Magnolia Gardens

Located 10 miles northwest of Charleston, SC on Route 61.

Pre-Visit:

• Thomas Drayton Jr. first established gardens.
• The gardens are composed of 500 acres adjacent to the Ashley River only a few miles from Middleton Place.
• John Drayton set about to change the French influenced formal beds and walks to reflect the new English flair for a romantic, pastoral landscape.
• Informal Romantic paths through "wilderness".
• During the Civil War the plantation house was burned and the grounds were left untouched.
• 1870 tourists accessed the garden from paddle steamer.
• First man-made attraction in the U.S.
• 1900 Baedeker tourist guide named Magnolia Gardens as 1 of 3 important tourist sites along with Niagra Falls and Grand Canyon.
• Open year round 12 months a year.
• Biblical Garden patterned after the garden at the Cathedral of St.John the divine in NYC. 

During visit:

• Very free form and natural.
• Lots of spanish moss and marsh land.
• Rain the whole time but it accented the plants nicely.
• Gazebos.
• Quote plaque at entrance.
• Vines under arbors for seating.
• White arbor with wisteria and black reclined benches.
• Tucked away statues.
• Biblical Garden.
• Knot Garden.
• Cross planter with mother mary statue.
• Red oriental bridge with side planters.
• Miss Julianna paddle steamer.
• Old chairs and benches.
• Black arbor with Jessamine and roses.
• Boxwood hedge around tree.
• Trees with benches grown into tree.
• White bridges against swamp with green algae.
• Pelican statues in swamp.
• Bridge with tree in it.
• Stone ponds.
• Cool fences.
• Labyrinth.
• Circulation: Flagstone with pea gravel -gravel with brick -grass paths
• Essence: swampy mysterious informal free flowing garden.

Plant List:

• Gilanthus
• Pear
• Cherry
• Crape Myrtle
• Daffodils
• Saucer Magnolia
• Nandina
• Azalea
• Wisteria
• Ivy
• Boxwood
• Windmill palm
• Forsythia
• Camellia japonica
• Liriope
• Redbud
• Witchazel
• Poppies
• Bamboo
• live oak
• pine
• Camellia sasanqua
• star magnolia
• red maple
• water lilies
• jessamine
• roses

Post-Visit:

• Favorite garden so far.
• Informal.
• Lots of tucked away statues.
• Lunch with peacocks and roosters.
• Each area of interest labeled with numbers
• Numerous bridges and attractions.
• Wildlife--->gators