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Florida in full bloom

[Times files] Sarasota’s Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has spectacular displays of bromeliads.

By ADELE WOODYARD
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 24, 2003

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival is but one rite of spring.

As much of the country begins the spring thaw, Florida's gardens are in full bloom.

It's the time of year for garden festivals big and small. Whether you're a devoted gardener yourself, or just enjoy the fruits of others' labors, it's a good time to visit the state's many botanical treasures.

The annual Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, now in its 10th year, opens Friday and continues through June 8 with topiaries, roses and blossoms throughout the theme park.

Local gardens Local gardening events

It also includes garden demonstrations, butterfly releases, a concert series and a kids' area with a new maze filled with topiary Disney canines.

Every Friday and Saturday during the festival, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., garden experts will appear to offer free advice. Roger Swain of PBS's The Victory Garden is this week's guest, followed by HGTV's Paul James May 2-3.

For year-round flora, here's a look at some of the state's prime garden attractions:

Sarasota's garden gem

One of the best-known, though smallest in size, is Sarasota's Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. On about 9 acres, this attraction boasts a spectacular display of orchids and bromeliads.

Marie Selby bequeathed the grounds to become a nonprofit garden after her death in 1971. It includes the former Christy Payne House, a historic mansion that serves as the gardens' museum.

The Tropical Display House near the entrance is said to have the most concentrated collection of epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) in the nation. More than 6,000 orchids, including a recently discovered Peruvian lady slipper, add an explosion of color to a humid forest of greenery under glass.

In the open air, Spanish moss drips from giant live oaks, and bromeliads grow on or among rocks and trees.

In a tranquil grotto, water lilies spread across a pond that is surrounded by angel's trumpet and elephant's-ears. Japanese carp break the surface to the sound of a waterfall and rustling bamboo.

Paths wind around this spit of land, which lies between Hudson Bayou and Sarasota Bay. The walkways pass a grove of banyan trees whose aerial roots are popular with photographers and as a backdrop for weddings.

There are also collections of cycads, cacti, palms, hibiscus, wildflowers and a butterfly garden.

A wooden boardwalk beside the bay meanders through mangrove roots, buttonwood trees and sea grapes. Poison dart frogs are kept in the Tree Lab. The Selby Mansion holds permanent and traveling exhibits of botanical art and photography.

Classes in art and horticulture are offered, and a live music takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sundays through May 18.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is off U.S. 41 and Bayfront Drive in Sarasota; the address is 811 S Palm Ave. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Dec. 25. Admission: $10 adults, $5 children 6 to 11. (941) 366-5731 or www.selby.org.

In Tallahassee, a gift to the state

Maclay State Gardens in Tallahassee is part of the state park system. Visitors can picnic, study nature or fish, boat and swim in Lake Hall.

The garden itself has a separate entrance, a wrought-iron gate that opens onto a broad brick walk shaded by tall pines and thick-leaved oaks.

Although the park is open year-round, the high blooming season is Jan. 1 through April 10. During these months, nearly 150 varieties of camellias and 50 kinds of azaleas burst into bloom, along with redbuds and dogwoods. There are also flowering cherry trees, oriental magnolias, wisteria, spirea and honeysuckle.

Curved beds blaze with pansies, snapdragons and other annuals inside the walled garden.

Later in the year, masses of viburnum, ligustrum, vincas and mountain laurel create a green background for colorful trumpet flowers of amaryllis and day lilies, the pink and lavender blossoms of crape myrtles.

One tree here is notable: A gnarled old cedar is a Florida torreya or "stinking cedar," because its leaves, when crushed, emit an unpleasant smell. The tree is named in honor of a 19th century botanist and this variety can only be found on the banks of the Apalachicola River.

From January through April, visitors may also tour the MacLay house, which stands on a rise overlooking the lake. A New York financier who showed prize-winning dogs and horses, Alfred B. MacLay, purchased the land in 1923. When he died in 1944, his widow, Louise, developed the gardens and donated them to the state in 1953.

The Maclay State Gardens is on U.S. 319, a half-mile north of Interstate 10, in Tallahassee. The address is 3540 Thomasville Road. (850) 487-4556 or www.ssnow.com/maclay. Admission is $3 adults, $1.50 children.

In Gainesville, herbs and more

Not long ago, the path to the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville was a dirt road. Today there is a prominent entrance, on asphalt, that leads to an impressive summer house on 62 acres.

To the left of the house is a half-mile tour of azaleas, camellias, roses and a water garden. To the right, a path winds through 11 specialty gardens.

Summer offers the most color and, in some places, the feeling that you are walking through a rain forest.

The word kanapaha is a contraction of two Timucua Indian words meaning "palmetto leaves" and "house." Because there was Timucua village on the edge of the 250-acre lake, the North Florida Botanical Society chose this name for the ambitious garden project. The gardens were formally opened in 1986.

Specialties include rock gardens of cacti and other desert plants, woodland wildflowers and a fern cobble. The palm hammock displays a rare double-crown form of the cabbage palm. Dense plantings of bamboos include some whose new shoots can grow as much as 2 inches in one hour.

In the garden labeled the Vinery, lattice covers a 19th century anchor from a sunken English ship that was found off St. Augustine in 1939. One gazebo overlooks a sinkhole; another, a hummingbird garden where the flowers are bright red, orange or pink.

Kanapaha also has the largest herb garden in Florida. Some herbs were once used to treat ailments such as gout, stomach disorders, kidney stones and hangovers. The scented herb garden is planted in raised brick beds, so it is easy to pinch a leaf and smell the pungent scent of rose geranium, menthol and mints. From a brick overlook you can follow the geometric design of the "knot" garden, copied from Renaissance times.

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens is off the Archer Road exit of Interstate 75; the address is 4625 SW 63rd Blvd., Gainesville. (352) 372-4981 or www.kanapaha.org. Admission is $5 adults, $3 ages 6 to 13. Closed Thursdays.

Eastern culture on the east coast

The unusual Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, in Delray Beach, stems from a gift of a Japanese-American resident who came to this country about a century ago as part of a colony of farmers. It is one of America's premier displays of Japanese culture.

The Morikami had a major expansion in 1999, with the new gardens reflecting Japanese horticultural designs from the 8th to the 20th centuries.

A tranquil, nearly milelong stroll takes visitors past waterfalls, on hand-crafted wooden bridges, past stone ornaments and water vistas. A karesansui (dry landscape) provides an abstract space for Zen meditation.

The Florida bonsai collection displays specimens dating to the 1600s.

Opened in 1993, the Morikami Museum features exhibition galleries, an authentic tea house and 5,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts, as well as a library, theater and cafe. An original building is the Yamato-kan, modeled after a Japanese villa.

A permanent exhibit chronicles the intriguing history of the Yamato Colony. Named after an ancient word for Japan, this was a farming community created around pineapple plantations in what is now Boca Raton.

When cheaper crops could be grown elsewhere, the colony was dissolved, and many of the Japanese farmers left. But George Morikami bought much of the land and continued to farm it.

He was so respected in the community that when other Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II, Morikami was permitted to continue his farming here.

In gratitude to his adopted country, Morikami donated 200 acres to Palm Beach County in the 1970s.

The park named for him now observes festivals that celebrate Japanese culture. Those still to be held this year are Children's Day on Sunday and the Bon Festival Aug. 16.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens are off Interstate 95 at the Linton Boulevard exit; drive west to Jog Road and turn left. Continue south to Morikami Park. The address is 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. (561) 495-0233 or www.morikami.org. Admission is $9 adults, $8 seniors, $6 children. The park is closed Mondays and on major holidays.

More botanical bounty, near and far

Here are other major horticultural gardens in the Tampa Bay area and throughout the state. For links to these and other gardens, go to www.findingflorida.com/Florida_Botanical_Gardens.htm

Florida Botanical Gardens, Largo. Part of the 182-acre Pinewood Cultural Park, this is actually a collection of gardens, including ones devoted to palms, tropicals, roses, topiary, an English cottage garden, even one that celebrates jazz. In the few years it's been open, FBG has become a popular spot for weddings and other celebrations. For information including education programs, call (727) 582-2100 or go to www.flbg.org.

This weekend: Bay Area Daylily Society's annual show (noon-4 p.m. Saturday) and plant sale, (starts 9 a.m. Saturday). Gardens open daily, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; welcome center open Monday to Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. 12175 125th St. N., Largo.

Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg. Acquired by the city in 1999 and given a facelift, the 4-acre tropical gardens, which drop 15 feet below street level, first opened in 1935. Royal palms, planted by the garden's creator, George Turner Sr., in 1903, are now the tallest and oldest royals in the county. The gardens include more than 400 species and varieties of tropical and sub-tropical plants. Southern live oak trees that are more than 200 years old, many fern and orchid varieties, plus a butterfly garden with more than a dozen species of native butterflies are among the attractions. Guided Tours: 11 a.m. Wed.-Fri., 1:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Call for weekly educational schedule. 1825 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. (727) 551-3100. Hours: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat. and noon-4:30 Sun. $7 adults; discounts for seniors and children.

University of South Florida Botanical Gardens, Tampa. This 8-acre collection of Florida plants and natural habitats is a minioasis on the southwest corner of USF's urban campus. Visitors may see animal and insect species, from gopher tortoises to butterflies to more than 60 species of birds, from the walking trails. Frequent education programs, including Saturday's 10 a.m. seminar on heliconias and ornamental bananas. Off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa. For information, call (813) 974-2329, or go to www.cas.usf.edu/garden. Hours: Monday to Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday noon-4:00 p.m.

Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando. Large collection of camellias, 50 path-lined acres. 1920 N Forest Ave., Orlando. $4 adults, $1 children. (407) 246-2620.

Historic Bok Sanctuary (formerly called Bok Tower Gardens). The gardens were laid out by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Grounds include a 205-foot gothic and art deco carillon tower, the Mediterranean Revival Pinewood Estate, nature trail and museum. 1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales; $6 adults, $2 children. (863) 676-1408.

Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens. Site of a former sugar cane plantation. The 12 acres also attract migrating birds. 950 Old Sugar Mill Road, Port Orange. (386) 767-1735.

Fairchild Tropical Garden. Extensive collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees and vines on 83 acres. Established in 1938. Spring plant sale is 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. 10901 Old Cutler Road, Miami. (305) 667-1651.

St. Petersburg's annual Green Thumb Festival is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Walter Fuller Park, 7891 26th Ave. N. (727) 893-7335. Free.

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival runs Friday through June 8 at the theme park off Interstate 4 west of Orlando. Most activities are included in admission. Single-day admission is $50 plus tax adult, $40 plus tax ages 3-9. (407) 934-7639 or www.disneyworld.com.

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