In August of 1940, the owner of Rothschild’s Antiques on Royal Street in New Orleans wrote Mrs. Bellingrath a letter. He regretted having been out of town during her recent visit but was happy to announce that he had found ”a very fine pair of silver cups with tops….from the collection of Mr. Erskine, president of the Studebaker Corporation. His collection was famous all over the United States and abroad.”

The pair of cups pictured was made by Gorham Corporation in 1928. That was a banner year for Albert Russel Erskine serving as president of one of this country’s premier auto manufacturers. America was booming and there seemed no limit to the number of cars to be sold to Americans in the midst of the Jazz Age. In fact, between 1927 and 1930 Studebaker even named one of their models the Erskine.

A year later the stock market plummeted and within a matter of months so did the sale of automobiles. Either due to blind optimism or financial ineptitude, Mr. Erskine paid out an astounding $7 million in dividends in 1930 and half that amount a year later. The company showed no profits for either of those years.

By late 1932 Studebaker was $6 million in debt and had no cash reserves left. When the company defaulted on their loans the firm was placed into receivership and Mr. Erskine was without a job. On July 1, 1933, Albert Erskine was at his palatial home “Twykenham Manor” in suburban South Bend, Indiana. On that hot summer day he walked upstairs and stood in his bathroom, placing a loaded revolver to his chest. His family found a note nearby stating “I cannot go on any longer.”

Mr. Rothschild made no mention of Erskine’s sad end in his letter to Mrs. Bellingrath and we have no way of knowing if she recalled the fate of her cups’ prior owner. Today they are one of three pairs of magnificent silver cups with covers on display within the Bellingrath Butler’s Pantry.

And ironically their prior owner is also in Alabama. Mr. Erskine is buried in his native Huntsville, some 360 miles to the north. His former home in South Bend survives as condominiums.

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Conservation and Sharing

Bellingrath Gardens Azalea core collection is saving plants from extinction! Have you noticed the selection of plants at your local garden center or your favorite mail order nursery changes from year to year? New varieties are introduced every season while other varieties vanish—where did they go? Unlike native plants, cultivars of garden origin are not perpetuated naturally. Once a plant of garden origin is “out of print” so to speak, its clock is ticking. Although no perennial plant has ever died of old age (technically), no single plant lives forever. Asexual propagation (meaning “reproduction without sex”) literally resets that clock (via rooted cuttings, grafting, divisions, and tissue culture.) Parenthesis aside, propagation underscored by the sharing of those plants permits a plant to live beyond the lifespan of the original “mother” plant and initial clonal distributions. Long story short, if no one is hacking off pieces of azalea clones and making rooted copies of them, then that cultivar will inevitably go “extinct”. Furthermore, let’s not forget to mention De facto extinction. If a clone grows without the affirmation of a label, or garden record, or anyone’s memory of its name, that cultivar is essentially extinct unless someone rediscovers it. We all know how often we lose the labels on plants and forget their names.

A private plant collection rarely outlives its collector; and private gardens come and go, it’s floriferous treasures usually falling victim to blind clear cutting every time the property changes hands. Conversely, the Bellingrath azalea core collection will seek out, acquire, grow, document, re-identify, and propagate hundreds of varieties that will otherwise likely go extinct. The permanence of Bellingrath Gardens and Home is one of our greatest foundational assets. Serving as a secure repository for germplasm (a fancy way to say living plant collection), Bellingrath Gardens is looking forward to crossing the 100-year threshold with youthful exuberance. Time is on our side.

Garden Aesthetics and Landscape Use

Now let’s talk about those big honkin’ flowers!  As a public garden, Bellingrath is in the business of showing off as many big honkin’ flowers to as many people as possible. But now we’ve got a problem…albeit good problem: with the Bellingrath azalea core collection having already exploded to over 400 varieties, which ones are we going to use and where!? They all look so great!  As a formally trained (and I guess informally trained) garden designer, there are several factors that I will consider while evaluating the side-by-side performance of our evergreen azaleas—basic characteristics that will guide our roster decisions as we put our team of big honkin’ flowered azaleas onto the visitor field of view.

Shape, size, and quantity

We want to display (and by display, I mean shamelessly show off) as many varieties of our evergreen azaleas as possible. The most efficient way to display lots of different clones over a defined space is by planting one of each type. Typically, an individually planted evergreen azalea is best described as a garden meatball. In garden design, an evergreen sphere is a most aristocratic shape…the most difficult to pare with other types of herbaceous and woody plants. In short, an evergreen azalea, singularly planted will often default to being the center of attention—it resists blending in, even when not in flower. So, when planted in drifts of one, expect to see our evergreen azaleas awarded prominent placement in Bellingrath’s garden beds.

When used in mass, these same azaleas weave together, acting as a tall groundcover. Yes, a ground cover! Question: What is the definition of a groundcover? Answer: a plant that covers the ground. Evergreen azaleas are typically densely branched, crowding out (or at least obfuscating) anything planted directly underneath. Bellingrath Gardens offers many stunning vistas, where a mass of azaleas will trigger a massive flower display for 3 weeks; and unlike when planted singularly, blend in to the bigger picture when not in flower.

So when addressing our delightful dilemma in terms of size, shape, and quantity, prepare to blown away: from any distance by the big honkin’ flowers of the many, and at close range by the big honkin’ flowers of the one. Bellingrath Gardens is blessed to have the acreage necessary to accommodate so many different kinds of azaleas!

Form and function

If every evergreen azalea, regardless of floral show, was expected to serve the same aesthetic garden function, our cheerful conundrum would cease to be cheerful. If every evergreen azalea looked exactly the same when not in flower, the only differentiating characteristic we’d have to choose who goes where would be the flower—and primarily the color of the flower. There just wouldn’t be enough “uniqueness metrics” defining hundreds of azalea clones to solve for “x”.  Thankfully, in addition to garden meatballs, there are short ones/tall ones/round ones/skinny ones/fat ones. There are azaleas with tiny leaves—there are azaleas with shiny leaves. Some azaleas will tumble over a stone wall, some azaleas tuck into a tiny crack in a stone wall.  Some azaleas beg for the close attention of a macro lens–some azaleas would rather show off their long game from across Bellingrath’s Great Lawn. There is an azalea answer for garden question. Bellingrath doesn’t have all the answers, but if asked what our favorite azalea is, we currently have at least 400 different answers!

Big Honkin’ Flowers:

Ok…one might think I’m going to talk about the differences in flower color, size, and overall display.  Yes and no.

First the “yes”. The most common question we get asked about our azaleas is when is peak bloom.  You see, Bellingrath employees use a calendar to precisely plan and coordinate our garden happenings. Unfortunately, our Azaleas do not use any such calendar—consistently failing to even check their inbox. We’d love to be able to tell you exactly what time the azaleas have scheduled their main event; but at least we know from experience those big honkin’ flowers will show up for one to three weeks–late February into March . That’s the window as it stands now, because Bellingrath’s current azalea display is composed primarily of southern indica hybrids. But here’s the really cool part…one of the most understated and yet most exciting aspects of our growing azalea core collection is that by diversifying the genetics represented by so many different hybrids and hybrid groups, we will be vastly lengthening, augmenting, and defending a peak season of bloom—possibly extending a full month later into mid-April and beyond. Just wait until the Satsuki hybrids come marching in near the end of March! Diversified genetics means new colors, new spots, new streaks, and new color combinations! A broader flowering window puts the beauty of the peak display season out of reach of almost any single weather event that might otherwise sabotage a narrow peak flowering event. We can’t wait to get these new varieties planted into the garden. Ahhhhh!!!

And now, the “no”.  One reason (and there are many reasons) I love being a public gardener is the opportunity to see the garden through so many sets of eyes. I truly love embracing our guests’ reactions to the dynamic beauty of Bellingrath Gardens. I’ve learned everyone sees something different when looking at the same flower. Huh, go figure. For me, flowers are the culmination of a plant’s success. Flowers are a resplendently wrapped gift offered back to the garden saying “thank you” for providing such a generous place to live. Flowers are a vivid contribution to the collective garden aesthetic. Flowers provide a fleeting opportunity for endless observation… challenging the very limits of the five senses.  I feel comfortable assuming pretty much everyone reading this knows what an azalea flower looks like… and have likely been impressed by those big honkin’ flowers in a way that is unique to the eye of the beholder. So no, my vocabulary is simply depauperate in any attempt to speak for a flower that has something it would rather share with you personally. As the Bellingrath Azalea Core Collection spills into the garden, we invite you to come hear for yourself what those big honkin’ flowers have to say to you. And we, in turn will say thank you for your continued support of the gardens—for helping us advance Bessie Bellingrath’s artistry and genius as we culminate our first century as a public garden renowned as a charmed spot for so many plants and people to thrive.

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Now that the shock of our recent historic Gulf Coast snowstorm is starting to be a “rear view” memory, it’s time to take stock and see where the dust has settled.  Y’see, in the world of horticulture, the snow is just the good and pretty stuff, but it’s the cold that matters.  At my home in Grand Bay, I woke up the morning after the snowstorm, and to my utter shock, the thermometer said 10°F!  Well, ya’ll, that’s cold!  Bellingrath, while not having a weather station on-site, probably bottomed out at 13°F.  So much for those forecasts of a warm and balmy 18°F, I guess.  [Deep sigh]

I’ve been around the southern U.S. long enough to say that the best way to characterize our winters is to call them generally mild but infrequently punctured by bitter cold.  (With our changing climate, I would have previously said “every now and then” instead of “infrequently.”)  We are definitely getting warmer on average for our winters, but, averages have a way of being uncertain, eh, especially since plants respond to extremes and not to averages?  Well, despite our well-known and respected USDA Plant Cold Hardiness Zone Map, which puts Bellingrath at somewhere at a zone 9a (winter lows of 20-24°F), 13°F is actually a zone 8a temperature (winter lows of 10-14°F).  And that, folks, is a winter temperature that definitely breaks the average.

What is the result of all of this babble, you might ask?  Well, if you’re looking out your kitchen window or you’re driving around town, you are noticing azaleas that appear as much “brown” as “green.” You may also be seeing camellia flowers look a golden-brown color that you’d rather see on fried chicken than on camellia flowers.  This tells you, then, that what just happened is real, and it was beyond the typical conditions from our recent winters.  At Bellingrath, the camellia flowers that were fully open were killed, and flower buds that were partially open were either badly burned or killed outright; however, the unopened flower buds are fine, and the plants didn’t miss a beat.  If you grow the old-fashioned bottlebrush shrubs (Callistemon citrinus), then their leaves have a nice tan-gray appearance right now, but the plants should be fine.  Tasmanian flax-lilies (Dianella tasmanica) now have chestnut-brown leaves, but they should flush bright green new foliage once spring arrives and soil temperatures warm.  On the “this is a good thing” side, camphor trees (Camphora officinarum), especially those growing in open areas, saw their foliage badly burned, which is great since this is a major invasive pest species in our forests.  Also, the California and Mexican fan palms (Washingtonia) have browned up pretty badly, but should send out new leaves in spring to early summer.  Remember ya’ll, with cold damage to plants, it is always better to wait than to hurry up and cut dead leaves and stems back.

A few newer-to-us plants that we are now growing at Bellingrath as “perennial” plants, meaning we don’t rip them out the ground as soon as their flowers fade, tell a few good tales.  1) Chamaedorea microspadix, the Mexican parlor palm, was untouched by the cold.  Our plants came from Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown from older plants growing there that produced a nice crop of seeds three years ago.  2) Two of the “mangaves” (pronounced mann-GAH-veez) that we’ve acquired and are testing did great – ‘Macho Mocha’ (who doesn’t love that name?!) had a little bit of foliar burn, and ‘Falling Waters’ was unscathed.  3) Ctenanthe setosa, an old houseplant I learned back in the 1980s, died back to the ground, but I learned three years ago from Dr. Gary Knox (Professor of Horticulture, retired, University of Florida, North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy, FL) that this plant has grown in the Tallahassee area for decades as a perennial, and so it should be perfectly fine come spring.  Who would ever have thought that a close relative of the prayer plant (a common, old-fashioned houseplant) could be so cold hardy?!

Tell us your tales, both of woe and of glory, of plants from your gardens.  We are eager to see what you’ve learned from our recent bout of record cold temperatures and a thick blanket of insulating snow!

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A Heartfelt Thank You

To our incredible sponsors: Maynard Nexsen (supporting sponsor), Chris Francis Tree Care (Live Oak Plaza Sponsor), and Crowder Gulf (Peace on Earth Sponsor) – you’ve been the guiding light behind our success. Your support allowed us to go above and beyond, creating an event that captured the spirit of the holidays for thousands of guests.

To our new and returning corporate members: Welcome to the Bellingrath family! Your commitment strengthens our ability to preserve the Gardens’ legacy while continuing to provide moments of joy and wonder for our community. We’re excited to embark on this journey together, filled with possibilities.

To our cherished community and guests: Thank you for making Bellingrath Gardens and Home a part of your holiday traditions. Your presence and shared memories bring life to the lights and fuel our mission to inspire joy, connection, and awe.

Looking Ahead to a New Year of Wonder

As we close the curtain on this unforgettable season, we’re already brimming with excitement for what’s to come. Stay tuned for exciting announcements about upcoming events and fresh opportunities to experience the Gardens in new ways.

Whether you’ve been a lifelong supporter or are just discovering the magic of Bellingrath, we can’t wait to welcome you back.

Let’s make 2025 another year to remember!

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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.

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Over the past several months, I have focused this column on updating you, our supporters, on several aspects of improvements being made to infrastructure, utilities, and our equipment. I wouldn’t be surprised, therefore, to learn if any of you have wondered when, or if, I would be writing about plants. (Those who know me really well are truly laughing right now, as I’ve been known to never stop talking about plants!) Anyhow, … I figured it’s time to return to plants, and at this time of the year, there is no finer group of plants to discuss than camellias.

When people think of the history of Bellingrath Gardens & Home, most think about the period of time when the gardens were created and constructed, and when they were shepherded by Walter and Bessie Bellingrath. And why shouldn’t we think about this period of time, eh?! Well, another period of great importance for Bellingrath Gardens & Home are the years immediately following the death of Walter Bellingrath in 1955 – specifically 1956 through the early 1960s. Y’see, many a great addition to Bellingrath Gardens occurred during this period: a) the Bellingrath Home was opened (changing our name to Bellingrath Gardens and Home), b) the building now known as the Café/Gift Shop Building was constructed, c) the Overlook Bridge by the Rose Garden was erected, d) the Brick Patio was built at the southwest corner of the Great Lawn, e) the Lodge was torn down and replaced by the South Terrace, f) the “Oriental Garden” (now called the “Asian-American Garden”) was built, and g) last, but not least, the Camellia Arboretum was developed.

In 1957, over 800 cultivars of camellias were planted on seven acres located to the west of the Summer House. As the historic photo shows, grassy paths meandered through a mature pine forest studded with specimen camellias planted on 12-foot centers, each plant representing a unique cultivar (“variety”). This garden would stand, at the time, as one of the finest collections of camellias in the Gulf Coast region until 1979! Sadly, Hurricane Frederic had other plans, and in 1979, destroyed the Camellia Arboretum. With the valiant efforts of long-time Bellingrath Director of Horticulture Pat Ryan, many of these plants were salvaged from the former arboretum and replanted into the gardens. Despite the passage of 45 years since Frederic, a surprising number of camellias still persist to this day in the old arboretum, happily growing as a testament to their durability and hardiness. Our aim is to rescue these old plants and to redevelop the space into a restored Camellia Arboretum!

On December 7, 2024, Bellingrath Gardens & Home embarked on the first efforts to begin the process of reclaiming this important part of our heritage and history. With the assistance of three volunteers – George Davis, Forrest Latta, and Donavan Ballard – BGH staff of myself, Jeremy Schmidt, and Sarah Brecher worked to begin clearing brushy growth, unwanted vines, seedling weedy trees, and even various seeded-in camellia volunteers. In the span of four hours, a huge amount of progress was made, such that some camellias were no longer covered by trumpet creeper vines, dead limbs and trees were moved away from existing plants, and low-hanging limbs of taller trees were removed so that sunlight could reach the light-starved camellias.

Where will this lead? When will we get there? I’ll write again in the coming months on our progress, all of this tied to an exciting new master plan for BGH that we will be unveiling in the future!

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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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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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