
Docent Appreciation Luncheon
On Tuesday, May 21, Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens hosted the annual Birmingham Botanical Gardens Education/Docent Appreciation luncheon to celebrate and acknowledge the great work and dedication of our Discovery Field Trip and Garden Docents. As part of the luncheon festivities, Mr. Jay Eubanks, Education Director of the Alabama Wildlife Center, and Kelly Breland were special guests and speakers discussing the topic of Alabama Native Snakes. Jay gave a PowerPoint Presentation on the various species of venomous and nonvenomous snakes found throughout Alabama; he brought live specimens as part of his interpretive program.
Over 33 docent volunteers, Birmingham Botanical Gardens staff and Alabama Cooperative Extension System staff attended the program and luncheon. Lunch was catered by Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe.
Tags: Alabama Wildlife Center, Andrew Krebbs, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Blake Ells, Docent Appreciation Luncheon, garden docents, Henry Hughes, Jay Eubanks, Kelly Breland, Taylor Steele, The Gardens
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Japanese Gardens Tour
On May 16, donors at Birmingham Botanical Gardens were led on a tour of the Japanese Gardens by Executive Director Fred Spicer.

[L to R: Gene Boles, Kathryn Jones, Ellie Jones, Chris Boles]

[L to R: Mayor Lawrence Terry Oden, Barbara "Bobbie" Glaze and Dr. Robert P. "Bob" Glaze]

[L to R: Deborah "Debbie" Strauss, Leo Kayser and Sandra Oden]

[L to R: Constance "Connie" O'Brien, Ellen Crowley]

Tags: Andrew Krebbs, Barbara Glaze, Blake Ells, Chris Boles, Constance O'Brien, Deborah Strauss, Ellen Crowley, Ellie Jones, Fred Spicer, Gene Boles, Kathryn Jones, Lawrence Terry Oden, Leo Kayser, Robert Glaze, Sandra Oden
Categories: Donors, Events, Photos | No Comments »

The Conservatory renovation project continues
The Conservatory renovation project has begun to take shape, and last week we took some photos. Check them out!















Tags: Andrew Krebbs, Birmingham, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Blake Ells, Conservatory, The Gardens
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Member’s Day Trip visits Coach Pat Dye’s Quail Hollow
On Thursday, May 9, members of Birmingham Botanical Gardens took the annual Member’s Day Trip. This year, the group visited former Auburn coach Pat Dye’s Quail Hollow Gardens near Auburn. More than 5,000 Japanese maples sit on the property where Dye led members on a tour.










Tags: Andrew Krebbs, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Blake Ells, Member's Day Trip, Pat Dye, Quail Hollow Gardens, The Gardens
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Mothers Day at The Gardens with Get Into The Gardens and the Birmingham Rose Society
Su Reid-St. John, Birmingham Botanical Gardens volunteer and Jefferson County Master Gardener, led a group in the Mother’s Day Herb Pot Demonstration. The two ornamental pots for the demonstration were donated by Leaf & Petal at The Gardens.
On Saturday, May 18, the Get Into The Gardens demonstration at 1 p.m. will be “Easy Container Gardening: Building a Pollinators’ Paradise.”
Robert Eskew from the Birmingham Rose Society, and a Garden Docent, led a large group around the Dunn and Old Fashion Rose Gardens as a part of the Mother’s Day Get Into The Gardens program, and the annual Birmingham Rose Show.




Tags: Andrew Krebbs, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Rose Society, Blake Ells, Get Into The Gardens, Robert Eskew, Su Reid St.-John, Taylor Steele, The Gardens
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Coretta Scott King rose planted at The Gardens by Mayor William A. Bell, Sr.
On Friday, Mayor William A. Bell, Sr. joined Dr. Michael Wesley, Sr. and Executive Director Fred Spicer in the Dunn Formal Rose Garden for a ceremonial planting of the Coretta Scott King rose. The rose is a new variety that was created by Weeks Roses in Wasco, California in honor of King and planted in honor of both Mother’s Day and as part of the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement.



Tags: Birmingham Mayor Bell, Blake Ells, Coretta Scott King, Coretta Scott King rose, Dr. Michael Wesley, Fred Spicer, Jr. Birmingham, Mayor William A. Bell, Michael Wesley, rose, William Bell
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Loveman’s Department Store Display at Southern Tales
On Sunday, the Birmingham History Museum loaned pieces from Loveman’s Department Stores to The Gardens for display during Southern Tales presents: In Her Own Fashion by Dolores Hydock. The one-woman play tells the story of Ninette Griffith, one-time Fashion Coordinator at the Birmingham store. If you missed it, here are some photos of the items that were displayed.






Tags: Andrew Krebbs, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Blake Ells, Dolores Hydock, Loveman's, Loveman's Department Stores, Ninette Griffith, Southern Tales, The Gardens
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Junior Board presents: Salsa de Mayo
On Thursday, May 2, Junior Board of Birmingham Botanical Gardens welcomed Lori Sours, the Salsa Senorita. Sours shared recipes for creating unique salsa dishes as the Junior Board welcomed the Cinco de Mayo weekend.





Tags: Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Junior Board, Junior Board of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Lori Sours, Salsa de Mayo, The Gardens
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Arlington School students assist gardeners in the Bruno Vegetable Garden
Students from the Arlington School of Birmingham assisted gardeners Amanda Clark and Jason Parrish with prepping and planting the Spring vegetable garden in the Bruno Demonstration garden on Thursday, May 2. Arlington School has been instrumental, volunteering with The Gardens on many large planting projects including potting plants for Spring Plant Sale and the Centennial Tree Planting Project that focuses on reforestation of the urban canopy. Part of their volunteer experience with The Gardens is to combine their work with hands-on science activities that support their curriculum at school.




Tags: Amanda Clark, Andrew Krebbs, Arlington School, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Blake Ells, Bruno Vegetable Garden, Taylor Steele, The Gardens
Categories: Gardening, News, Photos, Volunteers | No Comments »

Loveman’s Department Store artifcats on display at The Gardens
Southern Tales presents: “In Her Own Fashion,” a one-woman play performed by Dolores Hydock will be featured at The Gardens on Sunday, May 5. The play is the true story of Ninette Griffith, the one-time Fashion Coordinator for Loveman’s Department Stores. The original location, shown above, was at the corner of 19th Street and 3rd Avenue North in the space now filled by the McWane Science Center.
To honor the event, the Birmingham History Museum has loaned Archivist Jason Kirby a collection of hats, hat boxes, hat stands, credit cards, receipts and women’s apparel from the original store that will be on display this weekend at The Gardens. [photos courtesy of Birmingham History Museum, Executive Director Jerry Desmond]
To purchase tickets online, visit www.bbgardens.org/southerntales.



Tags: Andrew Krebbs, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Blake Ells, Dolores Hydock, In Her Own Fashion, Jason Kirby, Loveman's, Loveman's Department Stores, Southern Tales, The Gardens
Categories: Education, Events, Library, Photos | No Comments »