Stop #5
Loggia Area
The Loggia wing was added to the 1850 Main House in 1914. This portion survived the fire of 1934 thanks to the efforts of a bucket brigade using water from the Swimming Pool. The front side of the Loggia features a massive oak tree listed as a 24-inch tree on Miss Harrison’s master landscape plan.
*Plantings included in Miss Harrison’s master plan
Native plant
Camellia*
Camellia japonica (assorted cultivars and varieties)
Many different varieties of camellias are located here and all around the Main House. Camellias are broadleaf evergreen shrubs that bloom heavily during the winter months. Pebble Hill was honored to be added to the Georgia Camellia Trail in 2016 and to the American Camellia Society and Trail in 2020. Both of these organizations showcase public gardens with significant collections of camellias.
East Palatka Holly
Ilex x attenuata ‘East Palatka’
This towering broadleaf native evergreen tree produces small red berries in late fall and winter. This specimen has beautiful light gray bark and stiff leaves with curved edges and spike-like points. Holly flowers are attractive to a variety of insects, and the berries are an important winter food source for birds and mammals. Holly cuttings have always been used in holiday decorating at Pebble Hill.
Grancy Graybeard
Chionanthus virginicus
Also known as old man’s beard or fringetree, this native deciduous small tree produces a lightly fragrant, frilly white “beard-like” blossom in loose clusters that last up to six weeks in early spring. The grancy graybeard tree is a member of the olive family and can grow up to 20 feet in height. A variety of pollinators are attracted to the nectar-producing flowers, and birds and small mammals forage on the fruit in late summer.
Live Oak*
Quercus virginiana
This large, native evergreen tree is usually draped with Spanish moss. Although this tree is evergreen, it does drop older leaves in the springtime and replenishes with new leaf growth. The live oak is the state tree of Georgia and can reach 60 to 80 feet in height and 60-to-120-foot spread with lovely curved branches and trunks. Many couples have been married here, and it has come to be known as “The Wedding Oak.”
Side view of Main House circa 1936
This stop is made possible through the generous support of Thomasville Garden Club, Inc. in honor of Rambler Rose Garden Club.