Historic Oakland Cemetery

This weekend hasn't exactly been "gardening weather" in Atlanta (low 40's and raining on and off), but yesterday turned out to be a very interesting morning!

I had some Bridal Wreath Spireas that had seriously outgrown their home, and needed a new one. I've wanted to visit Oakland Cemetery for some time, but have never gotten there, so escorting the orphaned shrubs provided the perfect excuse. I'm sure that Sara, Chuck and I looked a little bedraggled in our mud-covered raincoats, but the Spireas are in and will hopefully love their new home!

Cemeteries are not usually my thing, but this is one of those Victorian park-like settings in which the graves are in and amongst huge collections of flowers, monuments and trees. It is a little like stepping onto the set of "Oliver Twist," particularly when outside the walls of the cemetery one sees the old factories and mills of the late 1800's (fortunately they've all been repurposed as condos, so the skyline stays the same). If you've been to Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Boston, it's a similar feel.

If you haven't visited Historic Oakland Cemetery, you need to! I would love to see it on a sunny day, but there was something very romantic in a turn-of-the-century way about being there in the cold drizzle.

I'm planning to be there the second Saturday of April to do some more volunteer gardening (with lots of others), so if that's your thing, come and join me!