Local garden club dedicates First Ladies of Georgia Camellias

Ten camellias famously known for honoring First Ladies of Georgia have been dedicated in a city park.

The Erin Garden Club of Dublin, Georgia Power, city of Dublin employees and members of the Dublin City Council held a ceremony to dedicate the First Ladies of Georgia Camellias at Railroad Park, 320 S. Jefferson St. 

The Georgia First Lady Camellias are named after Sandra Deal, Marie Barnes, Elizabeth Harris, Rosalynn Carter, Virginia Maddox, Mary Perdue, Mary Beth Busbee, Shirley Miller, Betty Foy Sanders and Marty A. Kemp. According to Mark Crawford, of Valdosta, in 1966, the naming of a camellia for the wife of the Georgia governor began when Sanders was named by Fred H. Smith in Statesboro. 

“It is a special day for the city of Dublin, its residents, businesses, our surrounding areas and all visitors to Dublin or those just passing through,” said Melodie Smith, immediate past president of the Erin Garden Club of Dublin. “In 2024, Mayor Joshua Kight, City Manager Josh Powell, Lynn Beasley, president of the Erin Garden Club of Dublin Inc., met where we are standing.” 

“We immediately mentioned our suggestion for a set of 10 Georgia First Lady Camellias  would be perfect under these beautiful oak trees,” Smith said. “And, we knew who to call to place the order, as you can only order a complete set from only one place, Loch Laurel Nursery in Valdosta.” 

Dublin Mayor Joshua Kight made a couple of comments following the unveil of the marker.

“I think Lynn Beasley and Melodie Smith are a force of nature,” Kight said. “They have made this happen through their hard work, vision and dedication.” 

The first camellia was named in 1966 for Betty Foy Sanders. She and her husband, Carl, were the first occupants of the Governor’s Mansion in Buckhead. The next camellia was named for First Lady Rosalynn Carter in the 1990s. In 2015, a reception was held in Tifton for First Lady Sandra Deal, where she was presented with a picture of the camellia to be named for her. A few years later, Deal made a request to Mark Crawford that it would be nice if all of the first ladies who lived in this house had a camellia named for them. Marie Dobbs Barnes and Mary Ruff Perdue were able to select their camellias and Deal chose the others so that all of the flowers were different, Smith said. 

After the 2018 election, First Lady Marty Kemp selected a seedling from a photograph, completing a full set of 10. The camellias have been planted at the Fullwood Garden Center in Tifton and at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains. Sets planted in order continued at the First Baptist Church of Gainesville (planted in honor of Deal where she attended church); Georgia State Botanical Garden in Athens; Lockerly Arboretum in Milledgeville; a private garden and Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah; the Wynn House in Columbus on the campus of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta; the garden center in Marietta; and the 10th city at Railroad Park in Dublin, Smith said.

“In 2024 with the help from very dedicated groups such as a few of our Dublin City employees Robbie Petry, Chad Burch and Tony Dent along with those we depend of daily, through and after storms, some of our Georgia Power crew citizens chapter, Dublin City Mayor Joshua Kight and Dublin City Council, Dublin’s First Lady Camellia Garden was established,” said Smith, adding that Crawford is undecided about adding other camellias to this set since it is a complete set of 10 and he is contemplating retirement. “It is hoped this Georgia First Camellias Garden will be a place for families to gather, special events to happen and to welcome visitors to our city.”  

The mayor has seen Beasley and Smith many times at Railroad Park. He thanked them for all they have done there and other places in Dublin. 

“It seems like they are out here planning or scheming on how to continue to beautify the city of Dublin,” Kight said. “Those are the best kinds of plans and schemes. We have this Railroad Park with these 10 camellias. You may have seen that we have recently planted the median  in downtown. We planted Unity Point with other organizations and we have teamed with lots of different organizations to continue to beautify every part of this town. It’s exciting to see the efforts of volunteers to work hand-in-hand with city of Dublin employees and our private industries like Georgia Power to continue to make this a beautiful town to live in.”