Blithewold’s got a new Director of Horticulture, Dan Christina, and he doesn’t need much of an introduction. In fact, he’s had a special relationship with this stunning waterfront estate for most of his life.

“I’d have to go way, way back to when I was five or six or so,” said Christina, who was raised in downtown Bristol, and is, along with his wife Julie, raising his own young sons here. “We’d come through all the time, and run around, hang on the trees, lay under the willow and down by the Water Garden. We would picnic and read books and enjoy it like it was a giant backyard.”

Christina’s family knew Julie Morris, the retired Director of Horticulture. “I told her, when I was maybe 9 or 10, that I would work for her and then someday I would be the director.”

Now, after a two-month search from Blithewold for a new director, his premonition has come true. And although Christina seemed to know what he wanted way back when, he was temporarily waylaid by plans to go into early childhood education, and he attended URI with that field as his focus. Fortunately, he redirected during his sophomore year, leaving enough time to course-correct without difficulty.

“I’ve always been interested in gardening, so I figured I'd try out for the Horticulture program. I was lucky to have a great advisor who encouraged me to go in full steam,” he said.

He became a summer intern at Blithewold — working under Julie Morris — and then took the assistant grounds manager position shortly after graduation.

“And so then I got all of my real practical hands-on training with Fred,” he said.

Fred is the late Fred Perry, the longtime Director of Horticulture at Blithewold. Perry, who was held in very high regard, both personally and professionally, by the Blithewold community, passed away last November.

“It’s unfortunate that was what has brought me back to a place that I really loved,” said Christina.

“Fred really instilled in me his core values of determined work and efficiency: taking a look at all aspects of the property and how to improve everything — not just lawns, not just trees, but the way the edgings and the paths come together; the way the plantings move you forward through a space,” said Christina. “He really modeled how to take a site from having potential to showing potential to becoming something outstanding.”

In 2014, Christina took what he learned from Perry to his position as Chief Horticulturalist at Green Animals in Portsmouth. He’s proud of what he was able to accomplish there, elevating the displays and garden space and getting the property’s daffodil display gardens recognized by the American Daffodil Society — a natural focus, coming from Blithewold.

“Now I'm coming back here and I want to apply that in the same way: where every corner of the property can have something interesting in it. It doesn't need to be an incredible show-stopping floral arrangement or display, just something interesting, that you want to walk through and experience.”

Another part of Fred Perry’s legacy that Christina looks forward to continuing is the incredible outdoor garden decorations, mostly handmade from bamboo and other natural materials, that Perry used to adorn the estate over the holiday season. “We’ve always had a great effort putting together really unique, thoughtfully inspired-by-the-property decorations,” said Christina. “I had the opportunity to work on those with Fred for many years.”

There are five other full-time horticulture staffers, something that Christina really appreciates. “It’s really exciting for an arboretum or any botanic garden at this stage to have such a well-qualified, intelligent team of people who are so good at what they do. It’s great to be able to come back here and know that there is that staff who understand the property and to have that support behind me as I transition back.”

Christina’s first day back was an auspicious one: the first day of Spring. Daffodil Days — peaking now — were right around the corner, and he also has several big-picture things he’s focused on, from improving the collection and the Arboretum’s accreditation status, and a plan to get another 100,000 daffodil bulbs in the ground, beyond the iconic display in the Bosquet.

Other exciting initiatives going on at Blithewold at the moment include a year long wayfinding effort. According to Tree Callahan, Director of Museum Operations and Communications, they have been due for signage upgrades for some time. They have selected a Boston firm, Arrowstreet, to help with this effort. “They will be observing and surveying our visitors during one full season, then they'll create a solution for us, as well as a new logo,” she said. “It's a big project. It's been fun so far, we're all really looking forward to the big reveal!”

Also new this season and as part of an ongoing effort to promote sustainability, Blithewold will offer reduced admission for guests who visit the property by bicycle. Several new bike racks located at the Blithewold Carriage House Visitor Center will provide ample parking spaces for the riders (who may tour the property on foot.)

"Over the last few years we've been increasing our focus on environmental issues,” said Callahan. “We can lessen our carbon footprint by making many small changes. In addition to our other efforts, we've added six new bike racks that will give more than 50 visitors a day a place to park their bicycles….and, we've added a new reduced admission rate for our bicycling friends.”

“I’m happy to be back,” said Christina. “It's an exciting property full of opportunity, and we are working towards making Blithewold the horticultural gem of the Northeast.”