The State Botanical Garden at the University of Georgia recently started making infrastructure improvements to its driveway. This is the first step in a series of improvements planned for the garden over the next several years, called the Gateway to the Garden project.

The Gateway to the Garden project will include an updated entranceway, improved trail access, and additional parking to accommodate the increasing number of visitors the State Botanical Garden welcomes annually. The Office of the Provost at the University of Georgia funded the project’s first phase to address infrastructure needs along the garden’s driveway.

“We are thrilled to begin work on the Gateway to the Garden project that will help us welcome more visitors to the garden and support our mission to create an environment for learning, inspiration and engagement in an accessible way,” said the garden’s director, Jenny Cruse-Sanders. “We are extremely grateful to the Office of the Provost for the support to begin the project.”

The engineering of rain gardens and the resculpting of the land along the driveway will help manage stormwater runoff. The rain gardens will be filled with native plants that filter, clean and absorb water, providing an example of green infrastructure. The garden’s horticulture staff collected seeds from the garden’s property and have been growing the plants in the greenhouse to prepare for the driveway improvements.

“This is why native plants are essential,” said the garden’s director of horticulture and grounds, Jason Young. “We’re mimicking existing habitats along our entrance road with plants known to survive these conditions. The beauty of native plants is that they’re suited to our conditions, and they’re resilient.”

The green infrastructure improvements to the garden’s driveway can serve as a model for visitors to implement similar practices in their home gardens. It is also an example of sustainable roadside maintenance, which the garden’s conservation team is working with statewide partners to implement.

In 2021, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia partnered with GDOT and Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful to plant native species along the entrance ramp next to the GA-10 Loop at Milledge Avenue.

“Native plants function to support their ecosystem, and that’s important because our roadsides are turning into monocultures of non-native species that don’t support our native wildlife,” said Zach Wood, the garden’s Georgia Native Seed Network manager.

He added that non-native species don’t filter water as well as native species, which is significant for handling stormwater runoff on roadsides.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia encourages people to plant native and pollinator-supporting species through its Connect to Protect and Georgia Pollinator Plants of the Year programs. The garden also hosts a spring plant sale in April and a native plant sale in October, which allows community members to talk with experts who can help them make excellent selections for their home gardens.

For more information about the State Botanical Garden of Georgia’s programs and resources, visit botgarden.uga.edu.