CHARLESTON, 8S. C. 


MAGNOLIA GARDENS 
Magnolia Gardens were made world-famous by 
its azaleas being seen by the thousands of people 
who visited every spring—few ever realizing the 
magnificent camellias they walked by were even 
growing there—their glory had passed with the 
coming of the azaleas. Those who really know the 
Gardens feel that the place should be famous for its 
camellia collection which so few people see in the 
winter and early spring. 
These camellias were imported by the Reverend 
John G. Drayton, creator of Magnolia Gardens, 
during the 1840’s from France and Belgium. We 
have a letter of his written to a fellow minister 
dated 1858 in which he states “I was afraid the other 
day that I had been exaggerating when in answer 
to his inguiries, I told a friend that I supposed 
- their might be some 120 varieties of camellias at 
Magnolia. So I sat down and summed up the count 
afterwards and found that number of fine double 
varieties and how many more, I do not pretend to 
know—their name seems to be something like 
legion. Many of the plants are near 10 feet high and 
as thick as a holly bush—with almost as many 
flowers as leaves—’’. Some of these have reached 
collossal proportions, one double variety now meas- 
uring 28 feet in height, 23 feet through, and 16 
inches in trunk diameter. 
A few of our varieties have been on the mar- 
ket for years, and you will be surprised to find you 
probably already have some of them in your collec- 
tion. cea 
