The Gateway85 Community Improvement District honored former First Lady Rosalynn Carter with a new garden of 1,946 flowers at Best Friend Park, a nod to the year she married Jimmy Carter.

The garden planting on Friday, Oct. 2, was part of Gwinnett County’s second annual Jimmy Carter Day celebration, complementing the CID’s mural honoring President Jimmy Carter, unveiled last year.

Gwinnett County officials and Gateway85 CID leadership plant shrubs for a new Rosalynn Carter garden at Best Friend Park during Jimmy Carter Day of Service near Norcross. (Provided by the Gwinnett County CID)

The couple would have celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary this year. Among the plantings will be 18 Rosalynn Carter camellias, representing her age when they married and paying tribute to her love of gardening.

Honoring the Carters

Gateway85’s first major public art project is a colorful, abstract mural featuring President Jimmy Carter along the boulevard that bears his name. Best Friend Park is a 43-acre park and recreational area in unincorporated Gwinnett County at 6224 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, feet from the Norcross city limits.

A commemorative plaque in the new garden commemorates the former president and first lady. Carter (1924-2024) was the 39th president of the United States and the 76th governor of Georgia. He won the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize and is remembered for his global diplomacy and humanitarian work, alongside his wife.

Exactly 1,946 flowers sit in front of the Jimmy Carter mural at Best Friend Park, just outside the city of Norcross in unincorporated Gwinnett County. Carter married his wife, Rosalynn, who was an avid gardener, in 1946. (Provided by the Gateway85 CID)

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson planted the final camellias during today’s Jimmy Carter Day ceremony with CID board members and other county officials. Gibson Landscape, a project partner, donated the design and installation of the flower beds, contributing several thousand dollars in pro bono work to help bring the tribute to life.

Robert Michener, executive director of Gateway85 CID, said Jimmy Carter Boulevard is the heartbeat of the district, and there isn’t a better place to honor the family.

“Beautification is one of our four priorities, but it’s about more than making the area look good,” Michener said. “It creates pride in our district and shows our businesses, property owners, and community that we are paying attention and continuing to invest here.”

This report was compiled and written by Rough Draft Atlanta's staff.