Serving Greater Bluffton Since 1987
The Bluffton Eccentric was the first and only newspaper the town of Bluffton has had in fifty years. We felt such a kinship with them that we asked Graham Bullock, publisher of The Bluffton Eccentric, if we could resurrect articles from previous issues and republish them. Graham graciously gave his permission and loaned us volumes of old papers. It has been a treat for me to read them and it is with great honor that I get to share them with everyone again. So, kick back, relax and get ready for a blast from the past. The Bluffton Vignette by Betsy Thayer
he heat of the day was oppressive as Jeannie Bunton and I drove down the dirt road to visit Harrison Island and Hugh Mauney. We had been told, “he grows the most beautiful flowers in Bluffton.” As we turned into his driveway and drove down to the small house built by Gerald Watkins in 1937, we knew that we had come to the right place. A large stand of tropical greenery with the rare blooming orange and blue “bird of paradise” was the first of hundreds of rare and beautiful plants to greet us.
We parked and walked out under moss-draped water oaks into the coolness of a shade garden, which bordered the bright green of the marsh and the sun draped waters of the Colleton River beyond. The lush emerald grass intertwined between beds of begonias and impatiens. Impressive stag’s horn fern nestled in the crooks of large trees and azaleas waited a cooler season to add their color. A gentle breeze rustled through the tall tops of stately palmettos as we met the man whose love for beauty had transformed the big sandy yard into a gardener’s dream.
Hugh Mauney was born in Shelby, North Carolina to a father who loved all living plants and a mother who loved flowers. Hugh went to New York as a young man where he studied and painted for a time. At the age of 25, he became interested in textiles and developed hundreds of exquisite designs for fabrics that were used by discriminating interior design houses all over the country.
Rather shy and modest about his accomplishments, he allowed us to see some samples of the fine fabrics on which he had created delicate floral patterns, bold designs and bright plaids.One of his favorite flowered prints had been repainted from an original English document onto wood and then transferred to a copper engraving. “Textiles are one of the oldest art forms known to man,” Hugh explained. “The pattern can be woven into the material, silk screened or printed. One of the newest innovations is the use of pigment on cellophane which is bonded onto the material by heat transfer. Everything in the textile industry is more automated now.”
For 30 years, Hugh designed for some of the major mills in the country, including Waverly, Cone Mills, Spring Mills and John Wolfe Fabrics. “I was successful because I was good with colors,” he admitted, as we looked at one of his designs that had set a style for household fashions for six years and is still popular.
We left the lovely fabrics to go and see the flowers that bloomed in the sunny garden. A colorful feathered parrot watched us from a clematis vined porch amid hanging baskets of achimines, which Hugh declared was the perfect summer plant for the shade of southern porches. Of the parrot he said, “I taught Chuckie to sing ‘somewhere over the rainbow.’ It’s the worst thing that ever happened to Judy Garland.” As we wandered among hibiscus of every variety and color, the smell of jasmine wafted into the air and butterflies danced over a rare specimen of crepe gardenia. Fruit laden lemon and lime bushes were dotted in among seven-foot tall lilies, while tangerines and cumquats kept company with the tea roses. Hugh told us the Latin names of his brilliant colored collection, as we darted like humming birds from one beautiful plant to another.
By this time, Jeannie and I each carried a small bouquet of delicate blossoms surrounded by the green leaves of the fragrant lemon verbena. We walked over to see Sailor, a white cockatoo with a yellow topknot, who was in a large outdoor cage and was bathing under a cool shower from the garden hose.
When we asked where all these plant had come from, Hugh explained that he had obtained many of the varieties from plant societies and specialty catalogues. It was obvious that the plants flourished because of his tender loving care. Mr. Mauney does sell some specimens of his incredible collection of plants to people that appreciate beauty and he gives detailed instructions as to the requirements for each variety.
As we reluctantly started to leave this wonderland, The gentleman who had kept us spellbound with his flowers said, “I came to this area by a lucky happenstance. I have been happy here and it is a privilege for me to live in Bluffton.” No Mr. Mauney, it is a privilege for Bluffton to have in its midst a true artist who paints from the palatte of the rainbow onto a living canvas.
