Looking for a peaceful oasis in the Lowcountry? It’s closer than you think
When was the last time you simply took a walk in a garden?
Maybe you haven’t had time. After all, there are bills to pay, ball practice or dance for the kids and a job that has been taking so much time lately. Besides, you must be asking yourself, where am I going to go to walk in a garden?
I’m glad you asked. The Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens is less than an hour from Bluffton and offers a gateway into the beauty of the natural world that just may allow you that new perspective on life you’ve been waiting for. The gardens are home to immaculately tended ornamental gardens, a 125-year-old bamboo forest and greenhouses filled with rare orchids. Wide lawns and shaded paths take you past waterfalls and lily ponds and between banks of flowering plants covered in butterflies. As the Spanish moss sways lazily in the breeze and birds call overhead, you will find yourself wondering how this peaceful oasis all came to be in the midst of a life so busy. And you will enjoy exploring every corner of it.
The gardens ares located on Canebrake Road between Savannah and Richmond Hill, Ga.. It is a 51-acre garden that was founded on a former USDA research facility. In the 1880s, the owner of the property began planting bamboo plants imported from Japan. Over the next half century, this hobby garden grew into an impressive bamboo forest that began to attract botanists and other interested parties.
In 1919, the land was purchased and leased to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a research facility. Over the next fifty years, the USDA established a plant introduction facility at the site and world-renowned botanists and scientists contributed to the work there.
In 1979, the USDA closed the program and soon this unique property was deeded to the University of Georgia College of Agriculture. Over the years, the land was host to a variety of fascinating plants and was on its way to becoming a garden to be enjoyed by the public.
When you visit, you’ll experience gardens such as the Woodland Shade Garden, Mediterranean Garden and Water Garden. The latter features a ten-foot waterfall and lily pond. There is a National Champion Lord’s Holly tree that spreads impressive branches over the path and a garden patterned on the Trustee’s Garden — America’s first “trial garden” planted in Savannah as colonists searched for plants that would grow in the local climate and produce money-making crops for export and local use.
The bamboo forest is still growing and a new section has been established that features a bamboo maze. As it grows, the intricate pathway will become an adventurous maze that can be enjoyed year-round.
My family and I recently visited the gardens and enjoyed several hours of walking and exploring the grounds. Aside from the educational benefit of the many varieties of plants, the peace and orderliness of the gardens along with the chaos of color and growth produced a very enjoyable experience for us all. I am certain you will enjoy it, too.
Bluffton resident Matt Richardson enjoys taking day trips with his family and exploring the Lowcountry. To see more pictures from his adventures, go to www.Flickr.com and search on the username “greenkayak73.” He can be reached at greenkayak73@gmail.com.
Getting There:
The Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens is located at 2 Canebrake Road in Savannah. The trip there is a short ride down I-95 to Exit 94 and Abercorn Road.
From Bluffton take S.C. 46 to Hardeeville and I-95. At 23 miles, take Exit 94 to GA-204E (Abercorn Road). Take a left onto Ga 204 and a right onto Gateway Boulevard South. Take an immediate turn left onto Canebrake Road. The Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens will be at less than a mile on your left.
The gardens are open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday; from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday year-round and host many different seasonal programs and activities. Regular admission is $5 for adults. Childrenn under 16 are $3. If you become a member of the nonprofit group “Friends of the Coastal Gardens,” your entry is free and you get access to many other benefits and programs. Most of the workshops, programs and events are open to the public and there is an active calendar of events.
The Autumn Gardenfest is set for Oct. 27, and the Bright Lights Botanical Nights will be in November. The gardens are seasonal as to which plants may be seen. The December Nights & Holiday Nights event features the entire gardens decorated with over a million holiday lights.
For more information, visit www.coastalgerogiabg.com or call 912-921-5460.
This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Looking for a peaceful oasis in the Lowcountry? It’s closer than you think."