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By MARY COLLISTER
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 9, 2001
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we need to do in our yards we forget that part of being a gardener is enjoying the labors of others. With that in mind I made a trip to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales last week. It's just a short hour away and well worth the drive.
This time of year the azaleas are at their peak. Camellias are past their peak, but certainly still enjoyable. You'll see these shrubs planted where they do best, as understory plants. Visiting on a weekday morning gave us the opportunity to walk the grounds leisurely and see very few other visitors.
We started our visit in the Reception Hall with a short informative film. It is shown throughout the day. After watching the film, we spent some time in the Exhibit Hall where permanent exhibits about the garden and its history are displayed. The garden's founder, Edward Bok, was not a professional horticulturist but an author and editor. He came to America in 1869 when he was 6 years old from the Netherlands, where he was born.
In 1922, Bok purchased a large tract of sandy Florida land covered with pines and palmettos. He hired one of America's most famous landscape architects, Frederick Law Olmsted, to design the garden. Bok added the carillon tower as a visual centerpiece to the garden.
The 205-foot carillon tower is built of pink and gray Georgia marble and St. Augustine coquina stone. It sits atop peninsular Florida's highest point at 298 feet. Stereophonic recordings are played at 30-minute intervals throughout the day. At 3 p.m. a live recital is performed each day. The daily program for the recital is available in the Reception Hall.
Approximately 200-acres of gardens and grounds are available to the visitor. The woodland garden includes mainly camellias, azaleas and stately oaks. There are also many varieties of ferns and palms. Colorful blooming annuals are also used to add more color to the garden.
The Bok Tower Gardens is one of 28 gardens participating in the Center for Plant Conservation. This organization is a group of public gardens committed to preserving plant species native to the United States. Pick up a brochure and look for endangered clasping warea, Lakela's mint, Florida jujube and Indian pumpkin. These plants give us the opportunity to see the unusual and also to appreciate the conservation efforts that are ongoing at the garden and to learn why it is important to protect plant species.
You'll also want to pick up a brochure on the Pine Ridge Nature Preserve Trail and explore this 3/4 mile trail. According to garden literature, the Longleaf Pine-Turkey Oak habitat is an upland savanna-like ecosystem typified by an overstory of Longleaf Pine and a dense ground cover of perennial grasses, primarily wiregrass.
I found this sunny 30-minute walk through a native longleaf pine forest of the Central Florida Ridge to be very interesting. Having spent most of my life west of the Mississippi, I didn't have a proper respect for the pine trees found in Florida. I had mainly seen a solitary pine tree planted here and there. They are not the majestic, full pine trees you see in the Western United States. Having spent a short time in what is one of the few remaining areas of natural Longleaf Pine habitat, I now have a better understanding of their place in the ecosystem.
It was also interesting to see the different micro-ecosystems in the area. The brochure explains each of the areas you hike through. It is worthwhile to stop and observe each of the areas. Included are a bog garden, open glade, saw palmetto, sand pine and sandhill forest community.
Spending a day in a public garden such as this can give us ideas for our own landscape or perhaps a greater appreciation of native flora in this area of Florida. Most of the plants in the garden can be grown in our yards here. Before exiting the garden, take a look in the plant shop. There may be something there you can't live without.
Bok Tower Gardens is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $2 for 5-12 year olds, and children under 5 are free. Saturday's 8-9 a.m. admission is free. Parking is included in admission price.
A little closer to home, you may want to attack those weeds before they attack you, continue to add organic matter to your soil, throw a few annual flower seeds around your planting beds, and mulch heavily. The mulch will help keep weeds down and conserve water.
Mowing is back in season. Let the cut grass fall where it may when you mow. This will enrich the soil and hold in soil moisture.
Remove spent flowers from your annuals and perennials. This encourages more blooming and helps keep your garden tidy. Give flowering plants a little fertilizer at this time, something low in nitrogen. Don't let your yard chores get ahead of you, or you will feel overwhelmed. Take time out to enjoy the cool evenings, sitting in your garden with a late dinner.