Pictures of Bellingrath Gardens in Alabama

The Bellingrath Garden spread out over an impressive 65 acres filled awe-inspiring landscape designs. No matter what time of the year you visit, you'll find flowers blooming everywhere. Flower enthusiasts can wander along two miles of pathways to explore the Rockery, Grotto and a Mirror Lake. Take a 1.5 to 2 hour self-guide tour of the gardens.

The Bellingrath Rose Garden is considered to be one of the top rose gardens in the United States. Summer is all about the rose garden. Other flowers displays include hydrangeas and all kinds of tropical plants.

Visitors in the spring will be greeted with a profusion of lilies lining the two-acres of pathways through the garden. When transitioning into autum, the fall color displays, dubbed Outdoor Cascading Chrysanthemums (late October and early November). You can visit the What's In Bloom calendar to find out what is blooming each month of the year!

The rockery provides visitors with a peaceful place to take in the beautiful view. Designed by Mrs. Bellingrath, who also oversaw its creation to resolve the issue of a washed out hillside, the winding steps, pools and waterfall create a mystical place for retrospection with lots of lush plants. The use of rocks may provide you with ideas for your own landscaping challenges.

The lush surroundings of the grotto is an amazing photograph opportunity. The Grotto is a system of runnels and fountains overlooking the Fowl River. A bit of history is found in the flagstone walkways. The flagstones were formerly part of downtown Mobile and were purchased by Mrs. Bellingrath for the Grotto. The lush colorful plantings along the steps and walls make this an incredible place to take a rest and contemplate nature.

Bellingrath Gardens are a gardener's delight with over 250,000 colorful azaleas. In the spring, the Azalea Bloom Out is celebrated. Other spring blooming plants include, Easter lilies, hydrangeas, tulips, Gerbera daisies, daffodils, and hyacinths. Stop and enjoy the view as you walk across the bridge over Mirror Lake.

As a founding member of the Mobile Rotary Club, Mr. Bellingrath found a way to convey the club's ideals. He commissioned the rose garden to be planted in the shape of the club's emblem for an amazing display of color, texture and form.

The elegant ancient moon bridge design offers a practical crossing over water as demonstrated in the Asian-American Garden portion of the estate. The reflection of the high arch bridge creates the illusion of a circle.

Layer plantings along borders can be found throughout the gardens. Various grasses, flowering perennials, boxwoods, and various small trees can be found throughout the gardens.

The Summer House is located by the Bayou Observatory. The open-air structure is supported by decorative wrought ironwork that provides a covered respite from the summer's heat.

The Mermaid Fountain is located between the Great Lawn and South Terrace adjacent to the Bellingrath Home. The fountain is made of terracotta. Mrs. Bellingrath bought the fountain from a homeowner in New Orleans. The Mermaid Pool naturally overflows into the Cascade that flows along the center of the Grotto steps.

The Monolith tells the story of how Bellingrath Gardens project with bronze plaques. The three-sided, red granite obelisk is 11 feet high and is located at the Delchamps Gallery.

At Live Oak Plaza, you can enjoy the beauty of the Rebecca at the Well fountain. An artesian spring was diverted through the clever creation of a system of fountains and pools. These gravity-fed fountains and pools travel toward the Grotto where the pool below empties into a rock runnel that carries the water to the Fowl River.

The magic of Bellingrath Gardens continues throughout the holiday season with stunning Christmas lights festival. The Christmas light display usually begins the day after Thanksgiving and continues until December 31 and can be viewed from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission to the Gardens only cost less than $10 for children and less than $16 for adults, while admission to both the Gardens and home are around $18 for children and $28 for adults. It's closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Bellingrath Gardens are a gardener's delight, you can explore the map of the various gardens. During your visit, you can find plenty of gardening and landscaping inspiration. You may decide to try some of the plant combinations or garden features in your home garden. You may decide that a landscape water feature is the next addition for your garden.