Show azaleas of the south imported from france plant brought from toulouse azalea time in the deep south is one of great joy and exquisite beauty writes annabella in nature magazine when the azaleas evergreen shrubs of delicate foliage burst their buds masses of 0 flowers cover the bush until its foliage hidden the entire plant is a glowing mass of living color the gracious charm of old mobile with her quaint old streets and spacious avenues lined with magnificent century old live oaks and magnolias nolias provides a perfect setting tor for the azaleas and camellias today mobile has a beautiful azalea trail a road some fifteen miles long that leads one through streets literally banked with these flowers the plants range from two to twenty feet in height the reigning color being a glorious deep pink the history of the azaleas is closely interwoven with the romantic history and tradition of the old south they came to the new world shortly after bienville founded mobile in 1711 from old family records we find that francois ludgere diard native Mob illan and direct descendant ant of one of the original settlers returned to france to visit relatives in toulouse at the time of his visit the azaleas of southern france were blooming he was so impressed with their dazzle dazzling rig splendor that on his return to the new world he brought home three varieties a deep glowing pink known today as pride of mobile a laven der pink one and a snowy white one today gorgeous specimens of these original plants can be seen in the oldest gardens some of them perhaps a century and a half old 20 feet high and spreading out to t diameter of feet now they are found all along the gulf coast from texas to florida up the atlantic seaboard to south carolina |