SoKno in Knoxville in Knox County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Alice Ijams
horticulturalist
Photographed by Joel Seewald, May 6, 2024
1. Alice Ijams Marker
Alice Yoe Ijams was born in Jefferson City, Tennessee on August 20, 1880. Alice grew up in Knoxville and married H.P. Ijams in 1905. In her day, Alice was a leading horticulturalist, expert flower arranger, and a renowned "walking encyclopedia of garden clubs."
In the 1920s, Alice opened Southside Greenhouses, a commercial venture, supplying flowers to local florists. Alice grew plants and flowers in three huge greenhouses, while perennial plants were grown outdoors. Vegetables for the family table were grown in the garden behind the house near the current greenhouse named in her honor.
For many years, Alice was active with the Knoxville Garden Club and Knox County Council of Garden Clubs, serving as president for both organizations during the 1940s. Alice hosted many club meetings here and led annual horticultural trips to the Smoky Mountains. She inspired the formation of several local garden clubs through her philosophy of conservation and preservation.
Alice's continuing legacy can be seen and felt at Ijams. The lenten roses, still thriving on the hillside along the Discovery Trail nearby were planted by Alice many years ago. Her influence also lives on in the nature center's environmental education programs, while native plants propagated in the nearby greenhouse support gardening workshops
this page online
Erected by Ijams Nature Center.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is August 20, 1880.
Location. 35° 57.432′ N, 83° 52.163′ W. Marker is in Knoxville, Tennessee, in Knox County. It is in SoKno. It can be reached from Island Home Avenue. Marker is in the Ijams Nature Center on a trail near the Ijams homesite. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2935 Island Home Ave, Knoxville TN 37920, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: H.P. Ijams Bird Nest Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); H. P. Ijams (within shouting distance of this marker); Upper Overlook (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lebanon in the Fork (approx. 1.3 miles away); James C. Ford (approx. 1.7 miles away); First African American Church (approx. 1.9 miles away); Odd Fellows Cemetery (approx. 2.1 miles away); War on the Home Front (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Knoxville.
2. Alice Ijams: Horticulturalist Marker top image
3. Alice Ijams: Horticulturalist Marker middle image
Lenten roses (Helleborus orientalis), planted originally by Alice Ijams, now grow down the slope to the Discovery Trail. The cultivated perennial blooms in winter between Christmas and Lent.
UT Special Collections Library, May 6, 2024
4. Alice Ijams: Horticulturalist Marker — bottom image
The Ijams home featured an attached greenhouse built into the house by H.P. in 1924.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, May 6, 2024
5. Alice Ijams: Horticulturalist Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 8, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2024, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 235 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 8, 2024, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
