The Gardens

The story of Bellingrath Gardens and Home began in 1903 when Walter Duncan Bellingrath purchased the franchise to bottle Coca-Cola in Mobile.  Walter Bellingrath started out as a one-man operation and slowly built his fortune.  In 1906, he married his stenographer, Bessie Mae Morse.

In 1917, amidst sugar shortages and an influenza outbreak, Mr. Bellingrath consulted his physician with a list of ailments.  After a thorough examination, Dr. Paul McGehee concluded Mr. Bellingrath was a work-a-holic  and needed to “learn how to play.”  Since the doctor knew Mr. Bellingrath was contemplating the purchase of a fishing camp on Fowl River, he prescribed for his patient to do so and enjoy life. 

The camp included two dilapidated shacks, no electricity or running water, but Walter Bellingrath loved it.  He and his father-in-law fixed up the cabins and added screened porches while using the property for hunting and fishing.  In the 1920s one of the shacks was removed to build a lodge with beamed ceilings, a large fireplace and screened porches overlooking Fowl River.

Mrs. Bellingrath’s love of gardens was well known and the couple’s South Ann Street home was admired for its extensive gardens.  In fact, the Bellingraths often allowed garden admirers access to their driveway, which was known for numerous azalea and camellia blooms. 

An avid garden lover, Mrs. Bellingrath soon realized available property for additional azaleas, camellias and other plants was diminishing on South Ann Street.  Open acres of land on her husband’s fishing camp allowed room for a variety of plants and Mrs. Bellingrath soon gave the property a feminine touch.

Frequent travelers, the Bellingraths ventured on a European excursion in the summer of 1927.  Throughout their visit, they gained a deep appreciation for the beautiful English estates and European gardens.  Upon their return, they hired prominent Mobile architect, George B. Rogers to design a garden for the couple.  Since there were no landscape architects in that era, the city’s finest architect was chosen for the job.

Rogers took meandering paths and added a back drop of tall camellias and azaleas, which he and Mrs. Bellingrath collected from across the Deep South.  Water features of fountains and waterfalls were installed and framed with English flagstone walkways.  The stone had been obtained from old city sidewalks in Mobile where they had been in place since arriving as ballast in English sailing vessels collecting loads of cotton for the mills at Manchester. 

The Gardens Open to the Public

During the spring of 1932, a national garden club meeting was being held in Mobile.  On Sunday, April 7, 1932, the Bellingraths issued a general invitation to the public to view the Gardens between one and five that afternoon.  Over 5,000 Mobilians jammed the roads to see what the Bellingraths called “Belle Camp,” currently in the height of its azalea season.  Mobile’s police force was needed to direct traffic.  The couple was stunned.

Overwhelmed by the response, the Bellingraths soon opened the Gardens to the public for spring appreciation and named the former fishing camp Bellingrath Gardens.  Two years later in 1934, the couple decided to open the Gardens year-round.  Mr. Bellingrath often said the Gardens were like a beautiful woman with a different dress for each week of the year.

Year-Round Floral Beauty
Throughout the year, Bellingrath Gardens and Home features a wide variety of flowering plants throughout the 65 acre estate.  From camellias in winter, azaleas in spring, roses in summer, chrysanthemums in autumn and poinsettias during the holidays, Bellingrath Gardens and Home is always beautiful, but never the same.

Winter Wonderland: January through February
Enjoy the wonders of a Winter Wonderland at Bellingrath Gardens and Home!  Featuring tulips, snapdragons, pansies, ornamental cabbage and kale, camellias, daffodils, poppies, primroses, paper whites, narcissus and more, January and February at Bellingrath is truly a wonderful time to visit.  Participate in our Winter Wednesdays and learn more about winter gardens in the Gulf Coast.

Spring Spectacular: March through April
Spring at Bellingrath is one of the most beautiful times of the year, featuring over 250,000 azaleas, hydrangeas, Easter lilies, impatiens, salvia, fuchsia, geraniums and more.  Enjoy Azalea Season from mid March through early April and see an explosion of color.  Varieties of azaleas include 'Formosa,' 'Daphne Salmon,' 'Encore,' 'Southern Charm,' 'G.G. Gerbing,' 'George L. Tabor,' 'Christmas Cheer,' Pericat hybrids and Mobile’s famous 'Pride of Mobile.'  The first blush of the Rose Garden is also featured during the third week of April and extends through the first frost in December.

Summer Sensation: May through August
Enjoy the warm summer days of south Alabama reflected in the blooms of allamandas, hibiscus, copper plants, begonias, ornamental peppers, bougainvillea, caladiums, coleus, vinca, marigolds and more.  The Most Outstanding Public Rose Garden in the United States is also featured during this time.  Over 2,000 roses in 75 varieties encompass the Rose Garden, which was completed in 1934, and was designed from Mr. Bellingrath’s Rotary Club lapel pin.

Fall Festival: September through November
Enjoy hibiscus, copper plants, garden-style chrysanthemums and roses as the Gardens change from the tropicals of summer to the deep colors of autumn.  Also, view one of the country’s largest outdoor displays of chrysanthemums.  Over 8,000 bedded, potted and cascading mums are displayed from the Home and Boehm Gallery balconies and the Mirror Lake Bridge.

Holiday Splendor:  December
The holiday season would not be complete without a visit to Bellingrath Gardens and Home!  In addition to Magic Christmas in Lights, the Gardens are set ablaze with poinsettias in shades of red, pink, white, yellow, green and marbled effects.  The Gardens also feature snapdragons, ornamental cabbage and kale, pansies and amaryllis.