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The Sasanqua Garden Club held its regularly scheduled meeting on May 14 at the Camellia Gardens located at Beeland Park to update the community and club members about phase two of the “Soon to Bloom” project and to hear from a renowned camellia expert, Bobby Green. Green was employed by the City of Greenville to formulate a long-term plan for the gardens. 

A collaborative effort between the Sasanqua Garden Club, the City of Greenville and the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce, “Soon to Bloom” seeks to revitalize the Beeland Park Gardens which showcase a collection of hundreds of camellia trees alongside numerous recent plantings from the past decade. 

“So far we have raised three hundred thousand dollars for phase two of this project,” club President Nedra Crosby said. “These funds will be used to build an open air pavilion, two stone picnic tables, a salt kettle fountain and an expansive amphitheater area that will foster community engagement and bring people into downtown Greenville. In addition to the developments planned for phase two, there will also be heirloom roses added that were grown in Greenville during the 1800s, adding historical significance to the garden.”

A moment of silence was held in memory of Barbara Middleton to commemorate her work in having the Beeland Park Camellia Gardens recognized as part of the National Camellia Trail, making it the 65th garden to earn this distinction. 

“Barbara was a camellia lover and is really the one responsible for us being recognized on the camellia trail,” Crosby said. “Her lifelong dream was for this garden to be put on the camellia trail and here we are.” 

It was also announced that there will be a special camellia that will be named in honor of Barbara Middleton that will be released this fall. “Twenty-five years ago Mrs. Barbara asked me to come up and look at the various Camellia Gardens in Greenville and she drove me all around the city and we ended up here at this garden,” Bobby Green said. “This autumn we should be able to release a camellia that we developed at our nursery that I’m sure she would love and respect. We want to name that flower, Mrs. Barbara Middleton. She was the most incredible person,” Bobby Green added. 

Crosby also expressed thanks to Jan Newton with the Greenville Camellia Society for her instrumental work in having Greenville named on the National Camellia trail and the work that the Greenville Camellia Society does in the community. 

“I would like to thank Jan Newton and Barbara Middleton for the work they’ve done to have the City of Greenville named with this great honor,” Crosby said. “The work that Jan and the Camellia Society do in promoting the love of camellias through their annual camellia show, is wonderful for our community,” Crosby added.
The Sasanqua Garden Club will begin selling monogrammed bricks to businesses and community members who may not have reserved their bricks for the entrance into the gardens. The bricks may be personalized and will be placed at the handicapped entrance to the garden. Please see a Sasanqua Garden Club member to place an order.