Glen Auburn

Southern Gardening is in Natchez with its rich architectural and landscape history. Today we have the opportunity to visit Glen Auburn, which was built in 1875, and share some of the beautiful garden rooms. Walking up to the front gate, I love the symmetry; it’s like walking into a formal living room. The white picket fence, pittosporum hedges and the pink Wave petunias pouring out of the white urns all work together. The herringbone brick walk, bordered by boxwood hedging and gorgeous pink Knockout roses, leads us around the front porch. Moving through the lattice gate, we enter the less formal entertainment room around the pool, and its different levels of landscape interest. Unfortunately the azaleas are finished for the year, but the upper canopy of tree form ligustrum, with their craggy shaped trunks, are blooming brightly. Underneath, azalea and the glossy green leaves of ternstoemia act as foundation filler plants. Pink petunias planted urns add splashes of color around the pool. The climber Confederate jasmine, known botanically as Trachelospermum jasminoides, is budded out waiting its turn to shine. On the fence in the shade, the buds are starting to color. Once in full flower, the individual blooms have twisted petals and resemble tiny pinwheels. Though pretty small, in such prodigious numbers they produce a fragrant punch as you pass by. Even in modern landscapes, outdoor rooms are a design concept that should be used more often. I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman and I’ll see you next time on Southern Gardening.