Herb and Tropical Gardens

Herb and Tropical Gardens
by Drayton Hastie

Herb Garden

In Colonial days, every Southern plantation had its own herb garden to add variety and flavor to everyday food fare, and also to provide medicinal items. Because these plots were located near the house for convenience, effort was made to plan and plant them in as attractive a manner as possible. Magnolia's herb garden follows the 17th century mode of design by incorporating the herbs within the framework of a boxwood knot garden. For accessibility, the herbs were planted in small beds surrounding the formal knot garden area in which more colorful items were planted.

While by stretching the imagination, one can make a case for classifying hundreds of plants as "herbs," those planted in the typical plantation herb garden were confined largely to items of everyday kitchens and medicinal use, usually not exceeding fifteen or twenty species. If you have not used an item in your house, you will probably not find it in Magnolia's authentic planting.

The Barbados Tropical Garden
by Drayton Hastie

Like many of Charleston's settlers, the original American Drayton, Thomas, and his future wife, Ann Fox, arrived here from Barbados in the 1670's. Having received Magnolia Plantation as a wedding gift from her Barbadian father, Stephen Fox, they built the colony's first plantation house of note here in the 1680's. At the same time, they began planting what is now America's oldest garden. Over the ensuing three centuries, their direct descendants, while continuing to live here, have maintained a special affinity with their ancestral island, this Barbados Tropical Garden being their tribute.

Magnolia Gardens	Garden Tour	History
Audubon Swamp	Biblical Garden	Herb & Tropical Gardens
Photo Albums	Magnolia Plantation Website

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