In this episode, we visit a beautiful garden that opened its gate to the public in 1932.
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Transcript:
Hey there, Garden Lovers.
Today is January 15, and this is a A Garden a Day with Mædunbroc Gardens.
We’ve previously visited a few gardens that opened during the Great Depression. I’m finding this fascinating. During one of the worst economic times in our nation’s history, a time when you would think there wouldn’t be the funds to do anything nice, there were people who made an intentional effort to bring beauty to their community and to preserve nature.
Today’s garden is exactly one of those gardens. Today, we are visiting Bellingrath Gardens and Home just outside of Mobile, Alabama in Theodore on the picturesque Fowl River.
The garden saw its first public visitors in the 1930s, but we must go back a few years to learn how the garden got its start.
Walter Bellingrath was one of the southeast’s first Coca-Cola bottlers. He opened his bottling franchise in 1903 in Mobile, which allowed him to amass considerable wealth.
In 1906, Walter married Bessie Mae Morse, who had been working for him as his stenographer. This was the beginning of their thirty-seven-year marriage.
By 1917, Walter was feeling poorly and visited his family physician who diagnosed him as being a workaholic and told him he needed to learn how to play — smart man, that doctor — and good advise for us all.
Walter had been eyeing a piece of land, about 1,000 acres, on the Fowl River with the intention of setting up a fishing camp, and with his doctor’s urging, the Bellingraths purchased the land.
In Mobile, the couple had already gained a reputation as avid gardeners. Their city home on South Ann Street was known for its azaleas and camellias and sparked a beautification project for the city of Mobile in 1929 which ultimately became the Azalea Trail. Mobile is still known for its azaleas in the spring, and the Azalea Trail is still growing and blooming.
For the Bellingraths, the city lot was too small for their growing interest in . . . well, growing, and the fishing camp in Theodore soon took their focus.
They called their camp Belle Camp and set about planting and tending their new gardens. Bessie Bellingrath procured the services of architect George Bigelow Rogers in 1927 to assist with design.
On April 7, 1932, Walter Bellingrath posted an advertisement in a Mobile, Alabama newspaper inviting locals to visit his spring garden for free. Nearly (or more than, depending on the source) 5,000 visitors crammed the road to the fish camp to see the spring blossoms. The local police had to be called to direct traffic.
The result was so overwhelming, just two years later, in 1934, Walter and his wife, Bessie, decided to open their gardens to the public all year round, and they renamed their camp, Bellingrath Gardens.
The following year, the Bellingraths permanent home at the property was completed. The 10,500 square foot brick home of eclectic, yet classic, design, combining English country house, continental, and Mediterranean features.
The gardens surrounding the home reflect a formal design reminiscent of European gardens and inspired by the Bellingraths travels abroad.
Bellingrath Gardens and Home is located in USDA Zone 9a. The garden spans about sixty-five acres, though the garden still owns the 1,000 acres that the Bellingraths purchased for their fish camp.
In January and February, you will enjoy one of the earliest places in the U.S. to see daffodils, narcissus, paper whites, and tulips. You will also enjoy camellias, snapdragons, pansies, poppies, and primrose.
March and April bring spring which brings those famous azaleas with more than 250,000 azaleas in this garden. Hydrangeas, impatiens, Easter lilies, and geraniums paint the garden with gorgeous color and beautiful scents.
May through August brings on the summer flowers — Hibiscus, bougainvillea, begonias, and marigolds. The rose garden is also at its peak during the summer months. With more than 2,000 roses in seventy-five varieties, there is sure to be a favorite among them.
Chrysanthemums steal the show in autumn. The garden features more than 8,000 mums throughout.
During the winter months, the garden hosts Christmas light displays nestled amongst the red, pink, and white poinsettia along with winter snapdragons, amaryllis, and pansies.
A remarkable feature of the garden includes Mirror Lake. What began as a run-off pond for a local sawmill was dammed and transformed into the stunning lake visitors see today. The lake reflects the vibrant colors of the blooming azaleas and other flowers and is both tranquil and a feast for the eyes.
The garden includes the Bayou Observatory which allows visitors an up-close look at native fish, turtles, and water fowl in their natural habitat.
The Conservatory on site was built in 1935 to house tropical plants. It was restored in 1996.
The Asian-American garden includes features of Chinese and Japanese gardens. This garden was installed in the mid-1960s to replace the bird sanctuary.
Several art pieces are included in the garden including a mermaid statue purchased by Mrs. Bellingrath from New Orleans and a life-size lion dating from the mid-19th century.
The Bellingraths had no children. Bessie Bellingrath passed away in 1943 at the age of sixty-four. Walter dedicated his remaining years to keeping the gardens as his wife would have liked them. In 1949, he established the Bellingrath-Morse Foundation to maintain the gardens and home as quote “a fitting and permanent memorial to my wife.”
Walter Bellingrath passed away in 1955 at the age of eighty-six. The house opened as a museum the following year and contains all original furnishings.
The gardens are open every day of the week from 8:00am to 5:00 pm year round.
Guided tours of the home are available, and the gardens are open for self-guided tours.
The garden hosts educational programs for children and adults throughout the year. This includes a youth STEM camp each summer and STEM professional development opportunities for K-6 educators.
The gardens are lavish. The home is opulent. Bellingrath Gardens and Home is certainly worthy of a stop on your garden tour.
I’m no doctor, but my advice to you and my hope for you, dear listeners, is to make like the Bellingraths and get out and play, and if you decide to play in the garden, even better.
Well, that’s about it for today. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Join me tomorrow to see where we are going next.
If you like A Garden a Day, please considering liking, following, or subscribing to the podcast. It lets you know when a new episode is available, and it lets me know you like the show. Also, if you are able, please consider giving the show a five star review. It helps others find the show. It really does help. Thank you so much.
If all goes well, I’ll be right back here tomorrow. See you then.
To learn more about Bellingrath Gardens and Home, visit these links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingrath_Gardens_and_Home
https://www.gulfshores.com/things-to-do/bellingrath-gardens-and-home/
https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/bellingrath-gardens-and-home/
https://whichmuseum.com/museum/bellingrath-gardens-and-home-theodore-30308/tickets-prices
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/experiences/alabama/iconic-holiday-event-must-do-al
https://mobile-alabama.com/attractions/bellingrath/
https://alabamafarms.com/directory/bellingrath-gardens-and-home/
https://mobileazaleatrailmaids.com/
https://www.cityofmobile.org/news/the-azaleas-and-the-trails-are-back/
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