Juliette Gordon Low Magnolia Rose Garden

Juliette Gordon Low:

Known affectionately as “Daisy” to her family and close friends, Juliette Gordon Low moved from Savannah to England with her husband. In 1911 she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides and quickly took an interest in this project. Returning to the United States, in March of 1912 Mrs. Low established the first two American troops of the Girl Guides in Savannah. A year later, the group was renamed as the Girl Scouts.

Mrs. Low tirelessly raised money and awareness for the group which brought girls of all backgrounds into the out-of-doors, giving them opportunity to learn about nature and develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. She encouraged girls to prepare themselves not only for traditional homemaking roles, but also for possible future roles as professional women, in the arts, sciences and business, and for active citizenship outside the home.

The Magnolia Tree:

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) are native to the Southeast region of North America. Growing to 20-30 meters in height, Southern Magnolia have large and fragrant white blossoms in the late Spring. The tree has a leathery evergreen leaf with an under-side that is yellowish-brown and slightly furry to the touch.

Magnolia is an ancient genus of flowering trees that evolved before bees and have flowers designed to be pollinated by beetles. The flowers of these trees have tough carpels that can resist damage done by beetles walking and crawling through the flowers. Found throughout the Americas, southeast Asia and the West Indies, magnolias were named for the French Botanist Pierre Magnol (1638-1715) who introduced the concept of grouping plants by family based upon common combinations of morphological characters.

Roses and Mint:

Roses are perennial vines and shrubs that are propagated through root cuttings and grafting. The roses chosen for the garden are either knockout roses or roses grafted onto Fortuniana rootstock. These roses are better adapted to the rather unique climate of Florida and are more resistant to disease and parasites.

The remarkable bloom of the rose has long been associated with love and beauty and in ancient times was a symbol connected with goddesses of many pantheons. As there seemed no better symbol for the progression into womanhood, we chose roses as the heart of this planting. As a companion planting, chocolate mint was chosen for its low-growing and sprawling fragrant foliage that brings to mind thoughts of beloved Girl Scout cookies.

The varieties of roses chosen for the garden were:

Neptune: a lavender blooming rose with a powerful, sweet rose scent.

Julia Child: a beautiful butter gold, yellow floribunda rose named for the famous French Chef.

Belinda's Dream: a shrub rose with large, fragrant and very double pink blossoms.

Sunsprite: a deep yellow cluster rose with long lasting color.

Blush Knockout Rose: a tough and hardy shrub type rose with outstanding disease resistance, blooms are light pink gradually changing to shell pink.

Iceberg: a bright white cluster rose with a prolific flowering habit.

Home Run: a single red cluster rose.

Hot Cocoa: a brownish orange floribunda rose.

Sunstruck: a bright yellow-orange cluster rose.

Garden Party: a pastel pink rose right a darker pink petal edge.