[Baz]

Originally Posted by id10t

-snip- When the place becomes mine, I'll work with the crew to bring it back to still beautiful but low maintenance. Highlight and focus on the 80+ camelias, the citrus, and various tree species. I'll mow and maintain, but I don't wanna deal with replanting beds of annuals, etc.

Good plan and I'm pleased to hear that beautiful property - your family home - will remain in the family and be cared after.

That's how it should be.

Having lived in Gainesville from '72-'77, your Mom's property looks like what I remember seeing as representative of properties in that neck of the woods. Some great memories of those times....

Would appreciate it if you could get back to me with the name of the large flowering tree (upper right) in the 2nd photo. I have a few in mind it could be but would love to know for sure. Might just be a White Crape Myrtle. Trunk looks smooth enough....

Originally Posted by SCadaddle

I grew up in a home in central MS that was built in the mid 50's on a 1.25 acre lot. For about the next 50 years I helped my parents and then finally my Dad maintain the place. Monkey grass borders, azaleas all colors, camelias, you name it they planted it over the years. And took great pride in the presentation of the yard. At age 96 my Dad was still using a mattock to get rid of vines and roots.

Dad's brother and his wife lived in Mobile Alabama, in the Country Club. I remember as a kid visiting them with my parents, and at some point in the visit I would get dragged around Bellingrath Gardens near Mobile. I hated it. Boring to a kid.

Fast forward 50 years, Mom has been gone for 10 years, Dad is gone as well. The home place was basically given away as part of the small family estate. Last year I vacationed near Mobile. Went to Bellingrath Gardens. Midway through the walking tour of it all I had to sit down on a park bench and reflect.

This place was the inspiration of all the beautiful landscaping and hard work my parents had put into their own place. The place I had spent 50 years of my life helping to maintain. And it was basically given away. Given away I surmise as it's a lot of work to maintain it and most folks nowadays would rather walk around looking at their cell phone than spend time in the yard.

Different times indeed.
Id10t your Mom's place looks great. I can certainly appreciate all the hard work that has gone into it.
If anyone wants to see really amazing landscaping and are near Mobile Alabama, you should make a visit to Bellingrath Gardens during the day, and go back during Christmas time for the night tour. It is absolutely incredible.

That was a nice story, SC. Oddly enough, my fav. professor at Florida was an Auburn grad who got his Masters in Landscape Design at Michigan State and then came to UF as a young associate professor. I still have all my drawings from his class along with all his notations on them. He wasn't there long - departing to take a Director of Gardens position at Callaway Gardens and then later the same at Bellingrath, having just retired in 2019 at age 73.

More here: Bill Barrick.