Southern Gardens

Experiencing Southern Gardens

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary by going on a road trip down south to Charleston,SC, Savannah and came home up through Atlanta, Ga.

We fell in love with the gardens in Charleston and Savannah . The secret gardens that I peeked at through beautiful iron gates revealed genteel , charming garden designs that in some cases have been in place for over 100 years !

Charleston Battery Park

Southern gardens have wonderful form and structure by way of boxwood hedges, lush plantings and flowering shrubs like azalea and magnolias .Kitchen gardens and herbs gardens are often laid out in a formal design with a center focal point. Statues or other garden structures play a big part in the gardens.

The city gardens can be small , so garden walls made out of brick help to define that homes gardens as well as offer privacy from the street and neighbors.

Window boxes and container gardens are also utilized for this reason.

Of course there is Spanish Moss hanging everywhere!

We don't have Spanish Moss here in the North so this plant is fascinating to me and I love the romantic and very exotic look.... but from talking to southern gardeners, they are not as fascinated by it as I am .It is very invasive ,takes over and chokes out trees and other plants.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast in the heart of Savannah that was fabulous. It was within walking distance to almost everything we wanted to see, and the rooms were nicely appointed with antiques, but completely updated.

Staying at a B&B instead of a chain hotel, is a great way to experience the city that you're visiting. It's a lot more personal, and often the proprietor has great ideas for off the beaten path explorations.

My husband and I had a great time walking through town with our camera in hand taking pictures of the public and private gardens and often getting landscaping ideas to bring back home to the north. Landscaping with stone and brick is common in the gardens.

Garden paths are often paved with old brick or stone and in some cases these walkways have been in place for over 50 years.( That's a long time by American standards.)

Don't overlook the beauty in the building architecture and historic homes of these two cities, , because they are amazing.

I had a great time capturing our trip through these garden pictures and also by writing down our activities and exploration in a journal. Going back and re-reading the journal and looking at the photos is a great way to relive your trips.

The history in the south is incredible and Southern Hospitality is awesome.

I can't wait to make another trip back there soon.

Charleston

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SBI!