Bullington Gardens, once the nursery of Bob Bullington, is a public botanical garden on 12 acres of rolling land providing hands-on education in horticulture and other sciences to students, youth clubs and adults. The gardens incorporate some of the many unusual mature trees that Mr. Bullington collected and introduced to the area.
The Native Woodland Garden was conceived as a stylized natural garden showcasing how native flora can be used in home landscaping. In 2000 and 2001, Larason and Juanita Lambert started a long and productive relationship with Bullington Gardens. They were instrumental in having the Western Carolina Botanical Club become a vital partner with Bullington. Members of WCBC were very active in the initial wildflower plantings in the Garden in 2004, bringing plants from their own home gardens. Nearly thirty species were donated, many in quantity. They also transplanted unique plants from elsewhere on the Bullington property. Near the end of this early stage, a gateway was constructed at the beginning of the trail, formalizing the Garden’s entrance.
Designed and maintained by WCBC members, this woodland loop, which also is the beginning of a 1/2 mile nature trail, features many native plants including native azaleas, Carolina lilies, and spring ephemerals. The nature trail continues through an old growth stand of rhododendrons and along Philip’s Branch, a creek which forms the northern boundary and ending in the Reflection Garden.
The “Bullington Botanical Bunch” formed when Bonnie Arbuckle joined the effort in early 2006. Bonnie became the de facto leader of the Bunch with Juanita working closely with her, and Larason assisting with the more laborious tasks. Over the years since then, more club members have joined the group. Routine weeding and debris clean-up has been a regular part of the Bunch’s activities, but it’s all done in a spirit of constructive cooperation. The Bullington Botanical Bunch seems to have become a stable entity at Bullington, and its existence may be as much social as it is botanical. If you are at all inclined toward this kind of volunteer activity, we would love for you to join us. We typically work in the Garden for about three hours each Tuesday morning, and then enjoy a picnic lunch together, outside if the weather permits. For more information about the Bunch, email us at wcbotanicalclub@gmail.com. For more information about Bullington Gardens click here.
Bullington Gardens is located at 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville, NC 28792, and is open Monday – Saturday, 9am-4pm.
Western Carolina Botanical Club 