The Scenery and Greenery of Gone with the Wind (3)

"The avenue of cedars leading from the main road to the house--that avenue of cedars without which no Georgia planter's home could be complete--had a cool dark shadiness that gave a brighter tinge, by contrast, to the green of the other trees.  The wistaria tumbling over the verandas showed bright against the whitewashed brick, and it joined with the pink crepe myrtle bushes by the door and the white-blossomed magnolias in the yard to disguise some of the awkward lines of the house.

In spring time and summer, the Bermuda grass and clover on the lawn became emerald, so enticing an emerald that it presented an irresistible temptation to the flocks of turkeys and white geese that were supposed to roam only the regions in the rear of the house.  The elders of the flocks continually led stealthy advances into the front yard, lured on by the green of the grass and the luscious promise of the cape jessamine buds and the zinnia beds."

--Gone with the Wind, Chapter III

Today I'm pleased to offer another collection of lush Georgia foliage for exploration in the Scenery and Greenery of Gone with the Wind.  Below you'll find photos and info for all the plants and flowers mentioned in the quote above--with the exception of cape jessamine and magnolias, which can both be found in the second edition of the series.  Descriptions of plants, when available,  are taken from Southern wild flowers and trees, together with shrubs, vines and various forms of growth found through the mountains, the middle district and the low country of the South (1901).  

Sigh- doesn't Tara seem like the most beautiful place in the world, with all this breathtaking scenery around? No wonder Scarlett loved it so much.

Red Cedar

Family: Pine         Color: Green foliage, reddish brown bark          Blooms: May-April

"[R]ed cedar, or savin, has perhaps the happiest knack of versatility of all the trees and occurs in various forms from a low shrub to a tree, often one hundred feet high. Throughout North America it is more widely distributed than any other coniferous one, accommodating itself readily to every condition of soil."

Wisteria

 

Family: Pea          Color: Pale Purple          Blooms: April-June

"As this, one of the most beautiful of our native vines, is seen climbing over high trees and other forms of growth, it transforms truly the low grounds and swamps into bowers of fragrant loveliness; and on some warm day in April when there is a feverish desire to blossom among the little plants, it overhangs them in masses and supplants all their efforts to be gay, while also attracting to itself many more than its share of humble bee lovers."

  

Crepe Myrtle Tree 

Family: Loosestrife         Color: Pinkish purple          Blooms: July-September

"Besides other common representatives of this family which lack of space forbids entering in these pages, there is seen through the southern cities the crepe myrtle tree, Lagerstroemia indica. Originally it has been imported from eastern Asia. When well grown and hung with its deep pink, crinkly bloom it is very beautiful."

Bermuda Grass

Family: Grass          Color: Grey-Green         Blooms: N/A

Clover

Family: Pea          Color: Green leaves, white flowers         Blooms: September-October

Zinnia 

Family: Daisy          Color: Multiple         Blooms: August-September