Author Archives: Cassidy Smith

Celebrate the Season with a Bellingrath Membership

The holiday season is here, and what better way to celebrate than by giving the gift of beauty, community, and unforgettable memories? Bellingrath Gardens & Home is offering two exciting opportunities to bring joy to your loved ones and yourself this season:

1. New Member Offer:
Join now through December 31, 2024 to enjoy exclusive perks, including:

  • 1 extra month of membership, free of charge.
  • A complimentary hot chocolate and bag of Community Coffee to warm your winter days.

With your membership, you’ll enjoy year-round access to Bellingrath Gardens & Home, complimentary admission to the Gardens and an annual home tour, exclusive discounts at the Gift Shop and special events, plus invitations to members-only experiences.

2. Gift Memberships:
Give the perfect holiday gift that lasts all year! Share the magic of Bellingrath Gardens & Home with friends and family by gifting them a membership. It’s a thoughtful way to give the beauty of the “Charm Spot of the Deep South” while supporting one of Alabama’s most treasured destinations.

Don’t wait—these offers are available for a limited time! Click here to join or gift a membership today.

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Holiday Cheer for All: Top Tips to Make the Most of Your Visit to Magic Christmas in Lights

As the chill of the season sweeps in and the holidays come knocking, there’s one place where magic isn’t just in the air—it’s in the lights. Bellingrath Gardens & Home welcomes you to the 2024 Magic Christmas in Lights, a dazzling spectacle that blends timeless tradition with fresh, innovative charm. And guess what? You’re invited to soak it all in. But before you head out, let’s make sure your visit isn’t just good—it’s unforgettable.

1. Timing is Everything

Skip the crowds, savor the serenity. Weeknights are your golden ticket to a more intimate experience. Arrive early to catch the Gardens bathed in twilight before the lights take center stage. Trust us, the transition is pure magic.

2. Must-See Marvels

If you’re thinking, “I’ve seen it before,” think again. This year’s “Peace on Earth” theme introduces a stunning new display where the gazebo once stood. It’s a visual story of hope, unity, and wonder—perfect for that Instagram-worthy shot. And of course, the beloved classics like the Rose Garden Pink Tunnels (2022) and Christmas Corridor (2023) still shine bright.

3. Dress for the Occasion

Think cozy, not cumbersome. Layers are your best friend—warm enough for the crisp air, light enough for exploring. Comfortable shoes? Non-negotiable. These paths are made for strolling, not strutting.

4. Warm Up with Cocoa and S’mores

There’s nothing quite like sipping on a steaming cup of hot cocoa as you wander through the sparkling lights. It’s holiday magic in a mug! And if you’re looking for a little extra sweetness, don’t miss the s’mores station. Gather around, toast marshmallows to golden perfection, and sandwich them between graham crackers and chocolate. It’s a cozy, delicious tradition that will leave you feeling warm from the inside out. Perfect for families, couples, or anyone who loves a taste of nostalgia.

5. Step Inside History

Take a break from the twinkling lights and step into the historic Bellingrath Home, beautifully decorated for the holidays. Each room tells a story of timeless elegance, enhanced by festive touches that make the season come alive. Guided tours offer fascinating insights into the Bellingrath legacy, blending history, architecture, and seasonal cheer. It’s the perfect way to add a touch of tradition to your visit while enjoying a cozy retreat from the crisp evening air.

6. Snap a Memory with Santa

Don’t forget to stop by and capture the ultimate holiday keepsake—a photo with Santa himself! Whether you’re bringing little ones to share their Christmas wish list or just want a festive snap with the big guy in red, it’s a must-do experience. Santa will be available for photos through December 23rd, so be sure to plan your visit early to get your perfect shot. After all, nothing says holiday spirit quite like a jolly moment with St. Nick!

7. The Gift Shop is Calling

Think beyond the usual stocking stuffers. The Bellingrath gift shop is a treasure trove of holiday finds, from unique ornaments to local artisan crafts. Shop while you’re in the spirit—it beats the mall, hands down.

8. Capture the Magic: Photography Tips

The lights are breathtaking, and your photos should be too! For the best results, visit during twilight when the sky still holds a hint of color. Use a tripod or steady surface to avoid blur, and turn off your flash to let the warm glow of the lights shine. Experiment with different angles—reflection shots near water features or wide frames of the dazzling displays can create stunning images. And don’t forget to step in front of the lens yourself—these memories are worth keeping!

So, are you ready? Whether you’re a longtime visitor or a first-time guest, Magic Christmas in Lights is your chance to slow down, look up, and revel in the wonder of the season. Book your tickets, grab your loved ones, and let the magic begin.

This holiday season, Bellingrath Gardens & Home isn’t just a destination—it’s a memory in the making. And it’s waiting for you.

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Thankful for Our Magical Season

I am writing this column just before we open our doors for the first night of the 2024 Magic Christmas in Lights festival – our 29th annual celebration of the holiday season at Bellingrath Gardens & Home. In the coming nights and weeks, we’ll literally see tens of thousands of visitors come to our doors from near and afar, all eager to see the light show that we’re presenting this year.

Starting in 1995, Bellingrath opened its doors in the evenings for a holiday celebration with lights bedecking the gardens and hand-made set pieces. Executive Director Bob Pearson had traveled the year before to Callaway Gardens to see their light show, only to be toured around by Bill Barrick, who would become Bellingrath’s next executive director in 1999. (The public garden world is indeed small, but I don’t know if there could be any closer degree of separation than this!) I recently discovered a letter written in 1995 from Bob Pearson to BGH’s volunteers, thanking them for staffing and running the Magic Christmas show – an interesting factoid I had not before heard.

Under Bill’s guidance, Magic Christmas in Lights was perfected in the early 2000s through his own creative energies, coupled with those of Clare Graham, a Disney “Imagineer” and artist. The show achieved huge success in the 2000s, reaching its zenith of popularity in 2012 with over 90,000 visitors. Furthermore, under Bill’s leadership, the Magic Christmas show was run by staff, and the actual set pieces that display the lights were created in-house by BGH’s staff. One person who was of particular importance in creating these metal set pieces was Greg Hill, who sadly passed away in 2020 at too young of an age.

Upon arriving at BGH in September of 2020, I quickly learned about the all-consuming nature of our annual holiday show. Observing it both as it was set up and then opened to the public on November 27, 2020, I explored the show to embrace its spirit but also critique it. The staff had wisely decided to create the new Mardi Gras scene during the summer of 2020, and that allowed us to exhibit a new scene for the first time in eight years. I decided to bring in the expertise of landscape designer and holiday light show planner Tres Fromme for a review in early December 2020. Through Tres’ and my observations, and with approval from the board, we embarked on a new master plan for Magic Christmas in Lights, and this was completed by mid-2022.

Through the involvement of key BGH staff with Mr. Fromme and HDLA of Nashville, TN, the new MCIL master plan calls for years of new or modified scenes and the embracing of modern technology such as LED lights and choreographed motion of these lights in selected areas. New scenes were opened both during the development of the new plan and every year since it was completed: 2021’s Phoenix and Dragon, 2022’s Rose Garden Pink Tunnels, and 2023’s Christmas Corridor behind the Admissions Building. For this year, our theme is “Peace on Earth,” and our new Magic Christmas scene is located in the space where the gazebo formerly stood in the “Gazebo Garden.” We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as you have our past years.

Bellingrath Gardens & Home is greatly thankful and appreciative of the patronage you exhibit toward us, not only in the holiday season, but also throughout the year. What we promise you for 2024’s show and for future years is a spirit of continual improvement and creation of new exhibits that will delight your senses and reward you with a celebration of the holiday spirit and season.

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Help Us Grow!

Support the Gardens by making a donation today. Every contribution helps us preserve the beauty and history of Bellingrath Gardens & Home. Donate here

When Capehart Meant Luxury

Thousands of visitors have passed through the Bellingrath Living Room over the years, paying little attention to what was surely the most expensive object in the house: a Capehart radio-phonograph.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the Capehart Automatic Phonograph Company produced a series of very expensive entertainment systems housed in handsome cabinets. The company offered a variety of styles, ranging from Chippendale to “Spanish.”

The company was named after Homer E. Capehart, who introduced the concept of home entertainment systems consisting of combination record players and AM/FM radios. Capehart had earlier perfected a series of jukeboxes before incorporating under the Capehart name in 1928. He would eventually have a distinguished career as a senator from Indiana.

The Capehart was unique in that it contained an ingenious record changer capable of playing both sides of a record by flipping it over. By the 1940s, the Capehart had become a symbol of urbane luxury in the United States, and movie buffs can spot them in the glamorous living rooms featured in films of the era.

The Chippendale model in the Bellingrath Home retailed for the astronomical sum of $5,000 in 1941 (about $87,000 in today’s dollars). The cabinet itself weighs 140 pounds and features a “clam shell” opening top that reveals the record changer. An interior light originally illuminated the changer when the top was opened.

Below the top section is a pair of doors that open to reveal a speaker, centered with what resembles a Chippendale chair splat. At its base, the words “Bissell Weisert Co., Chicago” are printed in gold, referring to a retailer that once operated on Michigan Avenue in that city.

Production of Capehart radio-phonographs came to a halt by 1950 as the company turned its attention to a new form of entertainment: television. The long-playing record, which spun at a speed of 33 1/3 rpm, was introduced during that decade. Within a few years, Americans began preferring more portable “hi-fi” systems, rendering the Capeharts obsolete.

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Bellingrath’s Iconic Cascading Chrysanthemums are Here!

It’s that time of year again when nature unveils its masterpiece here at Bellingrath Gardens & Home, and the stars of the season are none other than our spectacular cascading chrysanthemums. Known for holding the title as the largest outdoor display of cascading chrysanthemums in the United States, these blooms are living art, shaped and nurtured right here on our grounds.

Picture it: thousands of chrysanthemums spilling down walls, embracing arbors, and lighting up the gardens with rich, vibrant hues. It’s breathtaking, mesmerizing, and utterly unforgettable. And these aren’t your average blooms—they’re Bellingrath Grown, a labor of love cultivated from seed to blossom within our own greenhouses.

When to Visit and What to Expect

The chrysanthemums are currently blooming and will continue to flourish throughout the season. For the best experience, plan to visit in the coming weeks as the colors reach their peak. This is an ideal time to capture stunning photos, breathe in the crisp autumn air, and immerse yourself in nature’s beauty.

Bellingrath Gardens & Home invites you to come witness the bloom — a one-of-a-kind spectacle made even more special by our remarkable team.

Plan your visit today to experience the vibrant tapestry of chrysanthemums and explore the magic of Bellingrath’s greenhouses.

A Blooming Tribute to Our Volunteers

Yet, none of this beauty would exist without the dedication of our amazing volunteers. This season, we owe a special nod to Master Gardener and Bellingrath volunteer Barbara Burdine. With her creative vision and green thumb, she has redesigned the Plant Atrium, turning it into a lush haven just outside our gift shop. Assisting her was Master Gardener intern and fellow volunteer, Michael DeCosta, who brought his own energy and expertise to bring the transformation to life.

The result? A vibrant, rejuvenated space that feels like a slice of Bellingrath itself. And here’s the best part—these are plants you can take home with you. Thanks to Barbara, Michael, and our team, the Atrium now features an incredible selection of plants for sale, straight from Bellingrath’s own greenhouses. It’s a chance to bring a touch of Bellingrath into your own space.

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Azalea Core Collection Part 1

The next time you find yourself in Bellingrath Gardens’ Café enjoying our Coca-Cola sliders, you might notice on the brick wall behind you an early 1930s photograph of a massive azalea being transported into the Gardens on a repurposed Coca-Cola truck. Bessie Bellingrath was a plant collector, and even before Bellingrath Gardens was founded, azaleas were one of her favorite plants to collect! 

Bessie Bellingrath’s first azalea garden on Ann St. in Mobile. 1920’s

 

  Bessie’s original azalea collections were sadly lost decades ago, but as part of our proud celebration of her “artistry and genius,” Bellingrath Gardens is rebuilding it—prominently displaying them so that others can feel the joy and invigoration that comes from a connection to plant life, to nature, and to big honkin’ flowers! 

A 1940’s post card featuring the welcoming azaleas at Bellingrath Gardens

 

As I’ve mentioned in past newsletters, we have constructed an in-ground azalea trial to support our growing collection. That trial space is filling up fast!

When I came to Bellingrath in the summer of 2023, BGH had 13 azalea varieties in the ground. Thirteen. Of course, anyone who’s chosen the right weekend to walk the Garden in March has encountered these 13 clones flowing in huge sweeps—breathtaking! We want to build on that. We want to diversify that. We want to augment the effect of these massive monochromatic masses with hundreds of new varieties, crazy vibrant colors, and a noticeably expanded bloom season. In the past year, the Bellingrath azalea collection has grown from 13 to over 300 varieties, and we are just getting started.

Q: What is a plant collection?

A: A collection of plants.

Wow, deep. Thanks. Curating a collection, however, is a huge undertaking!

Q: Where are we getting all these azaleas!?

A: Ok… here we go…

As it pertains to azaleas of garden origin, there are generally only two places to get azaleas: as potted plants from the nurseries that sell them and as cuttings from the gardeners who grow them. Fortunately, Mobile, AL, is quite possibly at the center of the cultivated azalea universe, so most growable azaleas can be found within a day’s drive of Bellingrath. So far, we’ve been gifted hundreds of ready-to-plant azaleas, and we’ve traveled to other gardeners’ azalea collections to take cuttings (for the cuttings, we have to add the roots later).

Sarah taking cuttings

 

 

Just add roots! Freshly “stuck” cutting on our mist bench

 

Sarah and Brandy with a truck full of potted azaleas

 

We have been especially fortunate to have great friends willing to share their own stock, wisdom, and experience with us. Our most sincere gratitude goes out to: Maarten Van Der Giessen of VanDerGiessen Nursery, Buddy Lee/PDSI/Flowerwood Nursery, Dr. David Creech , and the Azalea Society of America.

Tune in next time, when we discuss the significance of establishing our azaleas as a “Core Bellingrath Collection” and why it is crucial for their preservation.

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Floral arrangement with green and orange flowers

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Just recently, two exciting things happened at Bellingrath Gardens & Home. What things happened, Todd?! Well… beautiful things! However, beauty means something different for each of us, right? This reminds me of a dear friend of mine back in the ‘90s asking why I loved hollies so much, because, as he said, the flowers aren’t much to look at, and the foliage is prickly. I told him I loved them because I enjoy big, bold, bodacious, broadleaf evergreen plants – and they have nice berries on the female plants, too. In other words, I told him that I loved “green meatball” plants, as the legendary Dr. Michael Dirr, retired professor of horticulture from the University of Georgia, nicknamed all broadleaf evergreens, especially those without showy flowers.

Here at Bellingrath, the two beauties I am excited about are very much like the hollies that Michael Triff asked me about: utilitarian on one side, but exquisite in the details on the other. Without further ado, here we go!

Home with new roof
Newly installed Fortified roof on the Security Building at Bellingrath Gardens & Home

 

  1. One of the oldest service buildings on the BGH campus is our Security Building. This simple wooden structure dates back to the 1930s when it, along with a now-gone twin, served as the main ticketing and entrance building. Today, the Security Building is stuffed with all sorts of things, mainly serving as a catch-all storage building for us. However, as with all things Bellingrath, we have grand plans! You see, the Security Building is a sturdy, well-built structure, and it has held up better than several of our other “general purpose” buildings.This past week, we were finally able to accomplish the first of several projects that will see this building repurposed into new offices. The first order of business was to address the rather old asphalt shingle roof. In the “beautiful” photo below, please see our sparkling new roof, which will protect everything inside from water and the elements. Stay tuned in the coming months for updates on what we will be doing with this “old but useful” building here at BGH!
  2. Now, for the second of the two beauties, we actually have two photos showcasing the fine artistic talents of two of our local florists, as exhibited in the Bellingrath Home during the Fall Floral Showcase event held on October 18. (To most people, these are the beauties, and not the roof on the old Security Building. Yes… I get it, but here at Bellingrath, I am happy to celebrate all our achievements.) I will always be especially enamored by floral arrangements because my father, who passed away 11 years ago, was immensely talented in this subspecialty of horticulture – talents I do not possess. Earlier this week, I was able to walk through the Bellingrath Home to see all the beautiful floral art pieces designed and created by masters of the craft. Looking at the two pieces photographed here, I felt the rooms in which they were placed come alive. The first piece (see top photo), created by Martha Butler of The French Potager (Bay St. Louis, MS), is a masterful use of color subtleties – the faded lotus pod, the “antique”-looking hydrangeas, the copper beech foliage, and the incredible spider mums and roses in buff to rose-tan tones – the entire arrangement is so perfect that you would think it was created before the room itself. Bravo!!!The second piece, set in the formal dining room and designed by Carl Clark of Southern Veranda Flower and Gift Gallery (Fairhope, AL), is a wonderful study in mass, texture, and air – a basal bouffant of roses that perfectly matches the room’s drapes, topped by an incredible swirl of purple calla lilies, lilac-toned delphiniums, and a dazzling twirl of contorted twigs. Like the first arrangement, this one enlivens the room in which it is placed. Other pieces for the Fall Floral Showcase were created and displayed by Bay Flowers, Beth Cranford Floral Design, and BGH’s very own Barbara Smith! We thank them all for adding such delight and beauty to Bellingrath Gardens & Home!

    red roses floral arrangement
    Exquisite floral arrangement created by Carl Clark of Southern Veranda Flower and Gift Gallery (Fairhope, AL) gracing the Bellingrath Home as part of the Fall Floral Showcase

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