Middleton Place - Landscape

Henry Middleton began creating gardens at Middleton Place in 1741. The principles of André Le Nôtre, the master of classical garden design who laid out the gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte and the Palace of Versailles were followed. Rational order, geometry and balance; vistas, focal points and surprises were all part of the garden design. Click here for beautiful pictures of the garden, including the terraces from the house to the river. 

The river is at my back & I'm looking towards the house. If you look closely you can see the terraces that lead up to the house. 

Andre Michaux, botanist friend of the Middletons, brought the first camellias to America for the Middleton gardens. 

- huge live oak tree. The guide told us Henry Lee, Robert E. Lee's father, camped by the oak and wrote about it in his diary. I can't find anything that substantiates that, but it's an interesting story. 

live oaks & Spanish moss

Live oaks are called "live" because they remain green throughout the winter

As this article explains, it's neither Spanish nor moss

butterfly ponds

camellias of many colors

holly tree

brick for the house and fences were made on the plantation