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Azaleas (specifically evergreen azaleas) have been in cultivation for centuries, and can be found scattered throughout the majority of temperate gardens across the planet that generally stay above 0F, have somewhat acidic soil, and have consistent rainfall throughout the year. In design school, I was taught “right plant, right spot”. Bessie Bellingrath was keenly aware of this gardening axiom– south Alabama is one of the best places on earth to grow evergreen azaleas, and Bessie compiled one of the first evergreen azalea collections in south Alabama. However, beyond our excitement to celebrate Bessie’s love of this ericaceous jewel, why is Bellingrath Gardens so intent on elevating azaleas to “core collection” status? Actually…let’s back up: what is a Bellingrath Gardens core collection?
Bellingrath Gardens is building its “living collection”. That means that in addition to curating our seasonal displays, we are acquiring, documenting, and planting as many climate-appropriate (growable in south Alabama) plants as possible. Within our living collection, we are identifying and adopting “core collections”. A core collection is recognized to be critical to our living collection, receiving prioritized and permanent placement throughout the gardens. Bellingrath Gardens’ Executive Director, Dr. Todd Lasseigne, believes evergreen azaleas are so important to our legacy as a public garden, that our visitors will be able to spot one no matter where they are standing in the gardens. That’s a bold initiative, and one we are excited to work towards.
When touring the 10,500 square foot Bellingrath Home, it is illuminatingly apparent that Walter and Bessie utilized every bit of their indoor living space. They were collectors of their day. And for them, each day was worth remembering. Today, a dedicated staff proudly champions the Bellingrath Home and its intimate portrayal of Walter and Bessie’s legacy. The extensive collection of ephemera, artwork, documents, accolades and gifts affords over 125,000 people each year the opportunity to connect with the spirit of the place, and to calibrate their perception to see the world as the Bellingrath’s once did. The collection of Walter and Bessie’s personal effects remains hugely impactful and relevant because it is displayed within the confines of the perfectly preserved “historic core”. Likewise, the sum of Bellingrath’s azalea core collection is greater than its plants. Of panache and profundity, Bellingrath’s rapidly growing aggregation of accessioned azaleas shares similarities to other collections in their many forms: the union of canvas and paint, the shaping of clay, the pen traversing page after page, the tightening of nuts and bolts, whisking together ingredients, the linking of circuitry, and on and on. However, Bellingrath’s azalea core collection functions as only living, growing things can.
Research and Reference
A living library…that’s probably the best way to explain it. A collection of books by different authors, mapped by a card catalog (do they still use card catalogs?). Let’s walk over to the hypothetical evergreen azalea section. Imagine with me, hundreds of “books” written by different plant breeders—the volumes are lined up on the shelf and mapped in the digital database. Each book is packed with beautiful images that seem to jump off the page, supported by descriptions that vividly illustrate what is pictured.
In reality, our azalea reference collection is planted into a grid. These clones grow in consistent and ideal conditions—same latitude, same climate, same soil, same irrigation, same sunlight—thus the collection is rooted into a strong foundation that supports side-by-side comparison, documentation, and evaluation. Growth rate, bloom time/color/quality/size, foliage characteristics, heat and cold tolerance,
overall form—every phenotypic (a fancy way to say “observable”) trait that defines the evergreen azalea and reaffirms their legendary aesthetic impact in the garden—multiplied by several hundred clones—on display in relation to one another. Upon a foundation of singular and ideal growing conditions, collection diversity, and consistent and systematic recurrent documentation, major breakthroughs ripen as low hanging fruit. When evaluating 300 clones, 500 clones, 1000 clones in this environment, one could simply stand a few hundred feet away and accurately claim that ‘clone X’ is the earliest blooming azalea of all 300, or 500, or 1000 clones. Although our results only represent how these varieties grow here at Bellingrath, quite often the same relational properties hold true in other gardens. For example, at Bellingrath, if ‘clone x’ has redder flowers than ‘clone y’ or grows faster than ‘clone H’ or blooms later than ‘clone R’, it is likely (with exceptions) that when grown side-by-side in a Texas or New Jersey or South Carolina garden, ‘clone x’ will still perform similarly in relation to clones Y, H, and R. The Bellingrath Gardens azalea core collection will serve as a reference point from which reasonable planting choices can be applied to gardens elsewhere. And of course, we will utilize our evaluations as we plant azaleas all over Bellingrath Gardens—the perfect selections for Bellingrath visitors to enjoy anywhere in the garden. It’s gonna get nuts!
Another invaluable function a reference collection serves is in its exemplary taxonomic/varietal accuracy. I could type and gripe about how often plants become mislabeled in the nursery trade—but in short: the Bellingrath azalea core collection will have accurate signage, as we’ll actively work to sort out inherited misnomers. Here again we benefit from the advantage of growing a large collection side-by-side. Hypothetically, a clone is named ‘Red Prince’; but why is it blooming purple in the trial? Hmm…looks like a mistake. Or hypothetically, a clone called ‘Red Prince’ and a clone called ‘Red Slippers’ look absolutely identical side-by-side? Hmm…maybe this is the same clone being sold under two names? It happens more than most people think. In a reference collection, decades-old mistakes can be solved in minutes.
All this and we haven’t even covered how Bellingrath’s Azalea Core Collection is crucial for conservation and sharing; plus, we’ll talk more about those big honkin’ flowers! Next month, we hope you’ll enjoy the final installment of this in-depth introduction to Bellingrath’s Azalea Core Collection.