ACT I.
There’s a beauty that beggars description. That is the beauty one finds in Bellingrath Gardens. The first act of the Bellingrath Gardens Show opens in October, when the wondrous Camellias begin to bloom. The Camellia Japonica has no equal in the plant world for its beauty and fitness for the glorification of the home and garden. A native of Japan, it was introduced through European channels to Mobile about one hundred years ago. Possibly some five or six hundred varieties exist, embracing many types and colors. Pure white through every shade of pink to deep red and crimson, ending with some blooms having a decided purplish cast, no other flowering plant can give such a diversity of types, a range baffling description. Singles, semidoubles, peony flowering types, some with dense pompon centers, other shaggy flowers with center petals whirled and twisted, full doubles of every conceivable type. Again some varieties are solid colors, others have variegation through the petals; some are mottled; others are striped and others have petals of various colors throughout the flowers. The varieties of Camellia Japonica having a tendency to show variegation are a never-ending source of expectation and admiration. The charm and amazing variety of the Camellia Japonica found in Bellingrath Gardens quickly convince the visitor that here is one of the most remarkable collections of this beautiful flowering shrub ever gathered together. Small wonder that Act I is an invariable success.
