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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• Learn more about behind-the-scenes of Magic Christmas in Lights
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• Share your experience with #MyMagicalMoment

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’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! 

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).

 

 

 

 

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.

Visit and Connect with Us

• Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter using the hashtag #BellingrathGardens.

Visit and Connect with Us

• Tour the Bellingrath Home
• Learn more about our collections
• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest updates.
• Share your experience with #BellingrathHistory

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!

 

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!

   

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October in Mobile isn’t just about a cool breeze or a quick dive into Halloween candy. At Bellingrath Gardens, October is our golden moment—when the magic begins to quietly brew. While everyone else is basking in pumpkin spice, we’re busy crafting something extraordinary. Pumpkins? Check. Chrysanthemums? Check. And let’s not forget the showstopper of the year—Magic Christmas in Lights—already flickering on the horizon. Yeah, we’re multitasking on a whole different level.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Everywhere

Right now, Bellingrath is alive with fall vibes. The Great Bellingrath Harvest is in full swing, and trust me, you’ve never seen pumpkins like this. We’re talking thousands of them arriving between October 7-11, turning the gardens into a full-blown pumpkin paradise. Think of strolling through paths lined with rich orange pumpkins, the crisp air biting at your cheeks, and your Instagram feed getting that autumn glow-up in a single shot.

But let’s be real—it’s not just about pumpkins. It’s about the little moments that stick with you. The laughter, the cozy feeling of fall settling in, and the kind of memories you create while wandering through a pumpkin wonderland that feels like it’s straight out of a daydream. Take a breath, grab your family, and let the season wrap itself around you.

Meanwhile, Behind the Scenes… Magic is Brewing

Close your eyes—can you smell it? The hint of pine mixing with peppermint, the faint echo of Christmas carols hanging in the air, and the warmth of hot cocoa cradled in your hands as you stand in line at Bellingrath. It’s that quiet excitement that builds with every sip, the marshmallows melting as you wait for the magic to unfold. And then, BAM!—you step out of the admission building and into a world lit by 3 million twinkling lights, each one shimmering like the dreams you held onto as a kid.

Behind the Scenes: Hand tying water lily Christmas lights

This isn’t just any light show—it’s Magic Christmas in Lights. For over 25 years, we’ve been making memories glow with this handcrafted masterpiece. Picture 65 acres of gardens wrapped in lights, 1,100 custom steel frames, and 1,500 set pieces that come together in a way that feels both new and nostalgic. Each year, we add something fresh, while keeping the traditions that bring you back, year after year.

Light Crew Manager Melissa Wells and her team are knee-deep in the work, stringing lights, climbing ladders, and making sure every bulb hits just right. By Labor Day, they’re already taming trees and archways, but come November 29th, the entire garden will shimmer in ways that make you feel like a kid again.

Crafting Christmas: Magic in Every Detail

And when you step into the garden? It’s electric—the Great Lawn Christmas tree towering like it’s been waiting for you all year. Over at Mirror Lake, 3D water lilies shimmer while animated waves ripple across the water. Twinkling snowflakes on the Gingko tree create a glow that feels like stepping into another world. Every light, every sound, every smell—it’s like the holidays themselves reached out and pulled you into their warm, glowing embrace.

It’s not just nostalgia that pulls you back. There’s something about Bellingrath’s lights that always makes it feel like the first time. The mix of old favorites and fresh surprises—the laughter of kids seeing Santa, the Nativity scene glowing under a starlit sky—hits all the right notes, the ones that take you right back to childhood. It’s more than an experience; it’s a feeling that fills your heart, making the holidays feel warmer, brighter.

Chrysanthemum Display: The Show Before the Show

As if pumpkins and Christmas lights weren’t enough, Bellingrath bursts into November with the Chrysanthemum Display. Over 400 blooming chrysanthemums—cascading, globe-shaped, and larger than life—turn the gardens into one final explosion of color before the holiday magic fully takes over. Think of it as nature’s last hurrah before winter rolls in.

The Countdown to Magic Begins Now

October might seem early to some, but for us, this is crunch time. While you’re soaking up those fall vibes, our team is making sure everything is perfect for the thousands of visitors who will soon flood the gardens. From squirrels chomping on wires (yes, that happens) to lights that need constant tweaking, there’s no such thing as downtime here.

So, here’s the deal: Pumpkins until October 31st, chrysanthemums all through November, and then Magic Christmas in Lights starting November 29th. Whether this is your first visit or you’ve been coming for decades, this year’s display promises something magical, something new, and something you won’t want to miss.

For more event details and tickets, head to our events page. October may be all about pumpkins, but trust me—here at Bellingrath, Christmas magic is already in the making, and it’s something you don’t want to miss.

Visit and Connect with Us

• Learn more about behind-the-scenes of Magic Christmas in Lights
• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest updates.
• Share your experience with #MyMagicalMoment

One of my greatest joys as a gardener is discovering that there are so many “right answers” out there—a seemingly unlimited number of plant selections and combinations capable of elevating a garden space into a transformational experience for those who pass through it.

As someone who has been gardening since birth (so I am told), I always strive to assemble plants in an order that is new… to see a space differently… to see a plant differently… to find myself in a different garden space than I’ve ever been. Last April, becoming acquainted with South Alabama’s long growing season, I tried something a bit different.

Northwest of the brick patio near the Great Lawn (where Bellingrath serves you your delicious hot chocolate and s’mores during Magic Christmas in Lights), there is a mass planting of Autumn fern. Although it was already quite beautiful, I wanted to do something to spice up the 125 sq. ft. of Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’. While most garden beds focus on color range, coordination, and diversity, I decided to keep it dramatically simple; so, I added plants that add contrast in height and texture.

Just two plants: look what happened when we interjected ‘Tineke’ rubber tree (Ficus elastica ‘Tineke’) and some tractor seat (Farfugium giganteum ‘Marco’)! Tall, coarse, stout, variegated tropical texture stands proudly above a sea of lush ferns—proclaiming their aesthetic dominance. Also coarse-textured, but seeing eye-to-eye with the ferns, the surreal leaves of Farfugium add a hint of magic.

The rubber tree is not leaf-hardy below freezing and is likely to die out altogether if temps linger below freezing for very long. But we’re just going to treat these easy-to-propagate woody plants like big ol’ annuals. The tractor seat is easily winter-hardy in South Alabama but will likely freeze back temporarily below 25°F.

This is a mixed planting… containing both perennials and “annuals.” Besides being another “right answer” to garden display choices, this dramatic mixed planting is rather labor-, resource-, and cost-efficient. After the initial installation, the cost to embellish such a space in subsequent years drops dramatically compared to covering 125 square feet with annuals every spring. The Autumn ferns and tractor seat are long-lived perennials. Once they are in the garden, they look great year after year, needing limited yearly input compared to an all-annual display. This spring, we were selling the Farfugium for about $15 each—we planted 20 in between the ferns. With perennial bones firmly established, all we needed were a few large accents to really tie the outdoor room together. In Bellingrath’s plant sales Atrium, the Ficus ‘Tineke’ used in this display are for sale at $15 (small)–$25 (large)—we only needed seven of these to complete the planting! Spicy… not pricey.

This is just another idea to try in your garden. The next time you are thinking about how to lay out a garden space, simply have fun—we sure do! Isn’t gardening exciting!?

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A Major Step Forward: 3D Scanning of Bellingrath Home

Thanks to a recent grant from the Alabama Historical Commission, Bellingrath Gardens & Home has undertaken a project that I have long desired to see done. This funding has allowed us to produce a full 3D scan of all interiors and the exterior of the Bellingrath Home. Better yet, it is now completed!

Why Is This Project Important?

You might ask, why is this project important to BGH? After all, we already have extensive photos of the Home, both outside and inside. And yet, I can say that we don’t have enough information on how the Home was built and how it exists today from an architectural and structural standpoint.

Going all the way back to the architectural design for the Home done by George B. Rogers in the 1930s to the present day, what we have at BGH, in terms of plans and designs, is only:
a) the physicality of the Home itself, and
b) a small blueprint drawing of the Home.

Mr. Rogers’ designs no longer exist, and the blueprint drawing represents only a small portion of the information needed to understand the Bellingrath Home. Therefore, we have no ability to observe in detail and study how the Home is holding up over time and what measures we should be taking to ensure its preservation.

What Is 3D Scanning?

If you’re not familiar with 3D scanning technology, think of it as a document scanner combined with a camera. When we take photographs using a camera, we measure color and light data of a given space, and that data is saved in a file. A 3D scan does the same thing, but it also measures distances between objects, as seen from the reference point of the scan’s angle.

In other words, a 3D scan represents a three-dimensional model of a given space. This model can be studied by architects, engineers, and others to assess the conditions that existed at the time of the scan so that plans to remediate minor damage or address structural concerns can be produced.

Why Worry About the Bellingrath Home Now?

You might say, “Todd, why do we need to worry about this? After all, the Bellingrath Home is ‘only’ 89 years old! I know of houses that are 200 years old, and they’re in great shape!”

To this, I might say:

• Has that 200-year-old house been hit by multiple hurricanes over the decades?
• Does that house have thousands of visitors tour it every year?
• Has that house benefited from restoration work over its lifetime?
• Does that house have a full set of architectural drawings that can be consulted to ascertain why a given wall is sagging, or a roof is leaking, or a steel lintel is rusting, etc.?

Looking to the Future: Preserving the Home

As many of you probably also have, I grew up watching episodes of This Old House with Bob Vila on PBS. Although I do not consider myself an expert in anything related to home repairs, I do know that older homes are ignored at your peril.

As Executive Director of Bellingrath Gardens and Home, you can rest assured that the future of the Bellingrath Home is being taken seriously. We will do our best to ensure that it lasts for many decades longer into the future, come rain or shine, calm winds or hurricanes.

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An Addition to the Collection

When Mrs. Bellingrath’s grandniece, Serena Edgar Wilcox, moved to Auburn to be near her brother, Ernest, a sale was conducted for items she would no longer need. One item given to Bellingrath Gardens was a large carrying case marked “Bellingrath Gardens, Mobile, Ala.”

Inside the case was a Bell and Howell film projector. That company was founded in Chicago in 1907 by Donald Bell and Albert Howell. Chicago and New York were both locations for early motion picture studios in the first two decades of the century, and Bell and Howell was producing a hand-cranked movie camera by 1910.

The first all-metal motion picture camera was also made by Bell and Howell. It was so expensive that only studios could afford to buy them. One individual who was able to purchase one was Charlie Chaplin, who was hired by Chicago’s Essanay Studios in 1915 at $1,250 per week. (Today, that would equal nearly $40,000.)

The World’s First

In 1934, Bell and Howell introduced the world’s first movie projector for amateurs. The model now in the Bellingrath Collection has a metal plaque with numerous patent numbers, so it apparently dates to late in that decade.

When the Chapel was completed in 1939, it was ultimately turned into a makeshift movie theater so that Mr. Bellingrath could entice visitors to return. As they sat in the Chapel on benches, they watched films depicting the Gardens at other times of the year to prove that it was truly a “Year-Round Garden.”

This portable version may have been used there, but Mr. Bellingrath’s grandnephew, Ernest Edgar III, had this to say about it:

“I know that projector well… 16 mm. My father took many movies of the Gardens as well as Coca-Cola events and showed them at many gatherings. In fact, as a teenager, along with my mother, I would show movies to the children in the Rotary Crippled Children’s Clinic in the old Mobile Infirmary on Spring Hill Avenue. Then we would take them to the Roxy Theater to see a movie.”

Many of those children were suffering from the effects of polio, which has largely been eradicated thanks to Rotarians. Today, the Rotary Children’s Foundation is the descendant of the earlier clinic and offers grants to local organizations that assist disabled children. Your author is proud to serve on its board.

The movie-making business would largely relocate to California by World War I. Essanay Studios closed its doors in 1918 and sold its facilities to Bell and Howell. Their movie projector, purchased by Walter Bellingrath so long ago, has come home.

Visit and Connect with Us

• Tour the Bellingrath Home
• Learn more about our collections
• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest updates.
• Share your experience with #BellingrathHistory