The woods that were a magical playground for Charles and Lessie Smithgall’s children will, with $5 million in community donations, be transformed into a garden for all to enjoy. Six years ago, the influential Gainesville couple donated to the Atlanta Botanical Garden 185 acres they lovingly called Huckleberry Hill. A greenhouse was eventually placed on the property, the bud of a plant collection that will one day blossom into the Smithgall Woodland Garden.

The first construction phase includes less than a tenth of the total acreage. The property is located inside the Gainesville city limits and will be accessed by Lakehill Road off Cleveland Highway (U.S. 129). Mildred Pinnell Fockele, horticulture director for the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the new Smithgall Woodland Garden, said initial plans call for an entrance drive, parking and a visitors center and private events facility overlooking the “Enchanting Woodland Garden.” The “enchanting” first garden centers on the elements of wind, water, earth and sky. Stone stairways and a bridge will lead visitors to beautiful plants, relaxing swings and intriguing artwork. The second phase will include a waterfall trail with off-shoots that lead right to the water’s edge, Fockele said.

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