A VISIT TO GALVESTON

 

In early May 2015, Wilhelm Hufnagl visited the INTERNATIONAL OLEANDER SOCIETY in Galveston, Texas, USA. 

Together with James Nicholas, who had been invited to give a guest presentation, I was able to visit the “Center of American Oleander Culture”. On the agenda there was an invitation to a Springtime Luncheon, vendor tables and sales exhibitions in the entrance hall of Moody Gardens, and a comprehensive sightseeing tour of Galveston, the city on the Gulf of Mexico, the "Oleander City". The name is justified - the city is characterized by the presence of oleanders. Through the shared presentation with James Nicholas, the conveying of greetings and messages, and the exceedingly cordial welcome of the guest from far-away Austria (where oleanders are grown in pots) a real connection has been successfully made with our new oleander friends. The high point was the presentation to the Society of the gifts brought from Europe – two watercolors painted by Sophia Brandtner of the oleander cultivar ‘Kewpie’ which originated in Galveston and which was named after the founder of the Society,  Maureen Elizabeth ‘Kewpie’ Gaido.

James Nicholas, Wilhelm Hufnagl in Galveston. A shared presentation on oleanders in Europe and the reading of greetings.
Kimberly Gaido and James Nicholas accept the watercolors of the oleander ‘Kewpie’ on behalf of the Society.

A shared presentation on oleanders in Europe and the reading of greetings.

 

Click here for  Greeting messages

Kimberly Gaido and James Nicholas accept the watercolors of the oleander ‘Kewpie’ on behalf of the Society.

 Click here for  pictures for Galveston


Click here for the video  

The OLEANDER GARDEN PARK of the Oleander Society in Galveston.
The OLEANDER GARDEN PARK of the Oleander Society in Galveston.
The OLEANDER GARDEN PARK of the Oleander Society in Galveston.
The Oleander Garden Park and the cultivar ‘President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’.

The OLEANDER GARDEN PARK and the cultivar ‘President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’

Betty Head, Jim Nicholas, and Willi Hufnagl taking cuttings in the OLEANDER GARDEN PARK.

Taking cuttings in the OLEANDER GARDEN PARK.

(A branch of 'Lane Taylor Sealy‘)

Bob Newding, Willi Hufnagel, Betty Head, and Carolyn Sayre take a tour of Bob Newding’s oleander garden. It was here that the cultivar ‘Harriet Newding’ originated.

A  tour of Bob Newding’s oleander garden. It was here that the cultivar ‘Harriet Newding’ originated.


Bob Newding and James Nicholas lead the tour for Willi Hufnagl through the “Oleander City” of Galveston.
Bob Newding and James Nicholas lead the tour for Willi Hufnagl through the “Oleander City” of Galveston.

Bob Newding and James Nicholas lead the tour for Willi Hufnagl through the “Oleander City” of Galveston.

Bob Newding and James Nicholas lead the tour for Willi Hufnagl through the “Oleander City” of Galveston.
Bob Newding and James Nicholas lead the tour for Willi Hufnagl through the “Oleander City” of Galveston.

Oleanders are omnipresent in the cityscape – Galveston IS the “Oleander City”.