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By Dr. Bill Barrick, Executive Director From its earliest beginnings as a fishing camp, water was an important feature in the original design of Bellingrath Gardens. With so much natural water surrounding the site, it is interesting to see how…
By Tom McGehee, Museum Director of the Bellingrath Home Visitors from across the nation and around the world have enjoyed Bellingrath Gardens and Home since the Gardens first opened to the public in 1932. Over the past 84 years,…
By Dr. Bill Barrick, Executive Director The four seasonal hallmarks of the Gardens are camellias in winter; azaleas in spring; roses in summer; and chrysanthemums in fall. But soon, hydrangeas may eclipse roses as we continue to add plantings of…
By Tom McGehee, Museum Director of the Bellingrath Home When Walter Bellingrath purchased his fishing camp, the property had an enviable riverfront location but no modern conveniences. A wood-burning stove occupied the kitchen; lighting was by kerosene; and…
By Dr. Bill Barrick, Executive Director In many of the past blogs and newsletters, I have written about using tropical plants in our summer displays. Traditionally, we have always used a wide array of tropical hibiscus, copper and allamandas to…
By Tom McGehee, Museum Director of the Bellingrath Home Each summer, millions of Americans take to the roads to see natural and historic landmarks across the nation. Most of these vacations last a few days or a couple of weeks.…
By Dr. Bill Barrick, Executive Director Begonias are one of the most interesting group of ornamental plants, with more than 1,000 species distributed throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. In 1978, Hortus Third, the published “Bible” for horticulture,…
By Tom McGehee, Museum Director of the Bellingrath Home Almost exactly 100 years ago, Walter Bellingrath commemorated Mother’s Day with a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Catherine McMillan Bellingrath. In a six-page letter dated May 13, 1916, Mobile’s first Coca-Cola bottler…
By Tom McGehee, Museum Director of the Bellingrath Home In August of 1940, the owner of Rothschild’s Antiques on Royal Street in New Orleans wrote Mrs. Bellingrath a letter. He regretted having been out of town during her recent visit,…
By Dr. Bill Barrick, Executive Director Year after year, the plantings of Timber Bamboo in the Gardens continue to generate questions, particularly this time of year when the new shoots appear. Visitors are enthralled by the exotic look of…