Chapter I: Front Matter

VISIT
Bellingrath
_Gardens_
CHARM SPOT of the DEEP SOUTH

_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_

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.

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.

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”

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.

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.

_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_

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_

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.