Airlie Gardens Wilmington's Relic of the Gilded Age

Stories of Apparitions, Murder and Suicide. The Elegant Townhomes of Stephens Ward Part II

 

 Despite all its architectural beauty, scenic squares and abundant gardens, Savannah, Georgia has its dark stories. Explore this captivating area in Historic Savannah with us.

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Behind the Garden Wall: Mead Botanical Garden, Winter Park, FL

Sometimes hidden gardens present fine rewards. Such is the case with the Mead Botanical Garden in Winter Haven, Florida. Tucked behind a residential neighborhood, Mead Botanical Garden is a modest trove of tropical species.

Theodore Mead, age 22

The Garden opened in 1940 in honor of noted horticulturist Theodore L. Mead (1852 – 1936). Mead was a pioneer in breeding new varieties of tropicals such as caladiums, bromeliads, orchids, daylilies, amaryllis and crinums. He was also a butterfly aficionado, apprenticed to William Henry Edwards, author of The Butterflies of North America. Mead is appreciated for discovering more than 20 new species of North American butterflies.

Neoregelia carolinae

Theodore and his wife moved to Oviedo, Florida in 1881. Oviedo was formerly known as the Lake Jesup Community. There he built greenhouses, propagated epiphytes and other tropicals, planted a citrus grove and gardens.

South Florida Railroad Depot

He was a sort of pioneer in the area. This was the “Old Florida” that some of us love to read about. Central Florida was becoming more accessible, thanks to railroads such as Henry Plant’s South Florida Railroad from Sanford to Tampa, with a railroad link to Oviedo. The Steamboat, Volusia, plied the waters weekly from Sanford. Orlando was soon to be re-incorporated.

Florida steamboat

 Considerable interest in citrus production was being promoted. Orchards were being planted. 

Of course, transportation was needed. A historical marker, located at the boat ramp at the end of Black Hammock Fish Camp Rd, east of FL 417 and north of Oviedo, tells of some efforts.  

“The Lake Jesup Steamboat company was incorporated in 1882 by lake area fruit growers by acquiring the steamboat Isis. This shallow-draft flat-bottomed boat sank that same year north of here in Lake George, a part of the St. Johns River...

South Florida Railroad's Oviedo Depot

“In 1888, Oviedo orange growers formed the Oviedo, Lake Charm & Lake Jessup Railroad, with the proposed rails to end at Solary's Wharf. This line never operated, but it did serve as a ploy in forcing the South Florida Railroad to lower unfair rates for hauling fruit.” Theodore Mead, having a degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University, might have been involved.

After Mead’s death in 1936, his orchid collection was bequeathed to Eagle Scout and protégé, Jack Connery. With the aid of Rollins College Professor Edwin Grover, an effort was begun to create the botanic garden in Winter Park on 40 donated acres, about 15 miles from Oviedo. This is the basis of the garden we enjoy today.

Mead Botanical Garden kiosk

Mead Botanical Garden is a pleasant diversion from the well-known area attractions. Most of it is well-kept. (There’s only so much that volunteers, non-profit corporations and city partnerships can do.) Even so, good camera angles can capture the best features.

The garden is bordered on two sides by Howell Creek and Lake Lillian Marsh. Short strolls provide good views of both. Other points of interest include a camellia and cycad collection, a wildflower garden, rose garden, hummingbird garden, greenhouse, lovely bromeliads and various venues for meetings, lectures and entertainment.

Follow me behind the garden wall.

Mussaenda erythrophylla

Succulent, Euphorbia and palm collection

Billbergia pyramidalis

Livistonia chinensis

Creek view

Boardwalk

Medinilla magnifica

Codiaenum variegatum

Clerodendrum thomsoniae

Bromeliad collection

Neoregelia carolinae

Aglaonema communtatum

Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri

Tradescantia spathacea

Creek view

Aristolochia macrophylla

Bletilla striata

 

Clerodendrum trichotomum

 

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Behind The Garden Wall: Kate Gleason Memorial Park, Beaufort, South Carolina

 

If you’ve spent fretful hours in a hospital bed or visited there with a sick friend or loved one, you might have taken time to rest in a hospital garden for meditation and reflection. But more than likely you didn’t even know one was on campus. When I was confined to hospitals a few years ago for a serious illness, the “wellness” gardens were immensely comforting to me. What was before unnoticed I now greatly appreciate.

Laken Brooks published an article in the May 29, 2021 issue of Forbes, Why Hospitals Are Planting Gardens, explaining the marvelous benefits of making nature accessible to patients and to those who attend them. In summary, “...medical professionals have found that as the plants grow, so too does the mental wellness of their patients.” I recommend it to you.

She notes, “A review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health states, ‘Viewing nature has been repeatedly demonstrated to provide a range of benefits for human health and well-being. Benefits include reduced anxiety, reduced stress, shorter hospital stays, lower heart rate, and increased directed attention.’ That same review explains, ‘It has repeatedly been shown that the sounds of nature such as wind, water, and animals, are preferred over anthropogenic sounds such as traffic, recreational noise, and industrial noise ... Nature sounds have been used therapeutically to relieve stress.’” This is accomplished through gardens and horticultural therapy on site.

Since my healing, I’ve taken time to visit these nearly secret gardens in appreciation of the thoughtfulness of those who have taken care to establish and maintain them.

I recently visited the Kate Gleason Memorial Park on the campus of Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Beaufort, South Carolina. Though it’s not easily accessible to patients, it could be with some modification. In its current state, it does afford a peaceful place for visitors and hospital staff.

Beaufort Memorial Hospital was founded in 1944 and is situated on a bluff above the Intracoastal Waterway and the Beaufort River. That in itself presents a fabulous view from benches and picnic tables of the river, marsh and the town of Beaufort in the distance. Follow me to see what lies behind the garden wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Groovin' in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

Springtime is a groovy time to visit the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. Though we’d never been there before, I felt like I had for this hit tune from younger days kept playing in my head.

Mendocino, Mendocino

Where life's such a groove
You'll blow your mind in the mornin'
We used to walk through the park
Make love along the way in Mendocino

The album, Mendocino, by the Sir Douglas Quintet, came out in 1969. Lyrics were by Doug Sahm.

In fact, the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is a child of the ‘60s. It was founded in 1961 by Ernest Schoefer – a retired nurseryman – and his wife, Betty. Ernest's experience in horticulture enabled him to discover just the right combination of water, mild coastal climate and ideal soil conditions for his dream garden. The Gardens on 47 acres opened to the public in 1966. The Schoefers maintained the Gardens until 1978.

The garden is more or less divided into sections featuring particular plant groupings. The best known and most popular is the Rhododendron garden. Though we visited in May, most of the fragrant blossoms were still in bloom. These delightful shrubs are native to Southeast Asia and the Himalayas. Schoefer realized that the foggy northern California coast would be an ideal environment for them. 

Many of the older Rhododendron hybrids are no longer available to the nursery trade. The Gardens may be the only place where they can still be enjoyed.

The Perennial Garden was delightful with its mix of lilies, herbs, and annuals. The cacti and succulents were among my favorites. 

Other lovely collections include old-fashioned roses, Heaths and Heathers, camellias, and a natural area in which various endangered species thrive. Those who have the time and energy to walk a bit further will enjoy a path through a pine forest to a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

In addition to your camera, be sure to bring binoculars. Bird watchers will be amply rewarded for their patience.

Here are some more photographs from our "walk through the park."

Geranium spp.

If anyone can tell me what this is, I'd appreciate it.

Garden scene

Helianthemum 'Fire Dragon'

Aquilegia spp.

Fuschia spp.

Acer palmatum 'Holland Special'

Persicaria capitata

Bergenia cordifolia

Rhododendron 'The Honorable Jean Marie de Montague'

Limnanthes douglasii

Sempervivum

Sedum dendroideum

Aeonium undulatum

Grevillea 'Fanfare'

Leucospermum cordifolium

Heath and Heather collection

Campanula poscharskyana

Garden scene

No matter the time of year, you'll feel like groovin' in the Gardens. There's always something to tempt you. 

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