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Educational Gardens > Demonstration Gardens >  
Demonstration Gardens
 
Demonstration gardens are located at the three county libraries. They are designed and maintained by Master Gardeners to help educate the community in healthy gardening practices.
 
Please check out the individual gardens at your leasiure.
Bookworm Garden 
 
Location
Forsyth County Public Library
Sharon  Forks  Branch
2820 Old Atlanta Road
Cumming, GA 30041
  

The Bookworm Garden has two distinct areas.  The large shade garden is devoted primarily to native plants.  Enter the shade garden through an arbor covered with native Crossvine that is a hummingbird favorite.  As you walk along the pathways you will see that there are several different varieties of ferns.  There are understory trees like native Dogwoods and Sassafras.  And many shrubs like Oakleaf Hydrangeas, Rhododendrons, Virginia sweetspire, etc.  There are perennials like Dwarf crested iris, green and gold Heuchera, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Wild ginger, Soloman's seal, etc.  The garden is also certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. 

The sun garden is filled with colorful perennials like Coneflowers, Blanketflowers, Beardtongue, Asters and many more.  There are shrubs like Viburnums, Roses, Lilacs, etc. There are even small varieties of trees incorporated in the garden like Flowering Cherry and Coral Bark Maple. And we always include some colorful, dependable annuals like petunias and pansies. 

The garden is maintained by a staff of volunteers that visit the garden on a weekly basis to keep it looking great.  Take a few minutes to stroll through the gardens after you check out that new book at the library, or relax for awhile on one of the benches and just take in the scenery!

 

 

Secret Garden
 
Location
Forsyth County Public Library
Cumming Branch
585 Dahlonega Road
Cumming, GA 30040 
 
Because of the current need for homeowners to use less water but still have an attractive, healthy landscape, the Master Gardeners have established a demonstration garden at the Cumming Library Branch to showcase drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants. After they're established, all of the shrubs, perennials and annuals at The Secret Garden will require very little water except during periods of extreme drought.
  
In August  2007, Master Gardeners began drawing the site plan, preparing  the budget and choosing plants for the garden. In the fall of 2007, we tilled the area, built the walkway and courtyard, installed mulch and stone, and began planting shrubs. We continued planting throughout the fall and winter in order to give the plants ample time to grow a healthy root system before summer.
 
Plant List
Shrubs:
Abelia grandiflora 'Rose Creek'
Callicarpa americana 'Purple Beautyberry'
Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch Holly'
Lagerstroemia 'Raspberry Dazzle" dwarf crape myrtle
Lantana camara 'Miss Huff'
Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum 'Burgundy'
Muhlenbergia capillaries 'Muhly Grass'
Rosa x 'Double Knockout' Rose
Perennials:
Dwarf Coreopsis
Gaura ‘Siskiyou Pink'
‘Lucerne’ Blue Eyed Grass
‘Mesa Verde’ Ice Plant
‘Pink Friesland’ Sage
Star Aster
‘Stella D'Oro’ Daylily
2008 Annuals:
‘Wave’ Petunia
Lantana 'Lucky White’
South African Daisy
Cape Plumbago

 

 The Garden Plot 


Location
Forsyth County Public Library
Hampton Park Library
Settledown Rd
Cumming, GA

 

The Garden Plot is thriving despite the drought and the bunnies!!!  The purpose of this garden is to educate the public on the importance of butterflies in our gardens and to showcase the plants butterflies depend on during all stages of their life cycle.  This garden will also stress the importance of gardening practices that conserve water, including the incorporation of drought-tolerant plants.

 
Our garden is composed of drought-tolerant and native plants.  Recently an arbor has been installed to provide extra seating to enjoy the butterflies that are all over the flowers and herbs in the garden.  The arbor is being covered by Trumpet Honeysuckle, Lonicera Semperivirens and looks beautiful.

250 bulbs and 50 irises were donated to the garden last year and they have blessed the garden with beautiful gladiolas and soft lavendar iris.  There are 2 new Rose of Sharon trees growing to hide the back edge outside the garden.  It has been a challenge to find native plants that are not favorites of the bunnies.  There are so many bunnies that have made this beautiful garden their home.  If you go to the garden in the cool of the evening you might be able to find the bunnies playing and it is hard not to find them so cute!!!  Milorganite has been spread hoping to keep the nibbling at a minimum!  We have many plants only to come back 24 hours later to find nothing but stems.

Stones were added to provide a walkway to the different areas of the garden that provide the needs of butterfly development.  River stone was installed to improve drainage and is aesthetically pleasing. There are many gardeners that work hard to keep the garden at its best.  Workdays were used to spread mulch and rock and we found the time was fun and much easier with friends working together.

New plants and shrubs planted in Spring 2012:
Rose of Sharon, Gladiolus, Iris, Butterfly weed, Asclepius Tuberosa, Cone-flower, Echinacea SP, Cotton Lavendar, Gray Santolina, Pincushion Flower, Scabiosa Caucasica, Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia, Black & Blue Salvia, Lamiaceae, Parsley, Petroselinum hortense, Boxwood Basil, Ocimum basilicum.

Original 2010 plantings include: Crape Myrtle 'Tonto', Rose Creek Abelia, Coreopsis, Verbena, Sedum 'Maestro', Knockout Rose, White Fringe Tree, Buddleia, Swamp Milkweed, Red Creeping Thyme, Fennel, Dill, Pink Muhly Grass, Aster, Phlox, Lantana, Mexican Feather Grass, Rudbekia fulgida, Rosemary, Chaste tree 'Shoal Creek', Blue-eyed grass, Coreopsis ' Creme Brulee', Blanket Flower Lilac, Ice Plant, Quince, Daylillies, Confederate Rose Hibiscus, Confederate Jessmine