Glen St Mary Nurseries Company is one of the oldest family owned nurseries in Florida and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

George Lindley Taber, Sr. founded the nursery in 1882, after budding peach trees for himself and finding that the sale of excess trees was profitable. The nursery soon became one of the leading developers of fruit trees in Florida. The introductions of the “Hamlin” and “Lue Gim Gong” oranges, and large scale production of satsumas were major contributions to the Florida citrus industry. As hard freezes in north Florida sent the citrus growers further south, Glen St Mary nursery gradually turned its attention to ornamental landscape plants.

The George L. Taber azalea was first introduced to the market in 1938. Also known as the “Orchid Azalea”, it was initially spotted as an isolated sport on a lavender “Omurasaki” azalea. It continues to be one of the most widely recognized and loved indica azaleas in the south.

To date, five generations of the Taber family have called the nursery “home”, living, working and stewarding the land.

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