Yellow Canna

 

Debutante Camellia

Garden History

In 1765 the American naturalist John Bartram passed by Woodmanston. Fifteen miles south of the plantation he discovered the famous "lost" Franklinia Altamaha. By the early 19th century botanists from around the world were drawn to the region in search of rare and unknown plants. They found many of these plants at Woodmanston under the meticulous care of Louis LeConte. Louis cultivated and built an extensive knowledge of coastal Georgia's native flora. Although he didn't belong to any professional scientific organizations or publish his research, he shared his knowledge freely with leading naturalists and botanists who offered him their respect and consulted him frequently. Louis associated with William Baldwin, John Abbot, Stephen Elliot, Thomas Nuttall and John Torrey. Several of these famous men visited Woodmanston where Louis led them on specimen collecting excursions. Louis also sent specimens to his relatives in New Jersey and Philadelphia and solicited samples from their gardens to try at Woodmanston.

Louis's botanical gardens measured over an acre. His collection of Camellias was extraordinary. Some reached fifteen feet high with trunks over a foot in diameter. He is also believed to have cultivated 40 different species of flowering bulbs, some native and others from such diverse locations as Barbados, Mexico, Portugal and Spain. In a natural bog, behind the formal gardens, he collected and grew water loving plants like yellow and blue Canna, Spider Lily and Hibiscus.

After the death of his wife, Louis devoted much time and energy to his garden in an effort to divert his grief. His son, Joseph, recalled that: "This large garden was the pride of my father. Every day after his breakfast...he walked about the garden, enjoying its beauty and neatness and giving minute directions for its care and improvements."

The LeConte garden reached its peak at the time of Louis's death in 1838. Research indicates that there were probably no finer specimens of Camellia Japonicas and bulb-type plants growing in any single garden in America. Read the Southern Edition article - "Daffodils in Early Southern Gardens".

For information about how you can come and visit the gardens go to the "Plan Your Visit" and "Contact Us" pages.