We are heading west across the Florida panhandle, Alabama and Mississippi on I-10 and had to stop at Bellingrath Gardens again....it's too gorgeous to pass over. The Azaleas are all over the place and oh so colorful. We'll let the photos of the flowers and grounds speak for themselves.
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| In the greenhouse...Hibiscus |
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| Mirror Lake |
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| Mirror Lake |
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| Wisteria |
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| Not sure..maybe a Firecracker plant? |
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| Tulips and Dusty Miller |
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| Don't know the name of this one....this was about the only one in bloom. |
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| Lacecap Hydrangea |
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| Rose Garden |
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| Azalea Goddess at the park. |
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| Azalea closeup....there are only those spots on the upper half...none on the lower half. |
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| Azalea closeup....there are only those spots on the upper half...none on the lower half. |
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| Lacecap Hydrangea |
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| Lacecap Hydrangea |
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| Orchids |
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| Crotons |
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| Orchids |
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| Pineapple |
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| Pansies |
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| Daffodil |
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| Lacecap Hydrangea |
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| Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow |
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| Lacecap Hydrangea in the three stages of growth. |
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| Behind the Bellingrath house...I spotted the Goddess again. |
Here's a few links to get more information about the gardens and the man named Bellingrath.
http://bellingrath.org/
http://bellingrath.org/gardens-home/museum-home/
Apparently, Coca-Cola was a good business to be in when it got started.....here's a bit about Mr. Bellingrath....
Though a native of Atlanta, Walter Bellingrath was raised in the small town of Castleberry, Alabama, where he got his start at the age of 17 with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. His first job was as a station manager and his duties included sending and receiving telegraph messages. His old telegraph key sits on his desk in the Bellingrath Home as a reminder of those simple beginnings with one of the South’s most generous benefactors.
In 1903, Walter and his older brother William heard about an opportunity to purchase the new franchise to sell bottled Coca-Cola in southern Alabama. The franchise territory stretched down to the Gulf Coast and when it was determined that they should split the territory, Walter took Mobile since, as he later joked, he liked to fish. The Mobile Coca-Cola Bottling Company became one of the most successful in the United States and Walter Bellingrath’s business interests stretched to owning the National Mosaic Tile Company, serving on the board of the First National Bank, owning a warehousing company and he was an original founder of Waterman Steamship Company of Mobile.
http://bellingrath.org/learn-more/history/
If you're ever near Mobile, Alabama, make a trip south about 15 miles to see this place. It's well worth it.
Steve and Kim
