Flower Power: A Southern Showcase

Springtime in the South is a beautiful thing. And there’s no shortage of opportunities to enjoy it. From Charleston’s charming garden tours to Savannah’s jazzy music bash, weekends are packed with outdoor festivals and fun events that blossom against nature’s breathtaking backdrop. Here in Atlanta, the scenic delights abound.

75th annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival, April 15-17, Piedmont Park. Established in 1936, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival has flourished as one of the largest and most diverse juried arts festivals in the country. Hundreds of artists set up their colorful tents filled with wondrous wares, from painting, pottery and photography to glass, wood, leather and metal. A treasured tradition for art lovers and families alike, the festival features live music and entertainment; a Kids Village with inflatables, arts & crafts and a rock-climbing wall; sponsor booths; and a smorgasbord of food vendors, whetting appetites with the sweet smell of funnel cakes, kettle corn, gyros, onion rings and more.

“Orchid Days” and “Atlanta Blooms,” Atlanta Botanical Garden. The soothing tranquility of flowing water and the exotic beauty of tropical blooms delight in “Orchid Days: Liquid Landscapes,” on view through April 10 in the Fuqua Orchid Center, home to the largest collection of species orchids in the United States. Special events in conjunction with this exhibit include the Atlanta Orchid Society Show, March 12-14; Vanilla Sunday, March 13; Orchid Market Weekends, March 5-6 & April 2-3; and Orchid Care Clinics, March 5 & April 2.

Springtime explodes in a colorful extravaganza of tens of thousands of tulips, daffodils, hyacinth and crocus in “Atlanta Blooms: 200,000 Watts of Flower Power!,” March 22-May 1. It’s a Dutch spectacle unlike any other in the Southeast. Giant whimsical topiaries (from a 5-foot owl to a 10-foot tree) and swaths of existing perennial bulbs, pansies, phlox, daphne, spring wildflowers, native azaleas and deciduous magnolias blanket the garden in a technicolor rainbow.

Buckhead in Bloom, April 17. The Atlanta Preservation Center’s annual tour of homes and gardens takes place from noon-5 PM in the beautiful Buckhead neighborhoods of Tuxedo Park and the now century-old Peachtree Heights.

Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain. Come spring, this 40-acre garden filled with more than 3,400 hybrid azaleas erupts in a colorful palette of pinks, reds and whites. In addition to the impressive collection of plants, the Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl is beautifully enhanced with a pavilion, gazebo, stream, wide walking path and arched bridge, making it an ideal place to relax and enjoy the setting.