As I pen this message I note that the peak of the camellia bloom season has now passed, but several late blooming cultivars still await your inspection at the Wilmot Botanical Gardens. Also, you can enjoy many varieties of both traditional and Encore azaleas that are blooming throughout the gardens at this time. Shown in figures 1 and 2 are recent photographs taken of 2 of the 3 remaining examples of President Clay azaleas that were planted along with camellias in the early 1950’s when the garden was first established. Although less common in this region of the United States today, this azalea is nevertheless very beautiful. Our historical records of the garden indicate that these azaleas were donated by the Dean of Agriculture, Dr. H. Harold Hume and originated from a plant nursery located in Glen St. Mary’s, Florida. They were transported to the gardens and planted by Dr. Gerald J. Stout, a professor in the Department of Horticulture, later renamed the Department of Ornamental Horticulture.
On February 20th of this year our 2025 Spring Plant Sale was launched via social media. This online component of our sale includes 27 plant varieties that we have not offered previously to the public along with many repeat favorites. The online component of this sale closes on March 27th and will be followed by our traditional two-day onsite sale that takes place on April 4th and 5th. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to purchase some beautiful plants at bargain prices. Also, please note that approximately 125 camellias will be available on those 2 days.
At long last our new Assistant Director, Mr. Jim Stribling, has joined our team. Most recently Mr. Stribling was the Director of Operations at Aberglasney Gardens, a Heritage Garden in Carmarthenshire, Wales. However, he is a native Floridian and a graduate of UF. Jim is an experienced nursery man and brings a wealth of knowledge on the management of public gardens.
Construction of the BJ and Eve Wilder Therapeutic Horticulture Garden began this month (Figure 3). This 3,000sqft completely accessible facility will allow the expansion of our structured gardening program and facilitate the addition of our outdoor horticulture curriculum. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in time to begin its use during the fall semester of 2025.
On March 3rd a ceremony was held in the gardens to both honor and thank those who donated their bodies to medical education. A Kanjiro camellia was planted by members of the class of 2027 and later an inscribed brick will be placed at the base of the camellia to commemorate the event.
Finally, we had the pleasure to host a luncheon at the gardens on Friday, January 3 for approximately 60 individuals who were attending the 2025 annual meeting of the American Camellia Society. Following lunch the attendees were given a tour of the gardens. It was a wonderful event and allowed us to demonstrate what has been accomplished in these gardens over the past 18 years.
Finally, we hope to see all of you at our Spring Plant Sale!
C. Craig Tisher, MD
Director, Wilmot Botanical Gardens, College of Medicine