Blooming Inspiration

first, let’s stroll through some gardens with the Cassina Garden Club on their 15th Annual Tabby & Tillandsia Garden Walk. Enjoy a self-guided tour of eight private gardens on St. Simons Island and the Butterfly Garden at Demere Park on Saturday, April 24. Gardens will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is no provided transportation to or between tour stops. Adding to the ambiance, members of the Golden Isles Youth Orchestra will be playing at various locations on the Walk and there will be artists creating plein air paintings at each stop. These plein air works will be available for purchase.

You’ll be provided with addresses for the stops with your ticket purchase, but here’s a sneak peek of some features of the gardens.

“Marsh View Cottage” overlooks the Bloody Marsh and is accessed by a trellised entry with tractor seat plants, blue plumbago and pots of spaghetti yuccas. You’ll long to cozy up on the front porch swing, next to the fire pit in the side courtyard, or by the hearth flanked by vintage wrought iron on the screened porch.

At the “Shady Oasis,” you’ll find a front garden lined with ferns and shaded by a towering oak canopy. A fence adorned with espaliered sasanqua camellias encloses the backyard and its year-round green lawn courtesy of artificial turf. A beckoning swing surrounded by colorful plantings and a charming artist’s studio are perfect settings for creative inspiration.

On the north end of the island, breathtaking “Villa Bellagio” boasts four lush, secluded lakeside acres. The spectacular Italian villa will not only capture your attention for its opulence and architectural splendor, but for the gorgeous resort sized pool and tennis courts. Multiple terraces ideal for entertaining offer incomparable views and are enhanced by beautiful planters overflowing with flowers.

“Riverside Retreat” is a Low Country charmer located on the ruins of the original Hampton Plantation. Crepe myrtles and charming wheelbarrows full of colorful annuals greet you as you approach the front door. Here, the gracious homeowner welcomes guests to walk through the house to view an extensive array of 18th and 19th century French, English and American antiques and ceramics, as well as an aviary of Australian and African finches. The expansive views of the Altamaha marshes and Sapelo Island are framed by magnificent Live oaks and deer resistant plantings.

The “Cozy Colonial” was once home to a shade garden where four generations of this family enjoyed happy times. After two hurricanes and the loss of ten trees, it has been transformed. Now mature camellias, magnificent magnolias, and Live oaks comprise this Southern showpiece.

inspiration

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A walkway of stones salvaged from the Oglethorpe Hotel lead to the back garden, guesthouse, pool, and large veranda. In the side yard, a hammock under the loblolly pine overlooking a beautiful lawn looks like an ideal spot for an afternoon nap.

A Live oaks lined driveway leads to the front entry of the “Black Banks Bungalow,” adorned with pots of colorful plantings. The garden and pool area can be found down a path of Savannah Grey bricks just beyond a flowering bed of Sago Palms. A spacious screened porch, pool and cabana with fireplace make this a perfect backyard oasis no matter the season.

At another stop, "White Columns," you'll find a Southern coastal home with marsh vistas. Fuchsia in vibrant shades of pink and purple encircle a Live oak in the front yard. A path leads to an archway beyond which lies a secret garden with mirrored trellises and a stacked stone koi pond surrounded by native ferns (pictured on page 27). At the end of the path you’ll find mirrored trellises and gas sconces adding a Parisian atmosphere beside the pool.

A porte-cochère surrounded by circular gardens of sago palms and liriope welcome you to this “Family Affair at Retreat.” The back garden and patio of this Island Club home reveals a bubbling fountain and terra cotta planters bursting with bougainvillea. The amazing outdoor living space with golf course views features a double sided fireplace and containers of brilliant bird-of-paradise. Statuary fountains provide plenty of privacy for the pool area, which is edged with palms, white drift roses and a podocarpus hedge.

The Butterfly Garden at Demere Park was designed to welcome butterflies and encourage all four stages of butterfly development. Abundant milkweed encourages the butterflies to lay their eggs and plentiful flowers provide ample food and water. The garden was designed in 2019 with over 200 new plantings to attract visits by the Monarchs, Tiger Swallowtails, Gulf Fritillaries, and Painted Ladies (represented by the painted butterflies placed in the garden) that make St Simons Island their home. The garden, redesigned and maintained by Live Oak Garden Club, is enjoyed year-round by visitors.

You’ll also want to stop by Cassina’s Historic Tabby Cabins at 1195 Arthur J. Moore Drive to pick up or purchase tickets on event day and to check out the annual plant sale and a silent auction of creative themed baskets with awesome items donated by members and local retailers. Snag a “Honeybee Basket” with treats from Savannah Bee Company or an “Italian

A path leads to an archway beyond which lies a secret garden with mirrored trellises and a stacked stone koi pond surrounded by native ferns.

Dinner & a Movie” that includes pasta, sauces, cookbook, packets of herbs to start your own garden, a copy of Disney’s classic Lady and the Tramp, and more. You’ll want to see all these clever creations and get your bids in! Tours of the cabins are available and will be conducted throughout the day by Cassina members. There will also be a food truck on site.

At the end of the day, there will be a Garden Party at the cabins from 3:00-5:00 p.m. with live music by Annie Akins. Silent auction winners will be announced at 4:30 p.m. Paintings from the gardens by the plein air artists will be for sale at the Garden Party as well. Additional sites you’re encouraged to visit during Garden Walk are sponsors ACE Garden Center at 2807 Demere Road and Restoration Imports at 125 Gary L. Moore Court. Both have been instrumental in helping Cassina Garden Club to make this day a success and are fabulous places to shop.

Garden Walk tickets can be purchased before April 24 for $30 each on the website at Cassinagardenclub.org via PayPal or credit card. Be sure to retain your receipt and bring with you for ticket pickup. Tickets will be available for pickup at the cabins on Gascoigne Bluff beginning at 9:00 a.m. the morning of Garden Walk. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the Garden Walk at the cabins for $35 each. Please bring your receipt when picking up your ticket at the cabins.

FOR ADDITIONAL INSPIRATION and to bring some garden elements home, stop by Goodyear Cottage on Jekyll Island between April 1 - 30 to see Ann Marie Dalis’ two and three dimensional exhibit “In and Out of the Garden” with Jekyll Island Art Association. The show features pottery including lanterns, planters, vases, and bud buckets. Paintings in watercolor and mixed media that includes printmaking, collage, and ink with subjects about the garden, from vases full of flowers to assemblages of botanical drawings and prints. Ann Marie says she’s had a blast creating this exhibit through the last year. To chat with this talented lady, drop by the opening reception for the exhibit on April 4 between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Open daily 12 - 4 p.m., for more information visit jekyllartists.com.

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