Savannah Gardens

The Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens in 2006 introduced a world audience to Azalea Inn and Gardens’ “seasoned, soothing, southern, sportive and beautiful life… even for a day.” A love for beautiful plants and their endearing Victorian mansion pressed new owners, Micheal and Teresa Jacobson, to weave invigorating color, indigenous diversity, informal style, and water conservation into a picture-perfect heirloom garden in historic Savannah, Georgia.

The City in a Garden

Georgia’s founder, British Parliamentary James Edward Oglethorpe, had intended Georgia to be a colony of yeoman farmers. Beginning with the world-famous city plan of Oglethorpe and South Carolina’s Lt. Governor, Colonel William Bull, the city plan included Trustee Garden, tree-line boulevards, garden squares, plus colonial garden and farming places.

Heritage Gardens

Whether leisurely or sportive, a Savannah vacation deserves a little oasis of tranquility. Perhaps for no other city in the world are garden parks so integral to its cultural identity. The garden squares have become Savannah’s image in the minds of millions throughout the world. For so many travelers, the heritage gardens of Azalea Inn, with its courtyard gardens and pool, offer a refreshing escape.

In spite of indigenous wild azaleas, magnolias, spruce pines, and ancient live oaks, the well-planned city planted formal boulevards lined with Chinaberry tree medians, and live oak lined streets canopied with Spanish moss. Since the 1980s, the city has sought to achieve a resort quality appearance in the squares and especially through the National Historic Landmark District.