The Beauty That Lies Beneath

On Camellia Stroll day, some arrive two hours ahead of time because they had been waiting for years to purchase varieties in the Walter F. “Hody” Wilson Garden (affectionately dubbed “Hody’s Camellia Patch” by his fellow camellia lovers). As the crowds cross the street, from the LSU Ag Center’s Hammond Research Station, to the garden, they begin “ooing and ahing” over trees and bushes laden with blooms of pink, white, red and all combinations. The ground is littered with blooms; some are show quality and others have dried up. Thousands of blooms are on the trees and on the ground. The gardens were planted closely in rows and as the plants grew, the upper branches intertwined and in some places, it is like a rainforest of camellia blooms. Mihata’s trunk even deserves attention because it is so large. If one moves a few footsteps another amazing variety is there to admire. Other gardens require a lot of walking, not this one. Since Hody grafted to varieties that weren’t exceptional, all are fabulous. Hody’s Omega is an artist’s dream. It is nearly white with edges that look like a watercolor artist used a dry brush with a deep pink and carefully dry brushed the edges so that the edges aren’t solid pink, but pink and white picotee. This garden is not only a Hammond and Louisiana treasure, but a national treasure. Prior to Katrina, this garden had 250 varieties that were not in other large public gardens in the South. Some have not been registered. Because of all the varieties, it is on the American Camellia Society’s Camellia Trail. 

But the garden is only able to be enjoyed because the Tangipahoa Master Gardeners hacked their way through the vines. According to Vince Ciolino, “they climbed over fallen trees covered with blackberries” to clean it up after many years of reduced maintenance due to severe budget cuts and the research station’s focus on vegetables and fruit. Carmel Foret, a Tangipahoa Master Gardener, remembers the poison ivy threatening the unwary, while Jim Campbell, a current ACS Director, and Georgia Talbot, another Master Gardener, remember the clean up task “as a work of love” - love for the camellias one man, Walter “Hody” Wilson, spent a career planting, grafting, caring for, and studying. That was in 1998.

It was in 1936 that Hody Wilson arrived at the Fruit & Truck Experiment Station. His main job was researching crop plants that could be grown successfully by Louisiana farmers. Research at the station then and now delves into the improvement of numerous varieties of crop plants. Research includes creation of more pest resistant varieties and varieties that handle dry and wet conditions. But Hody had a passion for ornamentals. He was interested in improving the plant selection for Louisiana nurseries and most prominently, the camellias they could grow and sell. In order to initiate the project, he donated 4,000 of his own seedlings to get this research started. 

Camellia shows often attracted 5,000 or more blooms and thousands of visitors. Even small communities put on camellia shows and old standard varieties won the top prizes. But many old varieties were slow growers and, therefore, unless grafted, took many years to reach a marketable size. Hody envisioned more varieties getting to the market faster - strong growers for both foliage and bloom. Not just the biggest, fluffiest blooms either (like many camellia people prefer today) - the gigantic semi-doubles and peony shaped blooms that made great corsages for the ladies, but the miniatures that made boutonnieres for men. To this end, a special section of the research station, separate from the study fields, was developed for camellia research.

Hody started thousands of seedlings in search of more perfect varieties. He planted these seeds purposely in wet areas in order to produce more tolerant varieties. He grafted to sasanquas and japonicas that he judged as inferior and not worthy of introduction. His research was supported by the numerous camellia enthusiasts he met through the American Camellia Society in which, over his career; he was a Board Member, Director At-Large, a member, a judge, and an exhibitor. Hody was a frequent writer of articles for the ACS journal and yearbook. In one, he reported that the variegation virus did, in fact, weaken the plant. In another quip, he noted that virgin marys (bloody marys with no alcohol) were not appropriate to a camellia gathering. He was a frequent speaker at the local garden clubs and generally was well respected throughout the local area. 

Scions came from both native growers and enthusiasts and the luminaries of the camellia world for him to “test” in his “research garden” - locals such as Casadaban, Patin, McClendon, Thurman, Katz, Judice, Moon, McGee, T.K. McKnight and Zerkowsky and more nationally known growers like Cannon, Clower, Shackelford, Sawada, Rowell, Newsome, Solomon and Talbot to name just a few. The collection swelled to over 500 varieties of japonicas, sasanquas, hybrids and the rare reticulata. Not satisfied with only those varieties being sent to him, Hody continued to develop his own seedlings and created hybrids. In his years at the station, Hody created varieties that are seen every year on the tables of camellia shows - Man Size is a perennial winner as a miniature. His others include Omega, Bon Bon Red, Centennial, Corsage, El Rojo, Gold Tone, Judge Talbot, Mrs. Jimmy Davis, Mrs. Jimmy Davis Pink, Vulcan and Zephyr. 

Few camellia men can avoid celebrating their family in flower and Hody named camellias for his wife and each of his daughters and one for all of them combined - Jerry Wilson and Jerry Wilson Pink, Evelina, Linda Margaret and Jeneli. Many of Hody’s creations are alive and well and still in the garden. His Elizabeth Dowd Silver is still distributed, but the sports - Elizabeth Dowd Rose and Elizabeth Dowd Striped, until recently, went missing. In the local gardens of some of Hody’s many friends in Hammond, Elizabeth Dowd Silver was found sporting the Rose and Striped versions. They are being propagated currently in order to reintroduce them to the garden. After retiring from the Ag Center in 1975, Hody continued to create and register new varieties. Several varieties—Florence Kirby, Barney Weems, Mark Culver, Popcorn, Music City, and Tiny Pearl, a sasanqua—are still elusive. Mark Culver and Popcorn were listed for sale by Mark Cannon’s nursery in Dothan, AL and might be found in his old garden so they can be propagated and returned to their birthplace. Hody’s Mrs. Bennie Feray appears to only exist in Mobile’s Botanical Garden, part of a generous contribution of plants by Bobby Green (Green Nurseries, Fairhope, AL). With permission, it has been propagated from cuttings in order to obtain plants for the AgCenter’s gem. 

The damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav, as well as the unexpected 8-10 inches of snow, broke the branches and even the trunks of many of these exceptional plants, but many are coming back. Purple Girl, a Malbis plant, is one coming back from a mere stump. Others, however, may be extinct. Herme White is coming back as a red, a red that Hody didn’t like and grafted to. Herme White and Bimbo are two varieties, of the 25 that have died, or been crushed, since Katrina (Bimbo has not been located elsewhere).

All Hody’s work waited to see the light of the sun again from under the canopy of weeds, branches, vines, etc. Day after day, the volunteers made progress to untie the camellias from their thorny embrace. Little by little the plants emerged and their blooms sprung forth in 1999. The garden, once reclaimed, remains clear of nature’s overgrowth and is maintained by Tangipahoa Master Gardeners and the AgCenter personnel. Work is progressing to find the varieties lost over the years from the garden - Clark Hubbs, Kitty Berry (cuttings of which they had to obtain from England), Moss Point, Mrs. R. L. Wheeler, and others. A search to find for all the Hody Wilson introductions is underway in order to create a special memorial inside the existing garden. 

The Hammond Research Station is doing extensive work with ornamentals and Dr. Regina Bracy, Research Station Coordinator, has laid out the research plots in interesting and attractive designs instead of the usual rows. Dr. Bracy has created several other garden areas including the Margie Jenkins Azalea Garden (all labeled) and is planning a location for a special memorial to Hody and his creations. A memorial garden to Hody Wilson already exists at Stephen F. Austin in Nacagdoches, but it, like the Hammond garden, does not include all of the Wilson creations.

The Hody Wilson Garden remains a true gem of the Hammond Research Station. Most varieties have been identified and labeled; however, efforts continue to identify all the plants at the garden. Hurricane Katrina destroyed Zemurray Gardens as a public garden for the area; it was best known for its thousands of azaleas, but was also the home for more than 10,000 camellias and their seedlings. The Hody Wilson Garden is now clearly the botanical garden for the area. Blooming begins in the fall with the sasanquas and early blooming japonicas. As winter deepens, the “Queen of Winter” emerges with R. L. Wheeler standing in the middle of the garden with Nick’s 13, Sam Baranco, Minna Helms, and Elsie Ruth Marshall standing nearby. Hundreds of plants, tens of thousands of blooms - a paradise of camellias 45 or more years of age. 

The Hody Wilson Garden at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station is opened and publicized as the Camellia Stroll sponsored by the Tangipahoa Master Gardeners. It will be February 20th in 2011; although, it may be visited any time with appropriate check-in at the station office. An American Camellia Society Camellia Trail garden, it stands as an equal with the great gardens of the country. The Master Gardeners have had many varieties in the garden propagated and they are nearing market readiness as three gallon plants. These will be available for sale. As the Master Gardeners say when talking about these plants, “it’s a chance to own a little bit of Hammond and camellia history. Many of these are unique varieties that will not be seen anywhere else.”

There are many great collections across the South ravaged by time and hidden from view. The Hody Wilson Garden stands as an example of what volunteers with a goal can do. Is there such a “hidden treasure” in your area that your garden club, Master Gardener, or other group can uncover and preserve? 

Note To The Reader: If you know the whereabouts of any of Hody Wilson’s “lost” varieties, ancient (pre-1900) varieties, lost gardens that need exploration and reclamation, or rare varieties created by Louisiana growers or other varieties in danger of extinction, please contact John and Stephanie Grimm (504) 610-7828. We want to save and preserve them.