By Liz Mitchell
Thousands of visitors enjoy
Orton Plantation Gardens each year. If you haven’t watched spring unfolding on our beautiful coast, join us in this lush setting for a perfect introduction to the season during this year of the 100th anniversary of the gardens.
Camellia, forsythia, flowering quince and winter daphne are in bloom during all of March. The red maple and okame cherry also flower early, and the spectacular display of azalea can be expected late this month. Nothing welcomes our coastal spring with more of a southern statement than the azalea. This flowering bush with thousands of varieties is sometimes called the royalty of the garden.
The plantation has been a significant site in our county since the beginning of the Carolinas. The land was part of the grant by King Charles II of England to the eight lords proprietor in 1665. One of the most famous rice plantations was developed here. Through wars and family tragedies, along with notable statesmen, authors and influential residents, various development continued on the house and grounds.
A modest garden began in the early 1900s with the live oak trees, some of which today present the historic backdrop to an ever-changing landscape. The owners planted azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, crepe myrtles, dogwoods, flowering peach, daphne and live oak trees during the 1930s and 1940s. The gardens were first opened to the public in the late 1930s to help pay a cousin’s medical bills, and they have remained open. On a high bluff overlooking the Cape Fear River, the plantation includes lawn and water gardens as well as pine forests.
Visiting hours are extended from March through August to full days beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing until 6 p.m. Adult admission is $9. Frequent special programs or guided tours are offered, and the 1915 chapel and grounds are offered for rental as a wedding or event venue.