Designed by Plauché Johnson Landscape Architects, this lovely garden is maintained by the Gulf
Coast Herb Society, and has seven raised beds filled with herbs grouped into seven categories: culinary, medicinal, spiritual, native, historical, household and fragrant.
Now home to over 500 camellias and over 100 companion plant species, this garden is comprised of four collections: historical, Mobile area originations, camellia species, and camellia classics. A blend of the new and old, approximately 75 of the camellias here are several decades old while young seedlings have been planted as recently as Fall 2007.
The John Allen Smith
Memorial
Japanese Maple Garden
Containing a lovely collection of Japanese maples donated by John Allan Smith, this garden is an especially tranquil area ajacent to the Herb Garden. The memorial wall entrance contains tributes to loved ones.
The Fern Glade
Nestled between the wildlife trails and Wintergarden, this area is fed by springs and contains many varieties of ferns as well as cardinal spear and Louisiana iris.
This 27-acre area is periodically subjected to controlled burns to preserve it and encourage reseeding. Thousands of wildflowers bloom along its meandering trails, making it a favorite site for walkers.
The first garden to be installed, visitors will find a picturesque garden with a koi pond and bridge, and a wide variety of textural plants with fragrant blooms and leaves.