TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - What started as a rocky field more than 40 years ago is now becoming one of the biggest attractions for daylily growers across the country.

The Wnek Garden is one of six featured gardens for the 2026 American Hemerocallis Society National Convention. Hundreds of flower lovers from across the country are preparing to visit Tifton this month.

For Jean Wnek, this garden is more than flowers. It’s home.

“It brings everybody together in my family. We meet, eat, play, have fun, work in the yard… so it’s just a gathering place now,” Wnek said.

Wnek said her love for gardening started at just 7-years-old, helping in her grandmother’s yard. In 1984, she started building her own garden from the ground up.

Now, decades later, the Wnek Garden is preparing to welcome hundreds of visitors during the national convention. Wnek said the recognition feels overwhelming, but rewarding.

“It’s overwhelming, but it shows all the hard work my family and I have put into it,” she said.

The garden now features more than 800 daylilies, butterfly gardens, gathering spaces, and an old-fashioned general store filled with antiques.

Wnek said this event has taken nearly two years of preparation, with help from family members, neighbors, and gardening clubs across South Georgia.

The Garden tour is on Saturday, May 22, starting at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12:30 p.m.

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