The Garden Question

The Garden Question


161 - Embracing the New Perennial Movement in the South - Sarah Carter

May 09, 2024

Sarah Carter and her team have brought the New Perennial Movement to the south on a large scale. The new Entrance Garden’s large sweeps of grasses, perennials, native plants presented in a naturalistic style welcomes you to the Atlanta History Center.

The garden has settled in and in this episode Sarah explains the

details that makes it successful.

It is a creation perfect for insects, small mammals, birds and

people.

 

Sarah Roberts is the Olga C. de Goizueta Vice President of the

Goizueta Gardens and Living Collections at the Atlanta History Center

A college internship in curation at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University sparked

Sarah’s career path in public horticulture.

During her undergraduate studies at Berry College, she spent a year on scholarship

in the United Kingdom studying historic gardens as part of her honors degree in

Horticulture.

The next five years were spent as Curator of Herbaceous Plants

and Outdoor Gardens at the New York Botanical

Garden.

She then returned to England, completing a Diploma in Garden

Design from the UK’s Garden

Design School.

Upon Sarah’s return to the US, she began consulting for the

Atlanta History Center which led to her current position as Vice President of

Goizueta Gardens.

She leads the development, curation and preservation of the

33-acre public garden with three historic houses.

Sarah has written for numerous publications, been featured on

Martha Stewart Radio, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, GardenSmart TV series

and the podcast Stuff You Missed in History Class.


Time Line

00:00 Welcome to The Garden Question Podcast

00:42 Spotlight on Sarah Carter: Revolutionizing Southern Gardens

02:36 The New Perennial Movement: A Deep Dive

05:03 Designing with Nature: The Art of the New Perennial Garden

11:33 Innovative Soil and Maintenance Strategies for Sustainable Gardening

13:56 Structural Beauty: Crafting Aesthetic and Functional Spaces

23:40 The Maintenance Philosophy of New Perennial Gardens

31:16 Revolutionizing Soil with Biomass: A Garden Experiment

32:29 From Dying Tree to Community Table: A Story of Tree Cycling

34:02 Exploring the Atlanta History Center's Gardens

42:05 Gardening Insights: From Design Principles to Pest Management

44:33 Personal Gardening Journey: Lessons and Memories

51:44 Embracing the New Perennial Movement: A Gardener's Vision

55:42 Final Thoughts: The Joy of Gardening and Environmental Stewardship