VISIT
Bellingrath
_Gardens_
CHARM SPOT of the DEEP SOUTH
[Illustration: (uncaptioned)]
_On Isle-Aux-Oies_ (_Fowl_) _River_
Admission—$2.00
(Including Tax)
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
THE YEAR ’ROUND
MOBILE, ALABAMA
Bellingrath Gardens ...
_on Isle-Aux-Oies_ (_Fowl_) _River ... Mobile_
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The world-famed Bellingrath Gardens unfold their acres of glowing,
brilliant colors along the winding banks of the Isle-Aux-Oies River
about twenty miles from the town of Old Mobile, and about one mile from
famous Mobile Bay.
No gardens these that have been planted and seasoned with bygone
centuries, but a young and virile landscape fraught with patriarchs of
bushes transplanted by the thousands from old-time gardens. It was
planned and created by the work and loving care of Mr. and Mrs. W. D.
Bellingrath, and brought to breath-taking beauty and nature’s most
perfect setting of Southern shrubs and foliage and towering age-old
oaks. And once within the magic portals of this place, enchantment grows
with every turn along the flower-banked way—for here dwells
beauty—unfolded in the myriad brilliant blooms on every hand.
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Ethereal Azaleas and Camellias are everywhere, and Gardenias and Sweet
Olive fill the air with perfume that lingers along with memories of this
famous garden spot. Bridal-like pathways are strewn with falling petals
from the fragrant fragile flowers, and majestic arms of giant oaks—gray
draped with mystic Spanish moss—form cavelike arches overhead. The roses
have a corner of their own, where round and round in pattern of a giant
Rotarian Wheel they flaunt their gorgeous colors in strong young buds.
Old lavender Wisteria festoons its way along the redolent magnolia trees
and brilliant blue Hydrangeas and Altheas and dogwood add a glory all
their own to their respective seasons. Most every tree and shrub that
likes the gentle clime along the Gulf has made its home within the
hundred acres encompassed by the Bellingrath Gardens and found therein
the care that lends an added beauty to their untamed growth. The
clinging tendrils of a thousand vines have wound their way along the
friendly branches of the trees, and woven round their heads a mesh to
keep the troubles of a distraught world from penetrating into this place
of beauty, quietude and peace.
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Quaint flagstone walks lead down to the rippling river—or off again to
loiter by the lake to watch the gliding swans along the lily pads, or
see the thousand yellow lilies dancing in reflection on the water’s
edge. The tinkled splash of fountained waters or the trilling tributes
of a wild bird accent the thrilling majesty that comes with peace and
beauty.
And here has been established a home, superbly built of rich old brick
and traditional Southern iron grillwork. It is a perfect jewel in a
perfect setting into which age-old romance and history have been woven.
The lines of sturdy Norman grouping are softened and accented by the
rich-railed balconies and porticos that bring to mind the quaint courts
and cloisters of Southern Europe and the influence of Old France and
Spain upon the Gulf Coast colonies.
“Charm Spot of the Deep South”
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In Bellingrath Gardens the Southland boasts one of the loveliest garden
spots in all the world—the true “Charm Spot of the Deep South.” Serenely
conscious of the rare appeal and magnetism of ever-changing beauty,
Bellingrath Gardens offer an untold wealth of verdant foliage at any
time of the year the casual caller comes. In fall the mammoth
Chrysanthemums are magnificent and early winter brings the prized
collection of Camellias has in myriad brilliant hues. Spring coaxes
forth thousands of bulbous blossoms and the dazzling show of
Bellingrath’s far-famed Azaleas in every known variety. Then summer
comes to show its radiant colors in Southern Oleanders, Crepe Myrtle,
and Gardenias—and always—through the centuries gone and those years yet
to come, the giant bearded oaks and forest trees raise reverent arms as
if to bring this beauty nearer God.
Facts about the _glorious_ azaleas of Mobile _and Bellingrath Gardens_
Though each season envelops the world in its own peculiar beauty and
charm, not the wildest dreams of the most fervid and keen imagination
can conjure the beauty of Bellingrath Gardens when Azaleas are blooming.
Thousands of them line the many rambling walks that wind over this
marvelous estate. Around the lily-bordered lake—Mirror Lake—you go
enthralled by the gigantic Azaleas that scatter their trillion petals
from the million flowers that cover a single bush. Mobile’s own romantic
history is closely interwoven with this gorgeous flower, and dates as
far back as the founding of the city in 1711. From carefully
authenticated sources it was learned that a young Frenchman living in
Mobile visited France to see his grandparents. So impressed was he by
the dazzling Azaleas that on his return to Mobile he brought back three
varieties; the pink, the purplish red, the white. And today in
Bellingrath Gardens you find some of the oldest and largest Azalea
bushes in America, specimen plants that have been collected at great
expense from old gardens all over the South, and transplanted here in a
perfect setting.
[Illustration: _The plaque shown above was placed in Bellingrath
Gardens by the citizens of Mobile as a tribute to Mr. and Mrs.
Bellingrath and in appreciation of their civic work and the
development of lovely Bellingrath Gardens._]
Looking down the pathway of the rustic bridge across Mirror Lake in
Bellingrath Gardens is a patriarch of the Azalea family. It is an early
pink, blooming generally around the middle of February. When in full
bloomage, the gorgeous mass of flowers completely hides the green
foliage of this rare bush, which is more than 26 feet in diameter, 14
feet high and 80 feet in circumference. Involuntary exclamations of
delight as the visitor reaches this spot is an invariable tribute to the
overwhelming beauty of this giant Azalea.
[Illustration: _Numerous Giant Azalea Bushes Greet the Visitor to
Bellingrath Gardens_
_When you visit Bellingrath Gardens in the spring, there are other
outstanding attractions of the Southland you’ll want to see. One of
these is Mobile’s Azalea Trail in the late winter and early spring,
a glamorous 17-mile tour of flower-lined streets. Another
interesting event, usually in March, is the New Orleans Spring
Fiesta, featuring Ante-Bellum Homes, Gardens, French Quarter Tours,
and other attractions. You’ll enjoy a visit, too, at this season to
Natchez during Pilgrimage Time._]
What others say about
B_ellingrath_ G_ardens_
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Fascinating scenes like those pictured here inspire many extravagant
words of praise by visitors to Bellingrath Gardens.
The renowned columnist, Dorothy Dix, makes this statement:
“_I have seen the beautiful gardens all over the world—in France,
England, Germany, Japan, as well as in this country—but I have never
seen anything so gorgeous as Bellingrath Gardens._”
★
Mr. Rufus C. Dawes, President of the Chicago World’s Fair, was equally
as complimentary:
“It is the most beautiful and best developed garden I ever visited.”
★
Another famous visitor, Mr. Harrison Jones, Executive Vice-President of
the Coca-Cola Company, had this to say:
“_The Bellingrath Gardens on Fowl River are one of the most
magnificent in the world._”
★
Mr. Harper Sibley, Past President of the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States, visited Bellingrath Gardens and writes:
“_I had, of course, long heard of your wonderful Azaleas—but I was
completely overwhelmed by the magnificence and the sweep of
Bellingrath Gardens. As it happens, I have studied landscape
architecture and have had the privilege of visiting many of the most
beautiful gardens in the world, in America, on the Continent, down in
Italy, and in such remote places as Kashmir and Japan, but these
gardens of Mobile rank with the very finest anywhere._”
★
In a feature article appearing in Better Homes and Gardens Elmer T.
Peterson had this to say:
“_Bellingrath Gardens are authoritatively listed near the top among
the most beautiful gardens in the United States, and when you have
seen them you will not doubt._”
_A Garden Pageant in Four Acts_
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Like a pageant in four acts, each with a climax—that is the description
of the “Charm Spot of the Deep South” known all over the world as
Bellingrath Gardens of Mobile, Alabama. Here in these world-famed
Gardens the show goes on throughout the year, with each season putting
on a new act, and bringing forth a new spectacle—a continual parade of
changing colors to enchant the visitor every month of the year.
Formerly a semitropical jungle, Bellingrath Gardens are now a perfumed
theatre, the air sweet from the mingled odors of growing plants and
flowers. A symphony of fragrance! That’s the orchestra to this flowering
performance in this sixty-acre garden, the owners of which were Mr. and
the late Mrs. Walter D. Bellingrath. Theirs was a magician’s art, and
from a wild, untamed land of magnolias, moss-draped live and water oaks,
bays and pines, they have wrought a spectacular scene of color. Every
twenty feet in Bellingrath Gardens is a vista, some special picture, a
never-to-be-forgotten view. There are murmuring fountains and singing
cascades and flagstone paths that breathe romance. It is indeed a
paradise for nature lovers, a rare and lovely garden that justifies a
thousand-mile journey, and each year thousands come from afar and view
this marvelous spectacle.
ACT I.
There’s a beauty that beggars description. That is the beauty one finds
in Bellingrath Gardens. The first act of the Bellingrath Gardens Show
opens in October, when the wondrous Camellias begin to bloom. The
Camellia Japonica has no equal in the plant world for its beauty and
fitness for the glorification of the home and garden. A native of Japan,
it was introduced through European channels to Mobile about one hundred
years ago. Possibly some five or six hundred varieties exist, embracing
many types and colors. Pure white through every shade of pink to deep
red and crimson, ending with some blooms having a decided purplish cast,
no other flowering plant can give such a diversity of types, a range
baffling description. Singles, semidoubles, peony flowering types, some
with dense pompon centers, other shaggy flowers with center petals
whirled and twisted, full doubles of every conceivable type. Again some
varieties are solid colors, others have variegation through the petals;
some are mottled; others are striped and others have petals of various
colors throughout the flowers. The varieties of Camellia Japonica having
a tendency to show variegation are a never-ending source of expectation
and admiration. The charm and amazing variety of the Camellia Japonica
found in Bellingrath Gardens quickly convince the visitor that here is
one of the most remarkable collections of this beautiful flowering shrub
ever gathered together. Small wonder that Act I is an invariable
success.
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