Wilmington Azalea Festival Garden 5 on the Tour

The beauty of Wilmington, North Carolina

Garden 5 in the Wilmington Azalea Festival, sponsored by the Cape Fear Garden Club, is the garden of Susan and Rusty Carter on Country Club Road. This serene garden lies on a pleasant street in the heart of a beautifully kept neighborhood, far from the waterfront and ocean sides of the city.

Each visitor was greeted by the sight of a well-organized lemonade stand on one side of the street, as well as a table set up by the Cape Fear Garden Club on the side leading to the garden.

Garden enthusiasts displayed their red and white "Official Ticket" as they approached the entry to the private home's garden. Women from the garden club checked off the box for that home as the proud enthusiasts entered the ground to partake of the elegance and garden choices the home provided.

The stately home did greet the garden enthusiasts, providing a framework for the pleasant and appealing grounds. The dogwoods were in full bloom with their white flowers adding an air of Carolina flavor to the garden and yard.

The front of the house was decorated in blue blooms with a large amount of green color to set off the brick tone of the building. Though empty, the sitting space on the front porch looked inviting.

Walking around the house, the gardens were planted in a simple, understated design with well-planned spacing between plants. The color arrangements varied from one small garden plot to the next. One garden was in a red tone while another in a blue. The flowering trees on this particular day were primarily a brilliant white tone.

As I rounded the building of my second garden of the day, I had my first encounter with the famous Belles. These lovely young ladies, in either their junior or senior year in high school, dress in beautiful gowns to create the air of an ancient garden from a different era.

Upon being advised of this quaint tradition, I began asking questions about the Belle process. I learned over the next ten gardens how the process worked in general. It seems that once the request for Belles goes out from the club, the high school students who wish to participate contact a member of the garden club for sponsorship. Once sponsored, they have an opportunity to reenact courtly ladies for short periods at the various gardens along the tour.

They borrow the beautiful gowns with parasols from the garden club for the three day event. In addition to looking terrific in the garden settings, they do have some activities on the Friday afternoon of the festival that are geared to celebrating the younger folk.

For the young ladies, it is an opportunity to have their hair styled and to wear a sumptuous gown in full regalia. For parents and grandparents, it is an opportunity to show off their beautiful young daughters, nieces and granddaughters in a most prestigious setting.

For the garden lovers on the tour, it is an opportunity to imagine the beauty of these gardens in a context of the gardens' mystical qualities. It is easy to image the ladies of the court in ancient England or France such a beautiful setting.

The Carter gardens are beautiful and somewhat formal. They provide a simple and stylish presentation so that the garden lover can see the flowers and trees in a context that magnifies them.

Both the sitting area in the front of the house and the gardens allow one to enjoy the beauty of nature in a serene setting.

This was one of the most relaxing gardens of the tour.

Here is some background on the Wilmington Azalea Festival.

The Cape Fear Garden Club organizes the annual Wilmington Azalea Festival. This non-profit, philanthropic, and educational association is organized to stimulate knowledge of gardening among amateurs in the Cape Fear Region of North Carolina. The organization works to provide education on gardening and horticulture. It works closely with agencies to encourage environmental improvement to protect, restore and preserve the natural world for trees, plants, birds so that these can be enjoyed in future years.

Founded in 1925, the Garden Club today has hundreds of active members. The Annual Azalea Festival is one of the biggest events not only for the club, but also for Wilmington, NC. Numerous related events, including a sizable parade, are held on the weekend of the event.

Wilmington itself is a unique city with an eclectic nature. Driving into the city, it appears to be a place of strip malls and small hotels. For many people traveling through to the New Hanover County beaches or south to Myrtle Beach, this may be the only city they see. They have no idea how much beauty and culture they are missing out on.

Just before the bridge out of town, a right turn will take the traveler to a quaint though lively waterfront downtown. Here the streets are brick and lined with interesting shops on one end. The other end of the street is lined with restored buildings going back to a more elegant time. The gardens in some of these houses can be explored by the public only during the Azalea Festival.

Going north, along side streets on either side of the fast north/south routes through the city are enchanting tree-lined neighborhoods with a wealth of interesting homes. Hidden behind and around these homes are a plethora of gorgeous gardens. Only a few of these are open at any time other than through an opportunity like the festival affords us.