Magnolia Gardens: Charleston’s foremost treasure and my favorite and most frequently visited place to experience the beauty of Nature in every season in Daydreaming on the Porch

Garden experts all over the world agree that Charleston, South Carolina’s greatest treasure, foremost of even its historical and architectural attractions, is Magnolia Gardens

AAA Motorist, 1983
 

I have seen gardens, many gardens in England, France and Italy… but no horticulture that I have seen devised by mortal man approaches the unearthly enchantment of the azaleas at Magnolia Gardens.

Lady Baltimore Magazine, 1906
 

I specialize in gardens, and freely assert that none in the world is so beautiful as [Magnolia Gardens]… Nothing…so gracious, so lovely, wistful, so richly colored… It is a kind of Paradise… a miraculously enchanted wilderness… it is.

Century Magazine.  John Galsworthy, 1921.
 



It is true, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Charleston’s Magnolia Gardens are otherworldly in their beauty.   Indeed, I have said to myself on many occasions that I have indeed found a corner of Paradise, or what I would envision it to be like.

This past Spring the gardens seemed to be more astonishingly beautiful than I ever recall, particularly the azaleas, which I extensively photographed on several visits in March and April.  

One wants to come up close to the azaleas and behold their special but fleeting loveliness. If you do come up close, it’s best to do so when the petals are backlit by the sun, for then you can see what look like hundreds of little crystals reflecting the light.

It’s in knowing how fragile and short-lived the blooming period is that makes this annual spectacle of Nature such a longed-for gift during the winter months.

It’s hard to believe it is mid Autumn and winter is approaching.   But the gardens are beautiful any time of year. On many occasions all year round, I head out to Magnolia to relax and wander the paths amid the tranquil beauty of the shrubs, flowers and small lakes. Right now the magnificent camellias are blooming all around the oldest sections of the garden, and will be through February and into March. They love cold weather.

Here is a selection of some of my favorite photos from Magnolia taken during recent visits:

Most recent, November 18, 2022

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/5zBi6t839U

Older photos:

April 2013

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/74ww5n3V28

March 20, 2013

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/0jrz70fr8c

Last updated November 21, 2022