Meet Janna Rhoden, native Georgian and a dedicated member of the Historic Oakland Foundation Gardens Team. Janna has worked in the African American section of Oakland Cemetery for coming up on three years. What brought you to Oakland Cemetery? Before I…
Historic Oakland Foundation is happy to welcome one of our newest staff members, Abra Lee. Abra joined the Foundation in January as our new director of horticulture! She will be working with our gardens team to continue to grow the…
Raise your hand if you’ve ever strolled around Oakland Cemetery and thought, “my goodness, these gardens are stunning!” Or maybe you’re not a gardener, per se, but regardless of your appreciation of flora you still had the sense that the…
Each February and March, thousands of daffodil blooms create a cheery scene at Oakland. More than 70 varieties of daffodils make their appearance throughout Oakland’s grounds in the first months of each year. We invite you to take a stroll and…
The sustained freezing temperatures that hit Georgia in late December had a devastating impact on Oakland Cemetery’s gardens. Sadly, we have lost thousands of plants quintessential to Oakland – standard, hardy plants that have thrived here for decades. Some of…
Every year during our Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours, the number one question visitors ask Oakland's gardens team is, “What are all of these gorgeous colorful flowers blooming everywhere!? There are white ones and pink ones and red…
We are often asked about the exotic-looking plants included in several of the plantings at Oakland. Are they hardy? Are they appropriate for a historic garden? The answers are yes and yes. In fact, bananas are one of the few…
Camellias have bloomed in Southern gardens since the late 1700s. Native to eastern Asia, their popularity dates back many centuries for their beauty and as the source of tea. They arrived in Europe by the mid-1700s, and the earliest camellias…
Discover the origins and stories of holiday plants with Richard Waterhouse, executive director of Buckhead Heritage and Victorian Symbolism tour guide. Holly and Greenery One of the rites of passage that takes place in Christian churches during the Christmas season…
Oakland’s mature trees are an integral part of Oakland’s character. They are the only living link that remains of what Oakland was. They've seen many funerals and family picnics and you can’t help but wonder what stories they could tell.…