COSAM News Articles 2024 01 Convention attendees admire native Azaleas in bloom at the Davis Arboretum

Convention attendees admire native Azaleas in bloom at the Davis Arboretum

Published: 04/15/2024

The 2024 Azalea Society of America's National Convention, hosted by the Alabamense Chapter, was held for the first time in the state of Alabama from April 2-4.

With the theme of The Loveliest Convention on the Plains, dabbles of pink, orange, yellow and white showcased the beauty of the arboretum for the guests.

Morgan Pendergrass, director of the Davis Arboretum, began a tour under the Founder’s Oak, which started growing 174 years ago.

“The state of Alabama has the largest collection of many important resources,” Pendergrass explained. “From oaks to turtles, you will not find more diversity of many essential species than in this great state.”

She gave the group a tour and showcased its water features and numerous collections. Azaleas are spread throughout the 13-acre garden.

“The Davis Arboretum holds the largest collection of Azaleas from 40 counties in the state,” said Patrick Thompson, special collections curator.

Attendees from Virginia, the Carolinas, Indiana and Louisiana were just a few of the states represented at the convention.

“We were very excited to hold the convention in Auburn with the large amount of native Azaleas on the Plains,” shared Denise Richard Lanclos, president of the Preservation Alliance of Lafayette and part of the Lafayette Garden Club.