Going on a Garden Walk

Back in 2006, the Cassina Garden Club of Saint Simons Island started

hosting a tour of usually 7 private gardens in St. Simons and some years, 

Sea Island, for the public viewing. This event has evolved into 

a much loved annual event for visitors and residents alike.  

I have been wanting to go on this tour for several years, but this

is the first year everything fell into place. 

Myself and several other floral enthusiast packed up the car 

and headed South to Saint Simons Island. 

Our first tour stop on the Garden Walk took us to the part of the island

known as East Beach. This is where a 1950's bungalow, that was

original at the King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort, was moved.

The front of the bungalow and garden pathways were created

using pebbles. 

One thing I noticed at almost all of the 

gardens was the use of free standing pots. 

Fences create wonderful backdrops. In this garden one was covered in 

Confederate jasmine and had a border of purple agapanthus and fern.

At each home, there were local artist working on paintings that would 

be for sale later at the Marketplace. 

We really enjoyed this home. The owner had a beautiful

deck area for outdoor entertaining. 

The deck also included a place to enjoy the sun or the shade. 

I loved the creative privacy treatment on the doors leading 

from the deck into the house. This was the only home that

we got to actually go into the house. But interior pictures

were not permitted. Oh how I wish I could have used 

my phone camera to capture all the great details inside! 

Tour Stop 2 was a gardeners delight. This is the home

of a Master Gardener and the garden was started two years ago. 

The front yard has raised beds for herbs, vegetables and

citrus. All of these need plenty of sun! 

As we started around the side of the house we saw

the beautiful hanging baskets that were on the porch. 

What a great place to relax and the ceiling is painted a 

beautiful blue. This comes from and old southern tradition.

 There are many stories and legends, such as keeping bugs at bay. 

But in the Deep South, a darker blue sometimes called “haint blue,” 

is believed by some to keep away evil spirits.

Also in their side yard was this interesting piece of 

"yard art." I wish someone could have told us the 

interpretation of this unique piece. 

We walked through this arbor, with the bright blue

gates, into their back yard.  

Again in this yard, they had a combination of planted 

landscape and pots. 

Would this not be a great place to relax and read

in their arbor swing. The bright blue sculpture is a fountain.

Such tranquility! 

This home also had an outdoor dining area

and as we walked around the other side of the house, we found a 

comfortable sitting area that offered a wonderful place 

to enjoy visiting with friends and neighbors. 

We strolled across the street  to see Tour Stop 3.

This home had a large wrap around porch and the 
ceiling was painted with an ivy trellis. 

Here you can see one of my friends talking with the 
artist about her painting and also a chandelier that 
they had hung over their table area.

The gardeners at this home liked to grow plants
that don't normally thrive in the coastal Georgia 
climate, outdoor philodendron and numerous 
rare perennials. 

Their prize plant (in the back top corner) is a blue grey 
century cactus, or American Agave. It started at12 inches
and has now grown to 8 feet tall! The pictures don't 
begin to show how big it is!

Our next stop took us to a beautiful marsh side 
home with numerous heat loving plants and azaleas. 

This home not only had the beautiful mash view, but 
a lovely pool area with tropical potted plants. 

This lovely white column home, from the front, offers 
a Southern plantation feel.

The side of this home had  a partial sun and shade 
area that was perfect for a large grouping of 
different types of hydrangeas. 

The back of the house offered you a beautiful view 
across the marsh!

Another partial sun and shade area had a grouping 
of ferns. I think, but am not sure, these are 
bird nest ferns. 

This is a sour orange tree. It is said the 16th century 
Spaniards settlers made sour orange pies.

We got a sample of these sour orange dainties. 
They were sour, but good! 

There were two more stops. One that did not allow any pictures made 
of their yard. The other had so many people roaming around in 
their garden area, I was not able to get a good picture. 

Our fun wasn't over yet. We went back to Gascoigne Bluff 
to visit the Marketplace. 

They had unusual yard art for sale.

They also had gifts, plants and the artist paintings you could purchase.

The late Audrey Hepburn said

To Plant a Garden is to believe in tomorrow!