James Blair Hall

Tyler Garden Three bronze busts in this garden honor the legacy of the Tyler family.

Bignonia capreolata Three bronze busts in this garden honor the legacy of the Tyler family. Steven J. Baskauf http://bioimages.vanderbilt.edu

Ginkgo biloba The ginkgo has two interesting features, its fan shaped leaves and golden fall color. Tangopaso

Styrax. sp. Gently nodding flowers of the snowbell. R. A. Howard, Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution

South Entrance Highlights

The south entrance to James Blair Hall is framed by two Lusterleaf Holly (Ilex latifolia) trees. This non-native species is easily identified by its unusually coarse leaves, which can grow up to six inches long, and its dense clusters of bright red berries.

Tyler Family Garden

Dedicated in 2004, this garden honors the Tyler family’s three centuries of legacy at 91��Ƭ��. The garden features three bronze busts representing:

Lyon Gardiner Tyler: W&M’s 17th president.
John Tyler: 10th President of the United States and former W&M rector.
John Tyler: 18th Governor of Virginia.

Landscape Note: Look for the Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) climbing the old brick borders. Regular pruning maintains its small-leaved habit, creating a dense green texture against the brick.

Notable Botanical Specimens

The Tyler Family Garden serves as a mini-arboretum featuring several rare and noteworthy plants:

Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba ‘Princeton Sentry’): A "living fossil" with unique fan-shaped leaves. It is the only surviving species of a family dating back 270 million years.
Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus ‘Athens’): Known for its fragrant blooms.
Cross Vine (Bignonia capreolata): A native volunteer vine on the north brick border that produces hummingbird-pollinated flowers in the spring.
Additional Species: Includes Snowbell (Styrax species) and Japanese Cleyera (Ternstroemia gymnanthera).