A Garden of Delights

New reasons to visit a Birmingham gem

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ON AN OVERCAST morning this spring, I drove to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) to celebrate the renewal of a section that means a lot to this magazine.

As I entered the 67-acre property, which is free and open to the public daily, the place was buzzing with friends taking walks, parents pushing their kids in strollers, bird-watchers toting binoculars, and volunteers armed with garden tools. A half dozen folks were inspecting plants and decor at Leaf & Petal gift shop, and golf carts whizzed around with the staff prepping for the season.

The BBG gets about 330,000 visitors every year, and springtime is their Super Bowl.