Over the decades since our founding in 1982, SGHS members have visited scores of landscapes and gardens covering a wide expanse of the southern United States, ranging from Texas to Maryland, Florida to Kentucky and all in between. Some spots have been small and intimate, while others are recognized as internationally important. We are creating and populating this page as a means of recalling those gardens and their significance with those who joined in, as well as with Society members who were absent. As well, some gardens may be those not yet toured but which we hope very much to add to a future itinerary. An additional goal is that any visitor to our website, member or not, will find these verbal sketches, images, links, and book recommendations a welcome boost to their understanding of the richly vibrant garden history of the American South.
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April 26, 2025
Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Birmingham Parks | Birmingham, Alabama
Founded in 1960 and opened in 1962, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) is still in its youth compared to many...
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April 20, 2025
Villa Vizcaya (Vizcaya Museum & Gardens) | Miami, Florida
Vizcaya* should top any SGHS “must-see” list. To date, however, our only experience with James Deering’s grand Florida summer home...
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April 12, 2025
Cheekwood | Nashville, Tennessee
The Society’s first Nashville annual meeting, in 1988, convinced this Tarheel that Tennessee offers far more than fun at Gatlinburg...
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April 6, 2025
Monticello | Charlottesville, Virginia
One cannot overstress the international garden history importance of Monticello, a World Heritage site. Apropos of that significance, the Society’s...
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March 29, 2025
Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden | Bishopville, South Carolina
Great gardens are not always a result of landscape architecture degrees from Harvard or of vast wealth. Instead, a good...
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March 21, 2025
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens | District of Columbia
Located in northwest Washington, bordering Rock Creek Park, Hillwood embodies the life and aesthetic interests of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather...
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March 14, 2025
Rosedown | St. Francisville, Louisiana
Some SGHS annual meetings have an élan or mystique hard to pin down, though it doubtlessly owes to a mix...
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March 3, 2025
Mount Vernon | Alexandria, Virginia
Few historic sites have SGHS ties matching Mount Vernon’s, largely because few garden professionals have tighter Society bonds than recently...
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February 21, 2025
Tryon Palace | New Bern, North Carolina
Gardens previously discussed have reflected taste, social status, and oftentimes wealth. Completed in 1770, the original Tryon Palace bundled these...
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February 15, 2025
Eudora Welty House & Garden | Jackson, Mississippi
Eudora Welty’s National Historic Landmark home, though never an annual meeting feature, nonetheless has important SGHS connections. Many Society members...
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