This Old South garden belongs in a picture book.
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Transcript:
Hello Listeners,
Today is February 18, and this is A Garden A Day with Mædunbroc Gardens.
Thank you for listening.
Romance is the word that comes to mind at the thought of today’s garden. A long lane of live oaks leads to the Colonial Revival style home surrounded by blossoms and blooms straight out of a fairy tale.
Wister Henry founded and created this beautiful garden with his wife, Frances, beginning in 1937.
A cotton planter, Wister Henry first donated these fourteen acres to the Civilian Conservation Corps to use as a camp. When the Corps moved to another site, the Henry’s built their Colonial Revival home at the end of the lane of live oaks and set out the plans for their garden.
Today, the garden boasts more than 8,000 azaleas. There are also fruit trees, day lilies, crape myrtle, camellias, and magnolias.
A four-acre pond graces the northeastern perimeter of the property. Wister named the pond “Frances Lake” to honor his wife and introduced swans to gracefully glide across the water. Today, visitors will find a happy little duck family enjoying the garden’s pond.
There is a picnic area next to the pond that allows for gazing across the water and drinking in the beauty of the garden.
Nearby, a small garden offers the beauty and intoxicating aroma of roses.
A fountain, imported from Italy, acts as a centerpiece of the north side of the garden.
A wrought-iron hexagonal gazebo offers a place to rest. The iron filigree of the gazebo mimics the design found on the historic Wister Henry home. The home is closed to the public, but there is a Garden House available for use during weddings and other special events at the garden.
Benches dot the winding garden paths, so there are plenty of spots to relax amidst the splendor of nature.
And don’t be surprised if you come upon someone down on one knee. Wister Gardens is a popular and romantic spot to pop the question.
The garden is located in the small city of Belzoni, Mississippi in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Belzoni is known as the catfish capital of the world as at one time, more catfish were raised in Belzoni than anywhere else in the world. The city hosts the World Catfish Festival every April.
Wister Gardens is open almost every day of the year from 9:00 to 5:00. They close for weddings and federal holidays. The garden is maintained by Friends of Wister Gardens.
Well, that’s about it for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s garden.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me tomorrow to find out where we are going next. I release a new episode every single day.
As a reminder, you can learn more about the gardens featured on A Garden a Day by clicking on the links in the notes or by visiting our website, agardenaday.com.
And If you like A Garden a Day, and I hope you do, please consider liking, subscribing, and telling your friends. If you are able, please also consider giving us a five-star review. It lets me know you like the show, and it also helps others find the podcast. I really do appreciate your support.
If all goes well, I will be right back here tomorrow. See you then!
To learn more about Wister Gardens, visit these links:
https://www.wistergardens.com/
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nature/mississippi/fascinating-fairy-tale
https://maps.roadtrippers.com/us/belzoni-ms/nature/wister-gardens
https://www.theknot.com/content/mississippi-proposal-ideas
https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MS-02-DR69
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