​Here at the Bellamy Mansion we are incredibly fortunate to work with several talented and thoughtful volunteers who, alongside our fantastic site manager Bob, tend to the gardens and grounds of the estate. One such individual is Ann. After hearing about us from a close friend, she has spent the past year dedicating every other Wednesday to trimming, planting, and watering all the flora here at the mansion. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Ann attended college at Duke University, majoring in psychology while simultaneously minoring in anthropology. She now resides in Pender County, where she spends a fair amount of time taking care of her own garden. 

​Ann says that she has always had an affinity for plants, and that even when she was a young girl she was fascinated by all things horticulture. She attributes her love of flora to her natural desire to be nurturing and caring. She kept a few potted plants with her during her time at Duke, but Ann’s passion for gardening really blossomed following her graduation, and she hasn’t stopped since then! And while she thoroughly enjoys any and all plant life, Ann claims that one of her favorite flora is the gaura because “the flowers they produce look like butterflies”. 

Aside from gardening, one of Ann’s preferred pastimes is reading. She is especially fond of learning about distant cultures and other countries. Ann is also an avid fan of Harry Potter, and she is extremely excited to read the eighth installment of the series, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which recently came out this summer.

                                              Thank you so much for all you do Ann! 

Interested in volunteering at the Bellamy like Ann? We have volunteer opportunities here at the Bellamy ranging from gardening to giving guided tours and we would absolutely love to have you! Please check our volunteer interest form for more information! 

On Wednesday, July 20th, while several of our wonderful volunteers from the Cape Fear Garden Club were tending to the grounds, we discovered these incredibly peculiar berries sprouting from one of our Podocarpus macrophyllus plants near the mansion’s front gate. We had never seen unique berries quite like these, and believing they could possibly be an abnormality, a bit of research was conducted. We ended up making an interesting discovery: contrary to our initial belief, berries from the Podocarpus, better known as the Japanese Yew, naturally cultivate this way (Podocarpus, n.d.)! Amidst the “needle-like leaves” these berries grow annually every summer and can actually be consumed (Podocarpus, n.d.). Who knew that berries could grow like that? 

Just as intrigued by this plant as we are? Take a look at Cherry Lake Tree Farm's page for more information on the Podocarpus macrophyllus! 

References
Podocarpus. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://cherrylake.com/podocarpus/.  

​Craving some fresh fruit? The Bellamy’s got you covered! The mansion grounds are home to a lovely Ficus carica, known by its common nomenclature as the fig tree (“Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey,’”n.d.). This tree in particular is a Brown Turkey fig, a species grown in the southeast (Polomski, 2012). Additionally, according to our 2010 records, this flora is considered an heirloom plant, similar to the Magnolia grandiflora detailed in one of our previous posts.

​​Ficus carica require “full sun to part shade” in order to flourish (“Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey,’”n.d.). This is primarily the reason as to why our tree here at the Bellamy is located in the herb garden between the urban slave quarters and carriage house; it is one of the few areas within the grounds that receives constant sunlight. After receiving sufficient sunlight and water, figs can grow anywhere from “15 to 30 ft tall,” with ours falling within that range (Polomski, 2012).

​Once a Ficus carica is fully grown it begins to yield fruit. Although ours bloomed a little early this year, the trees typically produce figs towards “late summer” (“Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey,’”n.d.). Unfortunately, this means that the flora will not be in season for the Azalea Garden Tour; but even when it is not bearing fruit the tree adds to the overall ambiance of the Bellamy grounds. That being said, there is plenty of fruit to go around as of right now! Here at the Bellamy, ripe figs are light brown in color, with unripe fruit appearing yellow. We don’t utilize any sprays so you can pick ripe figs right off of the tree and eat them during your tour! In addition, our gardeners often pick an abundance of figs in the early morning and place them in a bowl at the front desk for any and all guests (and occasionally a hungry intern) to eat or take home. We even use over ripened fruit from the Ficus carica to make jams. So if you’re feeling famished stop by the Bellamy Mansion for some figs and a tour!

 Want to learn how to make jam out of figs? Take a look at this page to learn how! 

References
Ficus carica 'Brown Turkey.' (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=245738&isprofile=0&.
 Polomski, B. (2012). Fig. Retrieved from https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/fig/.