Author Archives: Olivia Garrett

In 1962, Bellingrath Gardens received our first cuttings of cascading-variety Chrysanthemums from Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. These as-yet relatively unknown cultivars were quickly adopted into our display calendar, with our first Cascading Mum Show hitting the scene the very next year. Although this unusual selection of the thoroughly-popular garden variety mum had been in cultivation in the West since at least as early as 1909, their true potential for horticultural display on a mass scale remained elusive in the States for many years. In their native home in Eastern Asia, (namely Japan, China, and Korea) the cultivation of bonsai-type chrysanthemums was already well-developed and much appreciated. The history of mum production in general has spanned over a staggering 3,500 years, beginning as a medicinal and food crop in ancient China. The varieties selectively developed for display in the cascading style (known as kengaizukuri in Japan) originated sometime around 300 years ago, during the long span of relative peace and flourishing artistic movements of Japan’s Edo Period (1603 – 1867).

So, what makes a mum variety suitable for training as a cascade? The group of mums chosen for cascades belong to the x morifolium section – the x denotes a hybrid group, and morifolium means “mulberry-leaved”. Mums from this section have delicately incised leaf margins and tend to sport numerous small flowers, as opposed to the singular, massive flowers of other types (think of the substantial globe-like flowers of “football mums,” popular in decades past). Cascading mums are essentially being pruned into bonsai (kiku no bonsai, literally “bonsai of chrysanthemum,” is the name for the Japanese practice of training mums into unique shapes), so our mums must have the qualities which make for successful bonsai subjects. These qualities include having supple new growth which develops a woody base, having a generously branching habit, and long internodal lengths – spaces between branches along the stem – all of which allow us to cultivate our mums from cuttings only inches long into draping tapestries of flowers several feet in length.

It may be surprising, but our mum “season” actually spans nearly a full year. We begin as soon as the previous show ends, with visions of display designs, lists of figures, calendars, and spreadsheets. In January, each stock plant of our 35 cascading varieties is evaluated by our Display Designer and Nursery team, working in tandem to assess the number of viable cuttings which can be taken from each mother plant. Cuttings taken are selected by hand for length, growth habit (cuttings which exhibit excessive “crowning” or branching of tip shoots are discarded, as are those without ideal internodal length), as well as general health and vigor. This past year, we stuck over 5,000 cuttings to prepare for our seasonal display.

Like many plants with a highly seasonal flowering period, chrysanthemums schedule their blooms according to the day length – or, more accurately, they sense the hours of darkness between each period of available sunlight using a sophisticated system of hormonal regulation. For this reason, they are known as “long night” plants – when the period of darkness exceeds about 12 hours and 40 minutes, the bundle of cells at their shoot tips will begin differentiating, becoming the types of cells which will form flowers. Temperature plays a supporting role in coordinating bloom time as well, with cooler temps bolstering fuller blooms and warmer temps impeding consistent flowering.

Our cuttings are potted up according to the agreed upon display quantities for bedding mums, towers, pyramids, and cascades, and grown out in greenhouse conditions until May. During that time, each cutting is being fastidiously trimmed, pinched, pruned, staked, tied, and twisted, all to achieve the desired shape for each design. Our new plants also receive a regimen of specially-chosen fertilizers and PGRs (plant growth regulators, a class of chemicals consisting of both naturally-derived plant hormones and synthetic compounds which help control plant growth) to achieve the correct balance of stem length and full, compact flowering shoots. In June, we begin tying our mums to the cascade racks, carefully training them to grow upside-down, and onto upright metal forms to become the columns and pyramids displayed around the Gardens.

From summer to late fall, the mums receive additional training and treatments to continue shaping and bulking up on blooms. By mid-October, depending on the temperatures of any given year, the mums will begin making their way to the Gardens for installation. Their flowering period lasts only a handful of weeks, but because we use a blend of many different heirloom varieties, we’re able to spread that bloom season out to its fullest extent. After they finish their fantastic show and are ceremoniously decommissioned and transported back to the Nursery compost, planning has already begun for the next year. Our cascading chrysanthemums are a huge investment of time, labor, and love – a ten-month crop for a four-week show –  but they’re also a beautiful and poignant farewell to the long, riotous days of the summer garden and a cheerful welcome to the tranquility of winter at Bellingrath.

Magic Christmas is almost here, and the Keyhole Garden behind the recently restored Summer House is ready to be transformed into our Winter Wonderland. Thanks to a recent $500,000 pledge from the Hearin-Chandler Foundation, the garden will soon return to its decades-old role as a gateway to the restored Camellia Arboretum. The Camellia Arboretum was built in 1957-1958 as a memorial to Walter D. Bellingrath, who became a Camellia expert in later life and had close relationships with the Camellia breeders who made Mobile a global center for Camellias. Sadly, it has been closed since Hurricane Frederic destroyed it in 1979.

Our 2026 end-of-year appeal focuses on the $90,000 Keyhole Garden Restoration Project. The project will preserve the garden’s original shape while addressing longstanding grading and drainage issues. Local landscape architecture firm WAS Design has a plan to correct those problems while elevating the area’s appearance by adding a bluestone pathway. This path will be lined with the first set of commemorative bricks. These bricks preserve memories in the Gardens and honor or remember loved ones.

We’re excited to announce that, thanks to generous donors, we can offer a 2x match that doubles your gift to restore the Keyhole Garden. Every dollar given, including microdonations at the point of ticket purchase, will be doubled. You can contribute any amount to the project here. The 2x match even extends to the $250 commemorative bricks that will line the path when it is installed this spring. Click on this link for more information or to purchase a brick.

We’re grateful for the strong support that has enabled improvements to the Summer House, Head House, Bayou Boardwalk, River Pavilion, and numerous other projects this past year. Together, we can lead Bellingrath into its second century and ensure the beauty and elegance of the property for generations to come.

At the February 1956 meeting the board voted to combine the two offices for the Gardens in the former guest house and eliminate the one at Coca-Cola on N. Royal Street. 

The board voted to sell souvenirs in the former Lodge and approved the printing of new brochures featuring the recently opened Bellingrath Home. Approved the purchase of new View-Master reels featuring images of the Home. 

Home admission was set at $2.50 while the Gardens was set at $2.00. 

On August 2, 1956 the board approved life passes to the close relatives of Mr. and Mrs. Walter D. Bellingrath. They also approved free admission on August 5th to honor Walter Bellingrath’s birthday. 

Then at the November meeting the board approved an annual advertising budget for marketing director Fred Holder in the amount of $60,000. (The equivalent today of over $743,000 )  A 48-page book about Bellingrath Gardens and Home was authorized. 

On February 26, 1957, it was announced that a new Camellia Arboretum was being created with Camellias donated from local nurseries. 

At the August 27 meeting the board approved $65,000 for the publication of a book on Bellingrath Gardens and Home. The cost to visitors would be set at $1.50 each. They also approved a $2,843 expense to install heating and air conditioning over the garage for the Gardens’ offices. (Previously there had been no air conditioning and the rooms were heated by individual gas wall furnaces.

Having now lived in the Mobile area for over six years, I can say that I know a few shortcuts to get from point A to B, and I also know which roads and streets could use a little TLC. Growing up in Louisiana, I have seen my fair share of “not so great” (I’m being polite) roads, and I can honestly say that Mobile’s roads and streets are light years ahead of the ones I grew up with. Here in Mobile County, we have a long-term and voter-approved program for road improvements: the “Pay-As-You-Go” program. Bellingrath Gardens & Home is now in the process of developing its own “pay as you go” effort to address our own capital projects. You have been hearing from us about the needs and our planned/designed responses to those needs over the past several months and years. From the Historic Core design process to the Camellia Arboretum to a future childrens’ and family garden to electrical infrastructure to a new back-of-shop service complex, we are investing constantly in BGH’s future.

With this issue, I am especially proud to share that Bellingrath Gardens & Home has now received the largest single gift in our history – a $500,000 commitment to the restoration of the Camellia Arboretum from the Hearin-Chandler Foundation – since our founding as a nonprofit in 1950. We could not be more excited! Earlier this month, we also dedicated the now-restored Summer House, a project that represents a $200,000 investment in an original feature of BGH! How ‘bout these milestones, eh, y’all?!! So many great things are happening that, in truth, it’s sometimes hard for us to keep up. As we move toward our centennial, we look forward to continuing to bring forth more memories for you, our visitors and families.

On a day-to-day basis Bellingrath has not been immune to all of the cost inflation that has plagued us at the pump and in the grocery stores. With our costs going up, and with due consideration for you, we have done market research and have worked to adjust ticket prices for the upcoming Magic Christmas in Lights accordingly. For this year’s festival, we will have reduced admission rates for children (ages 5-12) – our response to knowing that budgets for most households are tight this year. Please know that Bellingrath Gardens & Home is a nonprofit organization, and Magic Christmas in Lights is crucial to our year-round financial stability, but we are understanding of the bigger economic picture that exists in our economy.

Thank you for your support of our work. We exist to honor Walter and Bessie Bellingrath’s legacy, doing so by providing incomparable and memorable experiences that allow you to continue established family traditions at a place of historic beauty and elegance.

Bellingrath Gardens & Home is a historic estate and gardens, opened to the public since the spring of 1932. It is also a beloved cultural attraction and community asset for Mobile and the Greater Gulf Coast region and a nationally renowned and internationally recognized destination. For a select number of people, however, BGH is a nonprofit organization that serves as their place of work that provides for their livelihoods and professional careers. To our visitors, much of the “behind the scenes” operational aspects of BGH are unknown.

In late July, leadership staff at Bellingrath took a major step forward in envisioning the future of the “workplace” aspect of the organization – the “back-of-shop” spaces that allow much of the magic that our visitors and guests enjoy to come into fruition. The structures that comprise this space, unfortunately, are showing their age and need to be rebuilt. Working with Tres Fromme (3.fromme Design), Steven Lee Johnson (Sitework Studios), Ben Cummings (Cummings Architecture), and Jim Shepherd (Orion Engineers), we embarked on a process to design a new facility that will house BGH’s Maintenance, Horticulture, and Lighting Events departments. This project was able to proceed thanks to support of our many donors to 2026’s “Laying the Groundwork for the Centennial Master Plan” fundraising campaign.

Taking an assortment of facilities dating from the 1940s to the 2000s forward into a conceptual plan that will guide future architecture, engineering, and ultimately construction is no easy task. Through Tres’ leadership, however, we have now created the initial framework for this future space – one that will see transformative improvements to workflow, efficiency, productivity, and interdepartmental collaboration. Yes, back-of-shop facilities aren’t something that generally gets visitors and donors excited, but as I had to do previously both in Oklahoma and North Carolina at prior public garden workplaces, developing modern facilities is crucial to our future and continuance as a leading Gulf Coast nonprofit organization!

Per the image at the top of this article, you can see a 2026 Google Earth view of the current set of buildings – metal pole barns, plastic and glass greenhouses, etc. – that comprise our back-of-shop spaces. The second image, shown below, shows a prioritized condition rating of all of these existing facilities, with red dots meaning the facilities are in greatest need of replacement while green-dotted ones are physically in a reasonable state of use and condition.

We are excited to be embarking on this planning process, and we again thank the foundations that supported the “Laying the Groundwork for the Centennial Master Plan” capital campaign. Thus far, for instance, we are proud to say that $38,000 has been invested in electrical infrastructure improvements at BGH—upgrades that follow the electrical infrastructure master plan we completed in the spring to early summer. We likewise feel that the forthcoming plans will lead to exciting opportunities for you to continue to support Bellingrath’s positive momentum, and we feel strongly that your support through major donations will help us realize the goals and dreams of this planning process!

Thank you so much for your support this summer in renovating the River Pavilion. We’ve replaced the badly deteriorated roof with a new metal one, added simple safety rails, and repaired damage to the deck from Tropical Storm Bertha. This project is important as we reactivate our riverfront.

In the few weeks since the pavilion was completed, we’ve put it to work. Our NatureNauts STEM education team has returned to using the real-time water monitoring station to teach school field trips about the constantly changing tidal Fowl River. The Pavilion has also returned to use as a dock. On NatureNauts STEM Day, our partners at Historic Blakely State Park took participants for rides down the Fowl River. In addition, our partners at the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program docked at the Pavilion to pick up volunteers to plant marsh grasses on the Bellingrath Spit to stabilize it for decades to come. Finally, we’ve hosted a delegation of EPA officials on a tour of the restoration work and will welcome more dignitaries in November.

Alongside the recently repaired Boardwalk, the Pavilion offers visitors of all ages a way to connect with the river and better understand the natural beauty that drew Mr. and Mrs. Bellingrath here. Next time you’re in the Gardens, make sure to visit the Pavilion. You’ll also notice recent plantings by our horticulture team, including more rare agave as we expand that collection. This progress is possible because of you and your generosity. Thank you.

At the December meeting Walter Bellingrath gave a personal check for $14,000 to the Foundation to allow a distribution to be made to the Gardens and other beneficiaries. That sum would equate to just under $170,000 today.

It was also announced that Mobile’s Lerio Corporation would fabricate a ticket booth for the Garden entrance. Mr. Bellingrath was part owner of that firm which was founded to produce pumps and equipment used in the collection of turpentine. During the 1920’s they began producing metal bodies for Coca-Cola delivery trucks as well

1954

It was announced that Mr. Albert A. Hunt had retired as “Acting Manger and Landscape Engineer.” He was retained as “consulting engineer” to assist Martin D. Green who replaced him.

Mr. Bellingrath personally donated $7,500 (approximately $95,000 today) for pipe replacements and the installation of fencing. Mr. Bellingrath said “our piping system has become inadequate” while voicing his concern over “trespassers and fire dangers from arson.”

At the meeting Mr. Bellingrath also stated that there would be no distributions of funds to beneficiaries that year.

1955

At the March 17 meeting George E. Downing and George W. Burney were named trustees. George Downing was Sales Manger for Coca Cola while Mr. Burney was the company’s secretary/treasurer. This would be the last meeting attended by Walter Bellingrath.

At the May 31 meeting Mr. Bellingrath’s absence was noted but he sent a letter cancelling his earlier donation for fence and water improvements, directing that sum be given over to the general funds.

The next called meeting would follow our founder’s death in August.

Almost everyone today knows them inside and out (literally, if you’ve ever made a jack-o’-lantern), but like many of the garden-variety vegetables available in grocery stores around the world today, the humble pumpkin has a surprisingly interesting history.

                Pumpkins are in the family Cucurbitaceae – a real mouthful, it’s pronounced “cue-curb-i-tay-see” – along with other famous fruits like melons and cucumbers. That’s the first secret this unassuming orange enigma conceals: botanically-speaking, pumpkins, and all squashes, are fruits. A fruit is always the result of a pollinated flower, and all natural fruits produce seeds. What constitutes a vegetable is really a matter of culinary debate, but typically they’re roots and shoots – carrots and broccoli, for example – but anything with seeds is technically a fruit.

                As if that revelation wasn’t shocking enough, pumpkins are also pretenders of another order altogether: they’re not even a real species. Pumpkins as we know and love them are just one variety of Curcubita pepo – but so are zucchinis, yellow crookneck squash, and pattypan squash, just to name a few. They’re all the same species! Human ingenuity is responsible for diversifying them over thousands of years into “endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful,” to quote Charles Darwin, who researched pumpkins extensively for his book The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants. This domestication process is responsible for almost all recognizable produce today, from pineapples to watermelons to cabbages, similar to how all breeds of dog were domesticated from ancient wolves.

Even more upsetting for all you pumpkin-heads will be the knowledge that some of our most cherished heirloom pumpkin varieties, commonly used these days for decorating front porches in pleasing autumnal shades anywhere from pale orange to green and blue, aren’t even “pumpkins” but a different species altogether (Cucurbita maxima). So, some things we call pumpkins aren’t and some things we don’t call pumpkins actually are. What a world!

                There’s even controversy about where pumpkins really come from. Botanists have been in heated debate about their origins since at least 1857, with some insisting that pumpkins are descendants of the wild Cucurbita texana while others staunchly maintain that our beloved Cucurbita pepo came first and that C. texana is really just an imposter that escaped cultivation thousands of years ago. Don’t even get me started on Cucurbita fraterna, the third contender for the title of original pumpkin! While we may never know the truth, one study from 2003 (Assessment of Genetic Relationships in Cucurbita pepo (Cucurbitaceae) Using DNA Markers) concluded that all three species are just subspecies of C. pepo, and most of us are content to just leave it at that.

                Naturally, pumpkins have been grown and carefully selected for taste and nutrition by Native Americans for millennia. The oldest verified archaeological evidence dates to around 10,000 years ago in Northern Mexico, though it’s very likely that their culinary history goes back even further. They’re one of the most well-traveled crops in America, having been carried and cultivated all over the continent since time immemorial. There are some good reasons they’ve stood the test of time: they’re pretty, they’re tasty, they’re adaptable, and they travel well. So, as you carve one with a spooky grin, munch some roasted seeds, or enjoy a slice of pie (or a pumpkin spice latte) this season, think back on all the mysteries hiding behind its glowing orange exterior and give thanks to the humble pumpkin.

Hello, everyone! As of this writing, I have just passed my sixth anniversary with Bellingrath Gardens & Home. This is a milestone that I am happy to have reached, but one that seems to have come so suddenly. Yes, time does fly by – even in a lovely garden!

Over the past several months, we have continued our work on multiple projects – as always – and have also started several new ones. Three of the high level ones deserve mention here. All three of these projects are supported by our successful “Laying the Groundwork for the Centennial Master Plan” capital campaign that we conducted over the past year. We thank all donors who made this campaign a whopping success!

1. Electrical Infrastructure – You probably never would think that a bona-fide Horticulturist could write, excitedly, again and again (and again) about electrical infrastructure. Right?! Well, as we said back when I lived in Tulsa, “this isn’t my first rodeo.” Both when I worked at the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden in North Carolina, and then later at Tulsa Botanic Garden, we had to build out the electrical grid, including the main service line. As such, coming to Bellingrath six years ago led me, almost as if it was my fate, to begin the process of addressing deficiencies in our electrical grid here at BGH. With the work we completed earlier this summer with Hargrove Engineers and Constructors on designing a new electrical infrastructure master plan, we’re now identifying the proverbial “next steps” to take to start building out the new grid. While this high-level work is proceeding, Harold Fischer’s Maintenance Department has been rebuilding essential components of our current grid. We’ve found several puzzling issues with the existing infrastructure, such as non-standardization of breaker panel boxes (we literally utilize three different brands of these, instead of picking one). We’ve also begun the process of purchasing and installing heavy-duty electrical components from electrical supply companies instead of the lower grade materials we formerly procured from box stores. We’ve literally replaced GFCI outlets throughout the gardens with new, commercial grade ones, for instance. Ultimately, we want you, our visitors and supporters, only to notice that the lights are on and that systems are functioning. But, we know that BGH must always be vigilant in maintaining and modernizing our electrical systems and infrastructure, which we are now doing.

2. The Security Building – Most people don’t really notice the historic, ancillary structure that we refer to as the Security Building, a wooden service building painted dark green with tan trim that is located to the north of the Café. Despite its inconspicuousness, this building originally served as one of the ticket points for visitors to enter Bellingrath Gardens & Home. Over the past several decades, it has existed as a general purpose storage building with an office for our Security Guards. With support from the Laying the Groundwork capital campaign, we recently hired Dakin Street Architects (Mobile, AL) to redesign this building so that it could be converted into office space that is greatly needed due to our growth over the past six years. To our pleasant surprise, we will be able to fit six offices into the building, plus a small conference room, and also restroom facilities. With architectural work now complete, we are now determining how best to proceed in rehabilitating this building in coming years.

3. A Future New Maintenance and Horticulture Complex – Just as with the Security Building, we expect that only a very few visitors realize the magnitude of structures that we have in our non-public areas at BGH. Y’see, operating a public garden and historic home requires a multi-faceted staff team – Maintenance, Horticulture, and Lighting Events, for instance. The Horticulture department alone has Greenhouse/Nursery, Display, Landscape/Turf/Irrigation, and Design units. Currently, all staff who fill these roles are based out of a multitude of outdated and inadequate structures, ranging from an old barn to a house converted into offices to an entire complex of old greenhouses needing replacement. More importantly, however, is the reality that these departments, which interact every day, are located in separate facilities. Our maintenance barn, which we oddly call the “Warehouse,” is so old that it cannot be covered by a wind insurance policy – an obvious problem in the hurricane zone. As such, to remedy this overall bad situation, we commenced conceptual design work in July on a new facility that will house all of these departments and units. The design team consists of 3.fromme Design (Sanford, FL), our lead designer for the Centennial Master Plan and the Magic Christmas in Lights master plan, Sitework Studios (Asheville, NC), Cummings Architecture (Mobile, AL), and Orion Engineers + Constructors (Mobile, AL). This project, one of great complexity, would not be possible without the support that has been given to our Laying the Groundwork capital campaign. But, the completion of this project is essential for our future growth, development, and continuance as the leading public garden and historic estate on the Gulf Coast.

One day, y’all, perhaps I’ll just write about flowers and exciting plants. Today, however, I hope I have given you a peak at the scale of our efforts to bring Bellingrath Gardens & Home into its second century of existence. We so appreciate all of the support that you bring to us, and we, as always, look forward to seeing you at BGH!

For the past few years, as the days of Summer get shorter and we all begin to anticipate a welcome change in the seasons, the Gardens here have rung in the coming cool(er) days with the Great Bellingrath Harvest. The Fall Plant Market kicks off the party from September 18th to the 20th this year – kind of like Mardi Gras, it really is a whole season instead of just one event, but we do start it with a big party: three days of music, drinks (lemonade and sweet tea), and plenty of goodies to take home (plants!). We’ll have some excellent late season color if your Summer bedding plants are beginning to get tired, as well as Spring-flowering trees and fragrant shrubs, and of course an offering of tropical houseplants to get you through the chilly Winter with some indoors greenery. We’re pairing this excellent shopping opportunity with our annual STEM Education Day, so there will be tons of local organizations for kids to connect with. It’s also generally just a fantastic time to visit the Gardens and watch as new displays begin unfolding. With so much going on, the Fall Plant Market is our sweet farewell serenade to the long, hot Summers of the South and a grateful hymn to welcome in the actual best time of the year to put new plants in the ground: Fall. 

Most people think Spring is the perfect time to plant, but Spring is really about the show perennial plants put on after they’ve saved up all the energy they’ve stored over the past year – Spring may be when plants spend that energy to show up in their finest flowers and fresh foliage, but Fall is really when you want to get your perennial plants started. To produce the best Spring flowers and Summer fruit, most plants need a chance to settle their roots in and get established.

One way to think about it is to remember that plants can’t really move around – they can’t usually pick up and move to a more comfortable climate when things get too warm or too chilly, too wet or too dry – and so they’ve come up with a whole host of different metabolic solutions to cope with the constant changes in their environments. Like us, plants tend to run in cycles. Plants from temperate areas like Lower Alabama, which enjoy warm Summers and cool Winters, tend to have a routine tied both to the individual day and the time of year. They start with a morning routine just like us (minus the coffee), when the growing light and warmth of the day initiate chemical processes that help them generate the energy they use to grow and bloom. They wrap up with a nighttime routine, slowing down and storing their energy, breathing deep, and resting and repairing themselves. On a macrocosmic scale, these cycles are repeated from season to season over the year. When the days are long and warm, with plenty of available sunlight and water, plants generate a lot of energy and get most of their growing done; when things slow down and generally become drier, cooler, and darker, they rest and recuperate, getting everything ready to come back out and celebrate with a bang in the Spring.

So mark your calendars, prepare your garden beds, and begin dreaming about what new and beautiful plants you’ll find and fall in love with at the Fall Plant Market!