hop the tram to return to the center of activities. The Gardens have placed comfortable outdoor chairs throughout the different areas for rest, or for waiting on the tram.
Back in 1980, Jim Gibbs’ early vision for the Gardens today is maturing magnificently in North Cherokee County. His idea is today a stunning realization to what nature, with mankind’s landscaping, can create. Hats off to Jim Gibbs!
DIRECTIONS: for Gwinnettians, take Georgia Highway 400 north to Georgia Highway 369. Turn west and continue about 15 miles to Yellow Creek Road, where you turn right, headed north. Gibbs Garden is about 10 miles. An alternate route is to take Georgia Highway 53 west from Route 400, turning south on Yellow Creek Road.
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