Azalea Bloom Out at Bellingrath Gardens

Azalea Bloom Out at Bellingrath Gardens

Guests are enjoying the blooms of more than 250,000 vibrant azaleas in an explosion of color throughout the 65-acre estate that is Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Mobile. The annual Azalea Bloom Out goes back to Bellingrath’s earliest beginnings in 1918, when Walter Bellingrath purchased a rustic fishing camp on Fowl River. His wife, Bessie, who loved gardening, wanted to beautify the property and relied on old-growth azaleas as a starting point. Ever since, Bellingrath Gardens has been synonymous with the Gulf Coast’s beautiful azalea season.
Bessie Bellingrath’s gardening skills also provided the spark that led to the creation of Mobile’s famous Azalea Trail 88 years ago. The Bellingraths’ neighbor across South Ann Street in Mobile, Sam Lackland, often observed the countless cars driving through their property to admire their azaleas each spring. Mr. Lackland was a retired hotel executive, and after a trip to Charleston one spring, he was told that the hotels were all booked because of tourists coming to see the azaleas. He returned to Mobile and approached the City Commission with the idea of establishing an Azalea Trail to attract tourists. With the help of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Mobile’s Azalea Trail was presented in the spring of 1929 The Azalea Watch page is updated daily on bellingrath.org.