The Millie McConnell Rhododendron Garden

Named after a long-time supporter of the Gardens in its early years, this special garden has recently undergone an extensive redesign. It contains a collection of approximately 1,000 evergreen azaleas donated by Maarten van der Giessen. These azaleas were specially developed for this area's intense southern growing conditions, and Tom Dodd III is also making available his entire collection of native azaleas.  The most comprehensive rhododendron collection anywhere along the Gulf Coast, it is be available for research, for meditation, and for pleasure.

The center gathering area is flanked by ancient cast-iron columns which once graced now-demolished buildings in downtown Mobile, and the pavers once lined downtown streets. Other entrances to this garden are also flanked by more cast-iron columns.


Photo: ©2006 Press-Register. All rights reserved.  Reprinted with permission.

ENCORE HYBRIDS
Robert Buddy  Lee of Franklinton, Louisiana, developed this popular group of azaleas in the 1980s. He crossed Rhododendron oldhami with a wide range of evergreen azaleas to produce a beautiful group that bloom predominantly in the fall. The national marketing of these plants by Jim Berry of PDSI in Loxley, Alabama, has brought these plants into the national gardening spotlight. Flowerwood Nursery of Mobile donated this collection.

HARRIS HYBRIDS
The Harris azaleas are American satsukis hybridized by James Harris of Lawrenceville, Georgia, in the 1970s and 1980s. His azaleas are characterized as bright colors on medium to low-growing plants. He has a soft spot in his heart for azaleas with rings of color on the outside of the petals, and you will see many fine examples of this form in his work.

HOLLY SPRINGS HYBRIDS
Colonel Pete Vines named his hybrid group after the lovely town in Mississippi near the University of Mississippi where he attended college. Colonel Vines  azaleas are classical examples of the American satsuki, bringing the intense colors and variations of the Japanese azaleas - stripes, flecks and rings -into the Mobile bloom season. 

MOBILE HYBRIDS
This group represents the work of Dr. Eugene Aromi, Tom Dodd, Jr., and Kosaku Sawada. Their work furthered the development of azalea hybridization in the United States, and helped establish Mobile as a center for azalea culture. Mobile Botanical Gardens is proud to display the achievements of these distinguished and world-renowned hybridizers.

NATIONAL ARBORETUM KURUME HYBRIDS
Dr. John Creech of the National Arboretum brought these azaleas from Kurume, Japan, in 1976 and 1978. This group is typical of the Kurume hybrids, and takes a graceful, open form in the Southern garden. The flowers are small, vibrant and profusely produced. They are among the first azaleas to flower in the spring.

NUCCIO HYBRIDS
Messrs. Julius and Joe Nuccio began collecting and hybridizing azaleas in the 1930s at their nursery near Altadena, California, a business still in operation today. Many of the satsukis in Mobile s collection originated at Nuccio s. The Nuccio hybrids are often Belgian florist hybrids crossed with satsuki, resulting in low-growing azaleas with rich, saturated colors.

ROBIN HILL HYBRIDS
Hybridized by Robert Gartrell in the 1970s, the Robin Hills were the first successful American satsukis to reach the American market. The Robin Hill azaleas are large flowers in pastel shades of orange, pink and white. The form is usually low and mounding, although some of his azaleas become quite large with age. In Mobile these wonderful varieties bloom in mid-April.

SOUTHERN INDICA HYBRIDS
This hybrid group contains many of the azaleas familiar to Mobile. Typically these are very large shrubs, growing eight to ten feet at maturity. There are many rare varieties here that were available at the time Bellingrath Gardens was developed, but they are difficult to find today.