The Keeper of the Camellias

Vaughan Drinkard shepherds the cheery plants, which rule Cornerstone Gardens in Mobile, Alabama

- CAMERON BEALL

FOR MANY PEOPLE in Mobile, the name Vaughan Drinkard is synonymous with camellias, as over 325 varieties grow at Cornerstone Gardens, the downtown retreat that he and his wife, Linda, opened in 2016. But Vaughan's affection for the flower, often called "the queen of winter," was instilled in him long before. He grew up surrounded by the blooms and even grafted his first plant before age 10, thanks to his father, Blanding Vaughan Drinkard Sr., and his grandfather Cliff Harris. "Pop was a master jeweler by trade, but mostly he loved flowers, especially camellias," says Vaughan about his grandfather.

Cliff's enthusiasm for the winter blooms trickled down to his son-in-law Blanding, who had briefly studied botany and horticulture prior to joining the Marines. After returning to Alabama following his military service, Blanding began working at Longview Nursery in 1950. Cliff had bought it from Robert "Bob" Rubel. "Rubel was nationally recognized at the time for his camellia knowledge. By luck of the draw, Dad came to be his head nurseryman and learned camellia nomenclature and know-how from him," says Vaughan. "It was just how fate handles things sometimes."