Spring is in the air with the upcoming Southern Blooms Festival at Rock City Gardens May 6-8, from 10 am to 4 pm daily! This garden event includes workshops, demonstrations, special vendors, book signings, music, garden tours and a premiere garden series honoring Rock City’s original gardener, Frieda Utermoehlen Carter.
Headlining at the festival is HGTV’s Erica Glasener (www.ericaglasener.com), host of “A Gardener’s Diary.” As well as returning guest Walter Reeves (www.walterreeves.com), host of GPT’s “Your Southern Garden” and DIY Network’s “Garden Sense,” and Jim Webster, owner of the Barn Nursery (www.thebarnnursery.com).
Group tours of Rock City Gardens are available each morning led by Rock City’s Director of Horticulture George Schimpf and Chattanooga’s Master Gardeners. Limited space is available with tours beginning promptly at the Rock City Ticket Desk at 9 am.
Onsite activities for kids include make-and-take recycled newspaper pots and plant-your-own-seeds activities, pictures with Rocky and Friends, Rock Climbing Wall,* Panning for Gems* and Fairyland Forest Makeovers.*
The Southern Blooms Festival is another great reason to get an annual pass for less than the cost of two admissions to enjoy every day of this festival, as well as the rest of the year’s events - for one low price!
Check out the full workshop and music lineup online, at www.seerockcity.com/southernblooms. *Additional charges apply to these activities.
As Rock City continues its community partnerships with each special event and festival, The Chattanooga Area Food Bank Garden Party has become an annual event in the pavilion during Southern Blooms, www.chattfoodbank.org.
The Chattanooga Area Food Bank solicits the food industry to collect safe, nutritious, but non-saleable food items and distributes it to clients through a network of member agencies in twenty counties.
Rock City Gardens is known for its unique geological and botanical wonders. The enchanted, 4,100-foot walking trail is a true marvel of nature featuring massive ancient rock formations, a 140-foot waterfall that cascades down Lookout Mountain and the Swing-A-Long Bridge that spans nearly 200 feet. Visit www.seerockcity.com for more info.
