Our Spring Home and Garden issue wouldn’t be complete without a preview of the Cassina Garden Club’s annual Tabby & Tillandsia Garden Walk. It’s always a treat to see what private gardens have been chosen and the wide variety of styles and species of plants they present. Whether you’re an avid gardener and green thumb or simply someone who likes to meander amidst beautiful surroundings, you’ll enjoy this year’s self-guided tour of eight private gardens that offer colorful blooms, entrancing vistas, charming courtyards, and eclectic art. The day’s festivities will also include a plant sale and garden party with live entertainment.
Before we dig into this year’s gardens, let’s talk about the organization who presents the Garden Walk. The oldest garden club in Glynn County, Cassina Garden Club was founded in 1928 and is currently comprised of approximately 130 members. The garden club has served as the guardians of the historic Hamilton Plantation tabby slave cabins at Gascoigne Bluff on St. Simons Island since they were granted stewardship in 1932, and later deeded the property in 1950. It was through Cassina’s efforts that these cabins built in the early 1800s were placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1988 and recently underwent a historically correct restoration to their original structures. If you have not toured the cabins or visited the grounds, you are invited to do so for free during the Garden Walk. Funds from the Garden Walk are used to support and maintain the cabins and grounds. Cassina Garden Club promotes the love of gardening and horticulture with entertaining and informative programs. Cassina has also sponsored various civic and beautification projects on the island and donates to other local non-profits. The co-chairs of the 2022 Garden Walk are Judie Mattie and Julie Sellers. The Platinum Title sponsor of the Garden Walk and a huge continuous supporter of the Cassina Garden Club is ACE Garden Center.
The 16th annual Garden Walk will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 30. Cassina Garden Club members will be at the tabby cabins at (1195 Arthur J. Moore Drive) welcoming guests and selling tickets, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Free activities taking place there will include a member cultivated plant sale, tours of the historic cabins by Garden Club docents, a food truck offering tasty treats, and a Garden Party with music by Annie Akins from 3:30-5:30pm to wrap up the day. Here are brief descriptions of the private gardens on this year’s Garden Walk:
A Fresh Approach
If you’re lucky, you might be greeted by the celebrity who lives at this stop on the Garden Walk. Della the Duck is no stranger to the winding brick walkways or sculpted lawns and beds you’ll see in the open and uncluttered landscaping here. Contrasting shapes, textures, and values are what makes this outdoor space pleasing to the senses. The beauty and serenity of the landscape is enhanced by a wide variety of carefully arranged plants that are known to flourish in our coastal environment.
Black Banks Sculpture Garden
Art and architecture are noteworthy at this stop in Black Banks. The work of Frank Lloyd Wright inspired the architecture of the stunning home and large sculptures on the property by artist Stephen Kishel provide pops of color and eye-catching appeal. When it comes to the horticultural features, birds of paradise and mature agave flank the home’s entrance, camellias and a clumping bamboo hedge provide privacy along the side path, and the back yard is home to flowing Muhly grass and several native plants.
Colorful Hideaway
A floral fiesta is what comes to mind when you take in the features of this stop. There are bright colored lanterns swinging gently above cheery flowers, Mexican tiles decorating the walkways and rear patio, a garden that boasts whimsical yard art, and Koi ponds with playful fish sculptures. The homeowner is a true gardener that displays her passion for a vivid palette with plantings of vibrant hibiscus and splashes of seasonal color.
Cottage on the Cul-de-Sac
The owner of this lovely tucked-away cottage clearly has a love for English gardens. You’ll see boxwood topiaries along the generous front walkway along with Pringle’s dwarf Podocarpus and in the backyard garden surrounded by seasonal bloomers. It’s easy to imagine tiger swallowtails frolicking around the “Sunrise over East Beach” sculpture in the butterfly garden. A sparkling blue pool with floating lounges beckons guests completes this island oasis.
Garden on the Green
Extensive golf course views are a prime feature of this recently remodeled Sea Palms home that sits nestled under the oaks. Colorful tree-form Hawthorns frame the breezeway that connects the studio to the home where gracious owners welcome you to walk through. An elevated train in the game room will appeal to your inner child and the two-story living room is an entertainer’s dream! In the back garden you’ll find a bubbling bird fountain surrounded by holly ferns and variegated tri-color ginger while elephant ear plants, giant philodendron and liriope edge the crescent shaped patio. Planters with a wide variety of succulents sit by the screen porch.
Marsh Side Retreat
You can’t miss the stately Canary Island date palm that welcomes you to this beautiful home, but it certainly doesn’t produce the most impressive fruit. For that you’ll want to visit the raised bed citrus grove that boasts Persian lime, Meyer lemon, Ponkan tangerine, Satsuma tangerine, and variegated pink lemon trees, as well as the interesting fruit cocktail tree. White Encore azaleas and lush palmettos line the expansive back lawn. An outdoor living room with cozy fireplace overlooks a pool surrounded by urns of agave and seasonal plantings and a panoramic marsh and marina view.
Shades of Green
In this low maintenance landscape, several varieties of plants with variegated foliage create a soft verdant palette for the semi-shaded area. A corner swing provides an idyllic place to relax and enjoy this peaceful space. Plantings along the path lovingly tended by the homeowner include ajuga, agapanthus, hydrangea, fatsias, farfugium japonicum (or leopard plants), and African iris. Artfully mixed in with the majestic live oaks are Meyer lemon, olive, and maple trees.
Vistas at King’s Point
This timeless Spanish villa welcomes visitors with a formal courtyard garden featuring massive Enzo Zago Italian terra cotta containers filled with dramatic mature agave plants at its center. To the side of the home, you’ll encounter a formal boxwood garden and “Jim the Rabbit” as well as stunning vistas of the Sidney Lanier Bridge and Brunswick River. A hydrangea-lined path leads to the rear garden and pool area. Muhly and native grasses provide low-maintenance year-round texture and color. An expansive veranda invites entertaining where guests can enjoy marvelous marsh views and whimsical garden sculptures. Lush giant philodendron Xanadu and Chinese fringe trees line the drive.
Descriptions and photos taken “off season” can never do these gardens justice, so please get your tickets and visit these beautiful outdoor oases for yourself. Each one has its own special appeal, and you can stroll through them all at your leisure with Garden Club docents at each stop to point out interesting features and answer any questions you might have. If you’re a gardener, there’s a wealth of inspiration! Even if you aren’t, it’s a wonderful way to enjoy a day on the island, especially if you end the afternoon with refreshments and musical entertainment during the Garden Party at the tabby cabins. So, grab your hats, sunglasses, bug spray, and some comfy shoes, and meet us in the garden on April 30!
Garden Walk tickets are $30 in advance and may be purchased locally at ACE Garden Center, GJ Ford Bookshop, St. Simons Drug Co., and Righton Books. They can also be purchased online with a credit card or via PayPal at cassinagardenclub.org and picked up at the cabins on the day of the Garden Walk. Same-day tickets will be sold for $35 at the cabins. For further ticket information, please contact Gail Cook at 404.310.1525 or gailcook52@hotmail.com.
