- January 16, 2026
For Florida Arbor Day, the Cherry Laurel Garden Club planted a 25-gallon silver buttonwood tree in the OMAM butterfly observation zone. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Stephanie Mason-Teague, executive director at Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens, speaks during the Florida Arbor Day celebration on Friday, Jan. 16. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Amy Valcik, president of the Cherry Laurel Garden Club, speaks during the Florida Arbor Day celebration on Friday, Jan. 16. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Beach Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland speaks during the Florida Arbor Day celebration on Friday, Jan. 16. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Terri Malia, past president of the Cherry Laurel Garden Club and Council of Garden Clubs vice president, read a poem during the Florida Arbor Day celebration on Friday, Jan. 16. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Ormond Memorial Art Museum Garden Artisan Janett Taylor and her apprentice Sarahbeth Mitchener. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
OMAM Executive Director Stephanie Mason-Teague shows off the garden's new silver buttonwood tree. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Garden apprentice Sarahbeth Mitchener, Ormond Beach Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland, OMAM Executive Director Stephanie Mason-Teague, Cherry Laurel Club President Amy Valcik, Garden Artisan Janett Taylor and Terri Malia, past president of the Cherry Laurel Garden Club and Council of Garden Clubs vice president, pose with the newly planted silver buttonwood tree. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The Ormond Memorial Art Museum rolled out a red carpet on Friday, Jan. 16, for the newest addition to its gardens: a 25-gallon silver buttonwood tree.
The native tree was planted by members of the Cherry Laurel Garden Club in recognition of Florida Arbor Day, which celebrated its 140th anniversary on Jan. 16. The donation of the tree was a collaboration between the Garden Club and OMAM, who hosted the Florida Arbor Day event.
The tree was planted in the butterfly observation zone at the Gale Lemerand Butterfly Garden near the museum entrance.
"In that area, our amazing gardening team has located pollinator plants and host plants to attract the beautiful winged butterflies so that we can sit on that great bench and observe them," OMAM Executive Director Stephanie Mason-Teague said.
Mason-Teague and Garden Artisan Janett Taylor — who has tended to OMAM's gardens for over four decades — collaborated with the Garden Club and Katie Tripp, owner of Natural Beauty Native Florida, to choose which tree to plant this year.
The Cherry Laurel Garden Club is in its 78th year and has 27 members. It is a member of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and partners with OMAM both as an independent club and as a member of the Council of Garden Clubs of the Halifax District, Inc.
President Amy Valcik spoke about the silver buttonwood tree at the ceremony. While it may only be 8 feet tall today, it is expected to grow to a height of 25 feet. As a host plant for butterflies and a pollinator for birds and bees, its location is perfect.
"We were really thrilled that it's in the observation zone adjacent to the Gale Lemorand Butterfly Garden," she said. "Like so many of us, the silver buttonwood thrives in a coastal environment. It's drought tolerant, salt tolerant and blooms throughout the year with these beautiful, soft, silvery foliage leaves that shimmer in the moonlight."
While National Arbor Day is celebrated in April, the Florida Arbor Day was established in 1886 because trees are easier to transplant in January; they're dormant and lose less water through transpiration.
Florida Arbor Day is a reminder that preserving tree canopies is not the work of one organization, Ormond Beach Deputy Mayor Lori Tolland said. It's the result of strong community relationships and partnerships.
"Today, we celebrate more than trees," said Tolland, a member of the Garden Club of the Halifax Country. "We celebrate the roots of our community. Trees are living symbols of our stewardship, our resilience and shared responsibility that we have to protect the natural beauty and make Ormond Beach such a special place that we call home."
For 35 years, Ormond Beach has earned a Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation. Each year, Ormond each spends over $2 million in tree planting and care programs, about $200,000 on maintenance and management and distributes over 500 trees.
"When we plant native trees, we invest in our future," Tolland said. "We improve the air quality. We manage stormwater naturally. We create habitats and ensure a city remains healthy and vibrant for years to come."
