history continued

Courtesy Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

 

 

 

By 1975, the local economy was shifting and Magnolia again needed to adapt to survive. In response, Magnolia began to focus on promoting its potential as a public attraction. The shift, while assuring the longevity of the gardens, meant that the nursery operations and major cultivation projects would all but cease. The plan was a success, and within fifteen years, annual visitation had grown from 5000 to 150,000.

 The Camellia Collection suffered tremendously from this shift in attention, however, by the late 1970s, nearly 900 varieties existed within the garden, almost 150 of which were newly cultivated in Magnolia’s nursery. One of the most famous Magnolia introductions is a pink peony-like cultivar originally named the Sarah C. Hastie, after the wife of Magnolia’s owner in the 1920s. Today, the plant is known as Debutante and is one of the most popular camellias grown in the world. Other selections at magnolia include: Julia Drayton (Mathotiana), Firebrand, Reverend John Drayton, Reverend John Bennett, Catherine Cathcart, Duchess of Sutherland, and Elizabeth Arden. In order to better preserve and protect the diversity of the Magnolia Collection, Magnolia planned a restoration project.

Unfortunately, the work at Magnolia was dealt another blow in 1989 when Hurricane Hugo struck Charleston. Nearly seventy percent of its trees were damaged or destroyed, leaving the once shaded camellias exposed to the elements. The damage was so extensive that it took six months to remove all of the downed trees using commercial helicopters. Hugo devastated the region’s economy and left Magnolia with tremendous damage and little prospect for rebuilding. The earlier conceived restoration plan was put on hold and, while the camellias continued to grow, they were no longer being cultivated and many of their identities were forgotten or temporarily lost.