Georgia Traveler; 310; Garden Tour of Georgia Pledge Version

. . . . . . . . . . Coming up on Georgia Traveller, we journey through the sunflower fields of Rutledge, meditate in the city, fall in love with the feral gardens in the grange, and escape to the serene Chateauchi Hill Country. That's next on Georgia Traveller. We begin our garden tour just a few miles from the urban hustle and bustle of Atlanta to a green getaway that seems whirls away. Here's Fulton County. That's

right the same Fulton County as this. However here you may find just a little more of this and a little less of this. Enter Chateauchi Hill Country and a thriving environmentally friendly community known as Serenby. Steve Nigeron may be a familiar name to longtime Atlantis. He was the founder of the peasant restaurants and his wife Marie is the daughter of Margaret Lupo who opened the popular Midtown restaurant Mary Max Troom back in 1945. Steve and Marie still operate in the hospitality business but in an entirely different variety. When our children were 35 and 7 in 1991, we took a Sunday afternoon drive. We noticed on the back of the preservation newsletter this 1905 farm that was for sale. We had no intentions of buying anything. So we declared ourselves that we weren't interested. Came and visited the farm and of course they

had a pony saddled for the kids. They took my wife and I on a Jeep out in the pastures. The deer were bounding. The bunnies were nibbling along the path. My wife was sitting next to me going oh we bought the farm. We had no idea why we were buying it but we started coming out on weekends. Now you had to realize there were no gardens here at all. It looked like a Georgia farm and during those weekends we cut trails, fell in love with the land. We sold our house in Anzli Park and we moved here full time to raise our family and just enjoy the country life right here on the edge of Atlanta which is the neat thing. In 2000 my daughter and I were on a jog along what was in our property line and this one morning a bulldozer was plowing the forest next to us and I ran out and I stopped the guy and I said what are you doing? And he said we've just been hired to clear the land. I guess they're putting houses here in my heart because we really

felt this was paradise. It was a complete rural atmosphere but yet so close to Atlanta. So I immediately had the first reaction of starting to buy land to join us and I called all of our neighbors, you know, are you willing to sell? It was that protectionist attitude. We now have 65,000 acres that's known as the Chattahoochi Hill Country. That's half the size of the inside of the perimeter of Atlanta to give you some perspective. Napa Valley's 45,000 acres. So this is a large mass right here on the edge of Atlanta that's still totally green. There are many natural attractions. We took a walk and saw the incredible stand of lady slippers that we have. These are a wildflower that are endangered in areas and generally if people have a stand of 20 or 30 it's pretty special. It's estimated that we have four to five thousand plants here. Continue to journey through these thousands of acres and you may come across waterfalls. Granted outcroppings and plant life not so common to modern day

Fulton County. Now what many people don't realize is this is also important for the entire metropolitan area that this plan is carried out because of prevailing winds blowing northeast. This incredible forest on the southern edge of Atlanta is really providing fresh air going into the metro area and if we disturb this forest it's going to raise the pollution levels in Atlanta. You know another great thing about Serenby is wherever you go you can just take in the fresh air. Let's do this somewhere else I think we can find. Serenby has gone through development but the neigrants keep a close eye. 30% is allotted for development leaving 70% to mother nature. However within that 30% you will find eco-friendly housing and great restaurants two of which are the hill and the blue eye daisy and keep an eye out because a few of the friendly neighbors may

be hanging out in hopes of leftovers. The homes are Earthcraft certified we are one of the first Earthcraft certified communities. The blue eye daisy is so relieved certified one of the smallest in the nation. Our stormwater is all done through bio-retention swells rather than a traditional piping and retention ponds. Our wastewater treatment is a system that's done without any chemicals and it's all gravity flow into wetlands and sand filters. So if you are intrigued by now and want to visit for a while the Inn at Serenby welcomed you. On the property of the Inn at Serenby we have six different guest buildings. Five of the guest buildings are child-friendly we love having children and one we have specifically made for adults so that when they come and they want child-free weekend they have a place to stay. Each room is decorated differently so depending on what kind of you know feel you want for what you're coming for some are

very country some are rather sophisticated all very calm all very relaxing all very warm and friendly. Well if you want to take some time out from relaxing you can go out like I did find a couple sticks and a flint. Get yourself a fire it started the old school way. The Inn is perfect for couples getting away for a romantic weekend somebody who just wants to get back in touch with nature or people with children. It's a great place to bring children because we have activities like feed the animals, hay rides, marshmallow roast, canoe rides and the lake that's behind me and just going out and experiencing nature. The Inn also boasts one of Metro Atlanta's most highly acclaimed dining destinations an organic farm to table restaurant known as the farmhouse. Always a southern experience of some sort. We like to say imagine southern food that you would order a good bottle of wine

with is a good way to think about it in a historic old farmhouse. This is where a lot of the food for the restaurant comes from. Well some of it now that the restaurant has become so popular we get a lot of our vegetables from searing to be farms which is a large organic farm that are back up in the community but I can use this garden to help supplement with some vegetables and then some herbs and lettuce. And like you see here I've got turnip greens which I used in a soup a couple of weeks ago, potlicker in honor of my mother who had Mary Max Atlanta and then we've got some arugula over here which is one of my favorite greens. I use it in salads and I use it to make a pesto. Just eat right away huh? Eat it right away. That's the best way to do it right out of the garden. Oh that's great yeah that's great. Wonderful peppery, great in salad it's good in a soup. How much work is it to maintain all of this and just keep it as fresh? Well luckily we have a great gardener and it is a lot of work

because it's all organic. Using compost from the kitchens we make all our own fertilizer here on site. Got a big tumbler and chance brings it all in and it helps make it grow as beautiful as you see it but it's a lot of work. The 8 acres Serenby Farms grows food for all three restaurants in town and helps supply a nice organic selection for the farmers market. This occurs in town every Saturday may through October. Walk the trails of Chattahoochi Hill Country stroll the gardens and maybe visit some of the friendly farm animals. Serenby is a gift to Metro Atlanta cleaning the air and sequentially cleansing the pallet. Next we visit Rutledge where visitors can stroll through fields of flowers during the annual sunflower festival. When it comes to being Georgia ground what could be more cheerful than a field full of sunflowers? What began in 2001 as something of an afterthought has blossomed into an annual sensation

attracting thousands from far and wide to the West Holt family farm in Rutledge. We were doing our regular antique tractor parade. We came by this field that morning and every sunflower in the field was in full bloom. Everyone on was at least head high and it was a beautiful sight and we decided that somebody else needed to enjoy that like we were. The annual antique car and tractor parade continues and features a bevy of automotive beauties but it is the sunflowers nearly ten acres of sunflowers which are the main attraction. We love the beauty of it and as I told you my daddy planted one field and we love the picture of him standing out in the sunflowers and it draws birds my whole family loves birds and that's why we just love the beauty of it we love

to share with other people. Visitors to the annual sunflower farm festival get to take home as many sunflowers as can be cut and carried but don't take this seemingly humble annual for granted there's a trick to finding and picking just the right sunflower. If I may show you the difference and one that you should not cut and one that you should. Okay what should you be looking for in a plant not to cut? Alright this flower has pollen all the way over its face. Okay the pollen all except for that little beauty center the third firm center of the flower right there. The petals of this would fall off before you got home if you live in Atlanta especially but let me see if I can find a fresh one that doesn't have that pollen on its face that much pollen anyway. The pollen has not covered its face completely so if I wanted to take this home with me I would cut it out of an angle and get it in water as quickly as possible.

This plant should not look like this at all but top was eaten out probably by deer. It was pruned by deer causing it to multi branch like this and I kind of like it really but if the deer had not eaten the top out of it it could have grown you know good bit taller but we have some you know nice tall plants back here. We're going to find some okay some beautiful ones with dark faces and you know what I call those my shakil o'neil some flowers tall dark and handsome they have a beautiful little darker faces. I like you we're going to find some of those. I love that and I love shack but I see one right there they don't cut it before we get to it. This is one of my shakil o'neil. There are bees on there. Oh that's fine these will not bother you just leave a bee bee and he will leave you be. But look at that. Look at that gorgeous. Oh my gosh and this one

is not through growing and it will it will probably when I cut the top out of it it will multi branch it will go out and have lots of branches there with beautiful blends but I'm going to think it's just for use. This is not finished growing. No it will grow more. All right there's some other look at that one over there. It doesn't have the bloom on top. The most common sunflower or the helianthus anus is thought to have been cultivated by Native Americans thousands of years before the birth of Christ in what is now known as Arizona and New Mexico. Today the U.S. produces a whopping 1.4 million metric tons of sun flowers and sunflower byproducts each year. That's about the weight of 4,000 elephants. The annual sunflower farm festival in Rutledge celebrates America's independence. So when you stop by the West Holt family farm, ask to see the

heritage garden for more of the best that's grown here in Georgia. I'm 73 and we moved here for hours three months old on the property right here and all this land was formed by my family. So 70 something years so good long while. I ask you what makes this a heritage plant? It has been passed down for about probably at least five generations. My great-grandmother had them, my grandmother, my mother had them. Now I have my son, my son actually owns this garden and he's helped me put in a lot of these old heritage plants. There's plenty to see and do at the sunflower farm festival. There's plenty of sunflowers for you to take home too. But you'll also find good food, good music and if you're lucky like me, a few new good friends. Okay now she is so calm. Oh my god. Look at the look at this love. Do you have a passion? Yes.

To enjoy life it's often said that people should stop and smell the roses. Well in Atlanta you can do one better and practice a soft form of martial arts among them. With all of the noise and stress of everyday life who isn't looking for an oasis of calm? Well get ready because I've found a place for you at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It's the perfect place for letting go of all your intentions. It's also perfect because I found out you can unleash your inner albeit peaceful warrior. Welcome to Tai Chi in the park. Tai Chi Chuan or Supreme

Ultimate Force is one of the world's oldest forms of martial arts. The Wuz style scene here has its origins in the Chinese Imperial family. The founder of Wuz style actually was part of the Imperial Guard and so his style of Tai Chi became much more public because of his role in the Imperial Guard and that's part of the reason that Tai Chi is so popular. How come in the US Tai Chi doesn't have the popularity I should say the star power of some of the other martial arts? When people go looking for martial arts Tai Chi is not the first thing they think of. They think Tai Chi is more for the elderly you know you're moving slow so there's not a lot of power there's not a lot of force behind it but they're you know everything that we do in Tai Chi has applications to it and it

does have a martial side of it as well. One thing that does pop into my mind is unlike most martial arts classes I see which are primarily men, yours is primarily women. Yes and and I think that is because of the softness that's associated with Tai Chi and that it's thought of more of meditation and soft and slow and so you don't have to be big and strong and to go and do it. The slow deliberate moves of Tai Chi have been compared to yoga and unlike the powerful kicks and thrusts common in other martial arts Tai Chi is about using physical dynamics to move the aggressor without causing injury to yourself. We're gonna do three circles and this is just to kind of say hi and this is all and fun. So you say hi to your opponent good to meet you. It's nice to meet you and then from here we're just trying to push each other off balance without using strength so we're using just four ounces of pressure and it's just very soft and

you can gain her center and move your opponent. All in good fun but and now it's my turn. Kids don't try this at home. Okay I'm gonna jump on you. I'm not gonna I'm not I'm a fairly passive person so with Tai Chi but but what what you could probably feel is that when you did fall on to me I just moved you did energy over and so that's more what Tai Chi is about rather than having you take over power me I just you did you step to the side yeah okay I just moved the energy so that it didn't overpower me. Let's line up and see how many of us can push Laurie. Can we do that? Yeah we'll see you around to the camera okay no you stand near her because yeah the person with the powerful belt you stand okay.

Ready? Is this a good place to push you? I don't know about the others but I know I'm pushing as hard as I can. Wow because Tai Chi is a form of martial arts students learn how to use a fighting stick and a saber. And so and just like the other form it can it can be done slow but when we get to the saber we add a little bit more speed to it it's something called silk reeling and it's cooling the energy and so that the energy we use all the way through that into the blade and not just the hands so that you extend through the whole weapon to the weapon issues. For more than two decades the Atlanta Botanical Garden has been a respite offering up an exciting array of art installations fauna and flora classes are also available year-round for kids and their parents to

learn more about Tai Chi in the park check out their website at Atlanta BotanicalGarden.org When do I get my belt? After a few weeks. We journey now to Lagrange to discover the beauty of the feral gardens. Hills and Dales is a love story. A love story between three generations of women and their garden. Alice Callaway the most recent resident of Hills and Dales left a legacy of beauty that can be enjoyed by guest and visitors alike. Whether you're visiting the sunken garden or the greenhouse there is something truly special about the feral gardens of Hills and Dales. Well the

gardens are commonly referred to as feral gardens and they were developed by Sarah Farrell and her husband Blunt Farrell. They received this land from her parents after they were married in 1835. They started developing the garden in 1841 and according to the stories her mother had actually begun gardening here as early as 1832 so it really was a family love of gardening. Sarah Farrell developed the garden and her original design survives. It's probably one of the few surviving 19th century garden layouts in the southeast and she was a very devout Christian so for example now we're standing in the church garden and this was a garden that she developed specifically around that belief. At the entrance to the garden she planted out the words God and she did that from Genesis in the beginning God and so she thought that was an appropriate way to start the garden. Sarah cared for the gardens for 62 years from 1841 to 1903 when she passed away. The gardens fell into disrepair with the passing of Sarah Farrell but with the turn of the century came the opportunity for a new

owner and a new chapter in the garden's history. Fuller Calloway Senior and his wife Ida Case in Calloway purchased the property at a state sale and they were interested in the property because Mr. Calloway actually knew Sarah. He always loved the gardens here so in 1911 he was able to buy the land and the garden. With the purchase of the land Ida Case in became the overseer of the Farrell Gardens. One lasting addition Ida brought to the gardens was greenhouse plants. Each generation brought new and exciting contributions to the Farrell Gardens. The third generation was no different. Alice Hand Calloway, wife of Fuller Calloway Jr. thrived as an overseer and hostess of Hills and Dales. Alice and Fuller Jr. actually fell in love in the gardens that Alice eventually took over. Continuing the tradition of women looking after Hills and Dales Gardens Charlotte Baker acts as garden horticulturist and caretaker of

the herb garden. What makes this place so special to you? Hills and Dales was really a labor of love for the three women who took care of it for 160 years. Each woman contributed very personal touches to the garden and once you know the stories of the garden you really feel the love that they poured into it and how special this place was for them and it's a very personal garden despite a lot of formal elements. It really tells the story of the lives of the women who took care of it. The greenhouse is incredibly special. Most of the plants in there were Alice Hand Calloway's plants but some of her mother-in-law's plants or cuttings from her mother-in-law's plants. The plants in the greenhouse really tell a very personal story of Alice's preferences, the plants that she liked. She collected the plants that she liked and liked to spend time among them. She worked in the garden every day until at least noon and particularly in the greenhouse. And I bet it's neat when you're looking at the garden to kind of keep up with

what the feral family had in place and then what the Calloways have added seeing the two different styles but really kind of trying to come together as one. Yes and I think the both generations of Calloways who lived and gardened here who were stewards of this garden did a marvelous job of integrating their style with Sarah's. There were a lot of very formal elements in the garden. Ida's style was a little less formal while Alice's again was more formal but the three styles really mix well and you can see each woman's individual stamp on the garden. There's no bad time or no off time to see this garden. It changes from week to week but season to season the changes are particularly striking. Visitors to the garden can also enjoy the Calloway home. You might wonder what came first the garden or the house In the case of the Calloway estate the gardens came first inspiring the architectural design of the house. When how Hanson-Neil re came and visited the property the gardens were already

here and they were very formal in their nature and reminded them of an Italian garden terracing down the hillside. So that kind of inspired the style of architecture they use it kind of a Georgian Italian style and they use stucco and terracotta tile roof and limestone on the corner so that combination of elements naturally gave it kind of an Italian feel to blend with the gardens. Construction of the estate was scheduled to begin in 1914 but due to the outbreak of World War 1 it was delayed construction eventually began in 1915. 15 months later the 125 thousand dollar residence was complete. The Calloway's always kept the house up very well and you know lived in it two generations the home is nearly a hundred years old and it was time to redo wiring and replace heating and cooling systems and those types of things. The home is open now but not furnished but will be furnished beginning in May of 2010 at which point people will be able to tour the first second and third floor of the

homes. Whether you're interested in history or whether you're interested in architecture or you're interested in gardening and horticulture and landscaping you know there's a little bit of something here for all of those different interests so we hope people come here and learn about the the legacy of the Calloway family and the legacy of the Ferrell family and just come and enjoy this beautiful garden. That does it for the Georgia Traveler Garden tour of Georgia. We hope you join us next time until then Pleasant Journeys. Don't use that shot I can see it. All right boxes you're gonna go let you do your thing and there he goes. Doing his thing.

Georgia Traveler is produced in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development.