Stewartia Collection

Whether an off-island visitor, an avid gardener, or a professional horticulturist, on a first visit to the Polly Hill Arboretum all fall for the allure of our beautiful stewartia trees.

Polly’s initial fascination with stewartias—the handsome bark, the pristine flowers—led her to seek out and grow as many species as possible. She planted seeds and patiently waited decades to see the first breathtaking flower. Today the PHA’s Stewartia collection numbers over seventy trees with nine distinctive trees named by Polly as cultivars (cultivated varieties.)

In the following pages you will find a plethora of information and photos on stewartias and some of its relatives.

Stewartia Collection