Georgia Magazine - January 2025 - 32

GEORGIA Gardens
By Pamela A. Keene
Georgia's iconic horticultural
wonders
I
t's hard to live in Georgia without hearing about
the hedges at Sanford Stadium in Athens. Each
spring, Thomasville's Rose Show and Festival
draws thousands of visitors to the state's official
" Rose City. "
But have you heard the story behind Macon's
historic Yoshino cherry trees? And did you know that
the American Camellia Society is headquartered in
central Georgia?
What do a massive winter-blooming garden,
trees from Japan, the Georgia Bulldogs' hedges and
a festival's famous roses have in common? These
landmarks are all part of Georgia's rich horticultural
heritage.
Here's a closer look at the stories behind these
Georgia treasures.
The winter rose
Showing their colors when almost every other
plant is tucked in for the cold, camellias have earned
the nickname " the winter rose. "
" With more than 1,000 varieties in bloom at
Massee Lane Gardens [near Fort Valley] from the fall
through early spring, we have one of the finest
collections of camellias in the world, " says Matthew
Israel, executive director of the American Camellia
Society, headquartered at the gardens.
The blooms' colors include white and shades of
pink and red, with solid or variegated petals.
Camellia sasanqua blooms in the fall, has small
flowers and grows in sunny landscapes. Camellia
japonica varieties blossom from early winter into the
spring; their flowers are showy, and they prefer to be
planted in shadier spots.
" These two species of camellias are prominent
in the South, and both are simply stunning and easy
to grow, " he says. " Japonica blooms can [come in
many forms], but don't sell sasanquas short. As the
harbingers of winter, their fall single or double
flowers add an abundance of color to the landscape. "
To see camellias at their peak, visit Massee Lane
Gardens during the Festival of Camellias Feb. 1-28,
with guided tours given by experts.
" Camellias have earned their place in Southern
32 Georgia Magazine January 2025
An up-close view of a Camellia japonica 'Debutante' bloom shows its delicate
petals and vibrant pink hue.
gardens, " Israel says. " Their blossoms shine bright in the winter, putting on
spectacular shows when almost nothing else is blooming. "
For more information, visit americancamellias.com.
Paint the town pink
Each spring, Macon transforms into a sea of pink with thousands of
Yoshino cherry trees. The International Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates
the blooms March 21-30.
Macon real estate agent William A. Fickling Sr. is credited with
introducing Yoshino cherry trees to Macon in the early 1950s after a trip to
Washington, D.C., during its Cherry Blossom Festival.
" He was so impressed with the mass of blossoms [that] he began
propagating the trees and giving them away across the city, " says Michael
Glisson, director of parks for Macon-Bibb County. " In 1973, Keep MaconBibb
Beautiful Commission chair Carolyn Crayton asked Fickling to donate
approximately 500 trees if she organized the planting. "
By 1982, the city was awash with pink each March, and Crayton
created the first International Cherry Blossom Festival.
Over the decades, Macon has planted, gifted and sold thousands of
Yoshino cherry trees. Last year, as part of a restoration effort, the city
planted 100 to 150 more Yoshino cherry trees along with numerous
early-blooming Okami cherry trees and late-blooming Kwanzan cherry
PAMELA A. KEENE
http://www.americancamellias.com
Georgia Magazine - January 2025

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