Spring Starts at Gibbs Gardens in Cherokee County with Millions of Daffodil Blossoms

Gibbs Gardens is scheduled to open for the season on Friday, February 25th as masses of Early Sensations—the first daffodils to bloom each year—and February Golds mark the coming of spring.

More than 60 varieties of early, mid and late blooming daffodils appear every two weeks for a full six weeks of flowers in every shade of yellow—from almost white to peach and deep gold.

Visitors will have an exciting surprise this year—greatly expanded daffodil gardens with more than 370,000 additional bulbs planted in new areas.

“We planted the new bulbs in a unique design to give visitors the experience of daffodil blossoms arrayed in 10-foot-wide rivers of color—flowing waves of golden yellow blossoms covering acres and acres of hillsides,” explained Jim Gibbs, the owner/designer/developer of Gibbs Gardens.

As far as the eye can see, millions of daffodils sprawl across the Gibbs Gardens hillsides and fields. / Gibbs Gardens

Gibbs and his team began the first week of November 2021 to clear, grade and condition the soil of a hillside next to the existing daffodil fields. Then 30 workers planted more than 370,000 bulbs, adding to the millions already there.

“Each daffodil bulb will divide and double every year, adding huge numbers of blooms to the daffodil gardens each season,” Gibbs explained.

In addition to daffodil bulbs, Gibbs added signs to identify daffodil varieties. For comfort, he constructed new spacious—12 to 14 feet across—pathways to allow visitors to meander through the gardens together.

Vivid streams of tulips arrive in March

Not to be outdone, 40,000 new tulip bulbs are set to bloom in mid-March. Like daffodils, tulips have early, mid and late season blooming dates for added weeks of color.

Tulips are famous the world over for their bright, vivid colors,” said Gibbs. “We spend a lot of time designing and coordinating the colors to create the most sensational displays for garden visitors.” Gibbs likes to plant tulips in sweeping S curves of color for dramatic effect against the acres of bright green grass.

Tulips in amazing shades of color add incredible color and beauty to the spring / Gibbs Gardens

“Deer love tulips and will eat them all if we don’t keep spraying,” said Gibbs. “Tulips also have to be replanted every year. Unlike daffodils, tulips in the south don’t divide every year.” Gibbs notes only a diligent spraying schedule keeps the deer from devouring all his tulips. The deer have learned to stay away from his millions of daffodils, which are toxic to deer.

As daffodils and tulips slip into bloom, they are joined in mid-March by more than 200 cherry trees, including the same Yoshino cherries seen in Washington, D.C. and Kwanzan cherries along with forsythia, quince, spiraea, and dogwood for a spring welcome like no other.

Gibbs Gardens is a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s 356 acres of mature trees, rolling hills, parkland, artistically designed flower gardens, 20 seasonal flower displays, five unique feature gardens, the amazing new Monarch Butterfly Wildflower Garden, lakes, ponds, streams, waterfalls—there’s just too much to list. The gardens variety and complexity mean each visit offers guests new and incredibly beautiful vistas in every direction.

Streams of tulips: A flowing golden steam of tulips curves through plantings of pansies. / Gibbs Gardens

Honored for excellence

Recognized as one of the Thirteen Best Botanical Gardens in America and recently named the top garden in Georgia by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Gibbs Gardens always has something new in bloom. The ever-changing gardens offer unique and continuous delights for garden lovers of all interests. To learn more about Gibbs Gardens go to gibbsgardens.com.

SOURCE Gibbs Gardens

Photo credit: Gibbs Gardens