Two gardeners to share passion for Bullington Gardens at Tryon Garden Club event

Published 1:09 pm Wednesday, October 1, 2025

TRYON—The Tryon Garden Club will host a presentation on Bullington Gardens on Wednesday, October 15, at 2 p.m., at the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center.

Donna Sapp and Kyle Gilgis, both Master Gardeners with longtime ties to Bullington Gardens in Hendersonville, will lead the program. The two will guide attendees on an “imaginary visit” to the 12-acre botanical garden, once the nursery of Bob Bullington, that now provides science-based horticultural education and therapy programs for children and adults.

Sapp, a Fairy Trail Ambassador, grows 70 varieties of roses along with vegetables, perennials, annuals, herbs, and hydrangeas on her 11-acre property. She is the program director for the Rose Society and a qualified consulting rosarian. Gilgis, a community events and school representative and docent at Bullington Gardens, helped launch the garden’s gift shop and has a special interest in garden design.

Both women have worked in nearly every aspect of Bullington Gardens, from planting and weeding to writing newsletter articles, promoting community programs and assisting with the nonprofit’s largest fundraiser, its annual plant sale.

The Tryon Garden Club, founded in 1928, owns and operates Pearson’s Falls and Glen, which has been closed since Tropical Storm Helene caused significant damage last October. The lecture series is part of the club’s mission to provide education and outreach to the community.