DESTINATION: Magical garden wonderland nestled north of Tallahassee

‘Killearn Gardens, Newest Jewel in Florida’s Park Chain’ , the headlines on the Tallahassee Democrat announced, on April 12, 1953.

The new garden boasted 28-acres, showcasing more than 150 different cultivars of camellias and 60 varieties of azaleas.

At the wrought-iron entrance gates, Mediterranean fan palms stretch to the heavens, drought resistant and capable of withstanding the hot North Florida summers.

Nowadays, this luscious landscaping is known as Alfred B. Maclay State Park, after its designer.

Truth be told, if the twisting brick path that leads into the gardens had been yellow, you’d swear that this was the fabled Land of Oz and that fictitious Munchkins might pop out at any second from behind a row of dogwood trees.

Instead, it is the creation of Alfred B. Maclay and his wife, heiress Louise Fleischmann from Millbrook, New York, who purchased the grounds of the former hunting lodge in 1923 and transformed it into their winter home.

They planted groves of native trees, draped in curtains of Spanish moss, beside ferns, and low-growing Coontie arrowroot. They lined the walkways to the lakeside pavilion with beds of Aspidistra elatior (Cast Iron) plants; today, the giant leafage and non-descript flowers flourish in the shade of lofty live oaks and pines.

The feathery fronds of sago palms sprout from pinecone-esque trunks.

Spanish Bayonets attract multitudes of butterflies with their scented white spikes of fluorescence.

Cabbage Palms (Sabal Palmettos), Florida’s state tree, weave strange crisscrossing patterns with their dead ‘bootjack’ leaves.

Interspersed amongst the greenery that flanks the drive to the house, gardeners rooted hundreds of camellias and azalea bushes; the family’s visits - from January 1 – April 30 of every year - were timed to perfectly coincide with peak blooming season.

Thus, seated around the dining room table, the Maclays and their children were always treated to vistas of beautiful, blossoming flowers.

Almost a century later, bright red camellias japonicas greet the gardens’ visitors.

Despite its name, the Black Pond at Alfred B. Maclay State Park is actually an exquisite shade of aquamarine. The pond is lined with shrubbery, tree cover, and planted flowers that add to the idyllic scenery surrounding the pond. Alfred B. Maclay, founder of the garden that now bears his name, considered the Walled Garden at the park to be his pride and joy. In the center of the garden is a century plant succulent, a gift from Maclay’s wife, that bears a testament to the couple’s love for one another.

Beyond them, irrigated by sprinklers spaced at intervals throughout the park, Japanese Magnolias propagate.

Buds open out into elegant flowers of delicate pink, with inner petals shaded in milky-white.

The cobblestones veer around a curve, with a detour towards Lake Hall; bordering Maclay on the south, west, and comprising part of its northern boundary, this small body of water has the highest water quality of any watering hole in Leon County.

Tallahassee’s Rowing Club practices here, propelling their crafts across the surface, oars in unison. Fishing for bass, crappie and bream is permitted, although no gas motors are allowed - unless you just happen to be the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, out patrolling the lake for invasive aquatic plants.

From the pavilion, the brick road winds through the garden complex towards the Maclay House.

Magnificent floral draperies, tapestries and full-room rugs decorate the main parlor, with Oriental seasonal sculptures adorning the walls.

A pair of floor lamps near the fireplace provide the subtle lighting.

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens, now a state park, is well known for its cultivation of colorful camellias. The floral blossoms bloom over the cooler Southern months, and the blooming season typically concludes at the end of April.

The view from the front of the spatial home includes Hall Lake and an extensive lawn, both perfect venues for weddings and events.

But Alfred Maclay’s pride and joy, during his lifetime, was his ‘Walled Garden’.

Inside this private enclosure, cloaked in clinging vines, dainty pansies, violets and marigolds germinate.

Tidy furrows embellish a central fountain where the metal sculpture of a century plant succulent, a gift from his wife, resides; she had sent one of the estate’s agave cactus plants, native to Mexico and the American Southwest, to New York to be cast into a shimmering attraction for her husband’s reflecting pool - the turquoise, oblong-shaped ‘tank’ of holding water interred just outside the exit of the Walled Garden.

Alfred spent many moments of quiet meditation around the banks of this emerald pond.

With a bottom specially painted to give it a ‘reflective’ quality, the pool of water refracts the images of oversized palms, thriving magnolia trees and dozens of azalea bushes.

Flowering almonds clone their appearance atop the mirrored reservoir, offering a shock of hot pink. A plague of petals settle over the emerald lagoon.

With late afternoon’s approaching, it’s time to leave this flowering masterpiece - this fantastical Land of Oz, where ‘magic’ really does happen; where Resurrection Ferns, brown and desiccated during the dry season, resuscitate after a simple spring rain shower.

Where Munchkins hide betwixt the clusters of red, white-with-gold, and fuchsia camellia bushes, waiting to greet the next stranger who comes whirling in on the wings of a twister.

Vickie Lillo - Gadsden County News Service

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DESTINATION: Magical garden wonderland nestled north of Tallahassee

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Florida researcher publishes book on butterfly conservation and landscaping for Floridian gardeners

CAT TALES: The Shredder

CAT TALES: The Shredder

Recommended

Cooperative Extension: Stress and how we handle it

Florida confirms role in migrant flights

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