Georgia Magazine - January 2025 - 34

GEORGIA Gardens
Above: With a seating capacity of more than 92,000,
Sanford Stadium is one of the largest venues in college
football. Right: The hedges add a signature touch to the
game-day atmosphere in Sanford Stadium.
into four themes: famous people, the armed forces/public servants, love
and holidays. The themes are represented through the arrangement and
selection of rose varieties as well as the landscaping and design elements
within specific areas of the garden. Roadside and sidewalk plantings that
feature Knock Out roses, shrub roses and carpet roses complement the
formal gardens.
" We work to have color at least three seasons of the year, " Allensworth
says. " The most important time-when we count on really colorful
displays-is our annual Rose Show and Festival. "
For more information, visit thomasvillega.com/rose.
Between the hedges
Just say " between the hedges " and sports fans across the country think
of Sanford Stadium and the iconic 5-foot-tall hedges that surround Vince
Dooley Field.
Prior to the 2024-25 season, the historic hedges experienced their third
renovation since they became part of the lore surrounding the University of
Georgia (UGA) Bulldogs. Planted in 1929, the original shrubs of Ligustrum
sinense, otherwise known as Chinese privet, were first replaced immediately
after the 1996 Summer Olympics, when Sanford Stadium was used for
the soccer matches.
" At that time, it turned out that they were diseased, so they had to be
replaced, " says Matt Hollan, UGA director of athletic fields and grounds.
In 2016, the hedges were removed temporarily to make way for the
west end zone expansion that began in 2017 and was completed in summer
2018. The plants installed after the Olympics were replanted.
" At that time, a local grower took cuttings of the plants with the goal to
have new shrubs when the time came, " he says.
Chinese privet typically lives from 20 to 40 years, so after the 2023-24
football season officials decided it was time to replace them.
" Last February we did a complete restoration of the hedges, replacing
the soil and working on the irrigation and drainage system, " he says. " Four
hundred shrubs were planted.
34 Georgia Magazine January 2025
" They're the sons and daughters of the original
hedges-the same genetic material as in 1929. In all
those decades, we've maintained the heritage of the
hedges. "
For more information, visit bit.ly/abouthedges
or bit.ly/hedgerestore.
Pamela A. Keene is a Flowery Branch-based
freelance writer and Georgia Master Gardener.
More horticultural icons:
* Azaleas at Augusta National, Augusta: The azaleas
at Augusta National Golf Club are one of its most
iconic features, with thousands of bushes bursting
into vibrant bloom each spring. The course's famous
13th hole, known as " Azalea, " is framed by these
colorful fl owers. A new study by indoor golf experts,
IndoorGolfGuide, ranked Augusta National as the
most Instagrammable golf course in the U.S.
bit.ly/augmas13
* The Big Oak, Thomasville: The Big Oak is a majestic
live oak estimated to be more than 330 years old,
with a canopy spanning more than 160 feet. Visitors
come to marvel at one of the oldest and largest trees
in the South. bit.ly/thombigoak
* The Tree That Owns Itself, Athens: The original
white oak is believed to have been granted ownership
of the land it stood on by its owner in the early
19th century. Although that original tree fell in 1942,
a descendant was planted in its place and carries on
the legacy of this quirky landmark. bit.ly/ttoi819
COURTESY UGA ATHLETICS
COURTESY UGA ATHLETICS
http://bit.ly/abouthedges http://bit.ly/hedgerestore http://www.thomasvillega.com/rose http://bit.ly/augmas13 http://bit.ly/thombigoak http://bit.ly/ttoi819
Georgia Magazine - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - January 2025
