When a pandemic gives you lemons, make lemonade.
That is the idea behind a new native azalea garden planted at the Hart County Botanical Garden in honor of the local people putting their own health and safety on the line during the COVID-19 pandemic to serve the local community.
The Spirit Garden is “dedicated to all Hart County’s front-line heroes and the intrepid community that supports them,” said garden president Lorin Clark. It features 30 native azaleas grouped between the front walk down into the garden and the pavilion.
The azaleas were initially planned to be sold at the annual plant sale fundraiser the botanical garden hosts each spring. After the pandemic prompted shelter-in-place orders and the closure of businesses and locations where people might congregate, the sale was canceled, leaving the garden organizers with a decision to make.
“The Spirit Garden came from a lemons-to-lemonade moment the board had a couple of weeks ago,” Clark said. “We bought these azaleas and other plants last fall to sell at our annual plant sale, which is our one major fundraiser for the garden each year. When we had to cancel the sale due to COVID-19, we were left with not only no income, but quite a few plants to place before the summer heat kicks in.”
The azaleas aren’t your garden-variety blooming bushes. They are the result of years of hybridization by the late George Beasley, who opened Transplant Nursery in Franklin County more than 30 years ago. The family still owns and operates the business and continues to create unique deciduous azaleas by crossing the selecting from Georgia natives. Varieties in The Spirit Garden include Camilla’s Blush, Kesley’s Glow, Firecracker and My Mary, named for Beasley’s wife. Clark said all varieties are known and prized in the growers’ industry.
Botanical garden co-director Gretchen Torrence suggested planting azaleas as a way to honor everyone who is on the local front lines of the coronavirus pandemic and still serving the local community through the crisis.
“When Gretchen came up with the idea of using the azaleas to create a specific tribute to our front line workers and our community during this pandemic, the board hopped on it,” Clark said. “Within a day, Gretchen had a design and planting plan for the Spirit Walk and a contact-free system for board members to pick up their assigned plants. We staggered planting times, so as to avoid coming into close contact with each other. We all had help from a spouse or a family member and on one Saturday, The Spirit Garden was done. It’s really amazing — what our board can get done when it’s for the good of the garden and our community.”
Torrence said the blast of color from the vibrant blooms makes for a beautiful entry into the garden and will last far longer than the pandemic or the stay-at-home orders currently in place.
“You can’t miss it. The colors are so vibrant when these special natives are in bloom,” she said. “We hope they offer beauty and some peace at a time we all need it.”
She and Clark both also noted that the garden is open and blooming.
“The botanical garden is open and it is beautiful this time of year,” Clark said. “We ask visitors to observe proper social distancing, to follow state, local, federal health guidelines and to enjoy!”