Christie Jones is the Director of Education at Mercer Botanic Garden, which dates from the 1940s when Thelma and Charles Mercer preserved native trees such as dogwoods, Cabbage Palmettos, Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum, and hawthorns, and introduced camellias and exotic tree species such as ginkgos, bauhinias, and camphors. In 1974, the property was preserved as a Harris County park. (Spring 2026)