Middleton Place

Pre-Visit:

• America's oldest formal landscaped gardens.
• Henry Middleton was president of the first continental congress.
• His son Arthur was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
• Henry Middleton acquired the property when he married Mary Williams, the estate was apart of her dowry.
• Many Landscape Architecture Historians today consider the style embraced by Middleton to be a missing link between the 17th and 18th centuries in landscape design-between the geometrically precise French and the free and Romantic English Landscape Doctrines.
• The formal influence can be seen in the remains of the mount, bowling green, reflecting pool, and formally laid out flower beds.
• Middleton and Slaves worked on the garden for 10 years.
• Known as an "organic historical document".
• Henry Middleton II was friends with Andre Michaux who donated the first 4 camellias to the property.
• Henry's son, Williams did the Azalea plantings that were popular before the civil war.

During Visit:

• Formal but very open English feel.
• Reflection pool at entrance.
• The ruins-->the main dwelling, built early in the 18th century and the north flanker were burned by union troops.
• The house museum. 
• Spring House and plantation chapel.
• South green walk.
• Parterre, Terraces and butterfly lakes.
• "Reine des fleurs."
• Octagonal sunken garden.
• Arthur Middleton's tomb.
• Camellia allees.
• Secret gardens.
• Giant crepe myrtle.
• Cypress lake.
• Flooded rice fields.
• woods walk.
• woods nymph.
• Rice Mill.
• Middleton oak.
• Sundial and rose garden.
• Azalea hillside.
• Sugar cane mill.
• Rice mill pond bridge.

Plant List:

• Camellia sinensis
• yellowwood tree
• Camellia japonica
• Camellia sasanqua
• Crepe myrtle
• Italian cypress
• oaks
• ivy
• azalea
• boxwood
• creeping fig
• pansy
• rosemary
• saw palmetto

Circulation: tabby walk, chapel hill granite, stone, concrete
Essence: Formal with wide open english feel

Post-Visit:

• Did not appreciate all the muddy paths.
• Enjoyed the nursery they have as always.
• Tucked away statues that peek out throughout numerous places in the garden.
• Very open as compared to magnolia gardens.
• wildlife--->sheep, goats, swans