Waddell Barnes Botanical Gardens

WBBG LogoWhen construction of what originally was known as Macon Junior College began in 1967, the 167-acre campus became home to more than 1,600 trees, 2,500 shrubs and 12,000 ground cover plants. Landscape architect Clay Adamson, who retired as plant operations director from the Medical College of Georgia, made the original plant selection. Joseph White Jr., the director of Plant Operations when Macon Junior College opened, supervised the careful planting of the large order, most of which came from a nursery in Dalton, Ga.

Viewing the development 30 years later, Dr. Barnes was inspired by the potential he saw for an expanded horticultural display and approached then-MSC president Dr. Aaron Hyatt on developing the campus into a showcase for native plants and other specimens that have adapted to the region. 

 

Butterfly in the gardens for foundation donations