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]
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.
Mothers Day at The Gardens with Get Into The Gardens and the Birmingham Rose Society
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Earth Day at The Gardens
Over 400 visited The Gardens on Saturday, April 27 for Alabama’s longest-running Earth Day celebration. Visitors were able to take advantage of hands-on children’s activities and learn of ways to live environmentally sound. Community gardening was a focus of this year’s event, which invited local vendors like the East Lake Farmers Market, Painted Shovel, Coop and Caboodle and The Backyard Pantry to offer ideas on recycling, raising chickens in an urban environment and building raised planting beds. John Scalici’s Juka Tribe offered an eclectic mix of world music sounds in the Garden Center, while the Get Into The Gardens demonstration series complemented the celebration with “Easy Container Gardening: Planting Peppers.”
Junior Board hosts Spring Mixology
On Thursday, April 18, Junior Board of Birmingham Botanical Gardens hosted Spring Mixology in the Arrington Plant Adventure Zone. Sheena Whitaker led a large group which complemented hors d’oeuvres with their own cocktail creations.
Arrington Plant Adventure Zone: The Labyrinth
If you’d like to be notified of future labyrinth plans or have questions or comments, please contact me at jsanders@bbgardens.org or leave me a note in the comment jar in the Plant Adventure Zone.
