Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park - Tallahassee, Florida

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park - Tallahassee, Florida

About the Gardens

Maclay Gardens State Park is a masterpiece of floral architecture.  The gardens feature a picturesque brik walkway, secret garden, reflection pool, walled garden, and hundreds of camellias and azaleas.  Bloom season is from January 1 through April 30, with the floral peak in mid-to-late February.  During bloom season the historic house, furnished as it was when the Maclay family resided there, is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The 28-acre formal Garden was designed by Mr. Alfred B. Maclay, a wealthy New York banker and financier, beginning in 1923.  In designing the gardens, Mr. Maclay wanted to demonstrate that native and exotic plants could be used together to create a setting of scenic beauty.  Mr. Maclay started with the camellias, wanting them to serve as the centerpiece for the garden's design.  The gardens were created to be in bloom during the winter and early spring, the time of year the family would be in residence in Florida.  Mr. Maclay worked on the gardens until his death in 1944.  In 1953, Mrs. Maclay and her children donated the gardens to the state of Florida to be preserved as a state park.  Mrs. Maclay continued to be actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the gardens until her death in 1973.  The park has over 150 different camellia cultivars that begin blooming in the late fall and continue to bloom through early spring.  There are also 60 varieties of azaleas, which create quite a show, usually in early March.

About the Camellia Collection
Total number of camellia plants:  500
Number of distinct camellia cultivars or species: 150