Spring is back again, bringing with it warmer weather and the beautiful plant life that the Garden City is known for. One of my favorite places to go during this season is the historic Pendleton King Park located at 1600 Troupe St. It has a collection of gardens, as well as community amenities such as an 18-hole disc golf course, playground and a dog park.
Walter A. Wilson Camellia Garden
This is the first camellia garden planted in the park, placed by Walter Wilson in 1991. He registered and named nearly all the camellias after friends and family.
Jim Stutts Camellia Garden
Established in 2003, this camellia garden was dedicated to camellia expert Jim Stutts. According to the Pendleton King Park website, a lot of the camellias seen in gardens around the Augusta area were gifts given by Stutts.
The Azalea Walk
This small path connects the Camellia Gardens and a gazebo overlooking the Arboretum. Flanked by different species of azaleas, spring brings a bright splash of color to the trail.
Touch and Smell Garden
This garden was designed in the 70s by Roger Davis, an Augusta landscape architect. As the name suggests, the goal of this garden is to encourage visitors to break away from just using sight to identify plants and instead rely on the senses of touch and smell. The pool in the center of the garden can be used to rinse hands and get rid of any perfume when going from one plant to another
Sunken Blue Garden
This garden was stablished by John Pendleton King II, who had an affinity for blue plants. Surrounded by carefully manicured shrubs, in the center of this garden sits the urn which holds whatever blue flower is in season.
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St. Julian Cox, III is a photojournalist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at saintjulianc@gmail.com
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