Vaughan Drinkard shepherds the cheery plants, which rule Cornerstone Gardens.
After returning to Alabama following his military service, Blanding began working at Longview Nursery in 1950.
Cliff had bought it from Robert “Bob” Rubel.
Credit:LAUREY W. GLENN
“Rubel was nationally recognized at the time for hiscamellia knowledge.
“It was just how fate handles things sometimes.”
“At one point, he had the largest number of camellia patents.”
Master gardener Vaughan Drinkard enjoying Cornerstone Gardens, an extension of his home.Credit:LAUREY W. GLENN
Courtesy Vaughan Drinkard
Blanding went on to have his own nursery with the winter beauty as his focus.
“Dad was a camellian.
He lived and breathed the plant,” says Vaughan.
Cliff Harris with airline host Madia Strickland, bidding farewell to the historic blooms at the Mobile airport on March 22, 1954.Credit:Courtesy Vaughan Drinkard
“In 2015, I retired for about a minute,” he jokes.
“I had no idea the public would go wild about it.
And since then, we’ve opened them four days a week.”
Vaughan as a young boy beside two ‘Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’ plants.Credit:Courtesy Vaughan Drinkard
Beauty can be found there in every season.
“There is something almost spiritual about running water,” Vaughan says.
There’s also a special quality to the camellias themselves.
In search of a suitable symbol for the garden, the couple found inspiration in the cupola of the 1903 carriage house. “You’ll see it on all the signage and in the center of the British Garden,” says Vaughan.
“I have about 325 cultivars of camellias in the garden now.
Many are very fine varieties of both the past and present.”
“Rubel started the seed and flower under his control, but Pop named it to honor him.”
Credit:LAUREY W. GLENN
“If you want to come another time, were happy to launch the gardens to you.
Credit:LAUREY W. GLENN
Credit:LAUREY W. GLENN
