Friday, April 2, 2010

Even After 50 years, Charleston Plantation Garden Photos Still Look the Same...









I am amazed at the preservation of our local plantation gardens. The gardens in the background of these old photos (top) of my Mother with her brother Hugh (and his wife, seated) taken in May, 1959 at Middleton Gardens look exactly the same today. When so many things change in the world, this is what Charleston is good at. Preservation. When I took my daughter to Magnolia Gardens this morning (just 2 miles down the road from Middleton) I imagined that it's exactly as it was when my mother used to visit in the '50s and '60s. So here we are 50 years and two generations later. The gardens are unchanged, well preserved, and the photos look the same...just like as if it was May, 1959.

What amazed us at Magnolia:
• Gorgeous winter rye mixing in with fields of many varieties of daffodils.
• Peacocks everywhere. Some were busy bodies, trying everything they could to snatch sandwiches out of the hands of little ones.
• The ornamental trees in bloom were spectacular.
• So many alligators basking in the sun in the old rice ponds.
• Migratory birds, like the white faced coot. Coots are cute!
• The Peacock cafe, although pricey ($8 for a chicken salad and pecan sandwich) served pretty good food.
• The Nature train was a relaxing way to enjoy the breeze and get a birds eye view of wild turkey's, turtles, frogs, and many species of trees and plants.
• Tourist infra-structure. Everyth
ing you need is right here.
• The indoor Barbados Tropical Garden which my daughter thought was "AWESOME!"
http://www.magnoliaplantation.com

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