Guide to the Gardens of Florida 1st Edition

By Dr. Lilly Pinkas
Photographs by Dr. Jospeh Pinkas

Contents

Paperback $14.95 ISBN: 1-56164-169-3 Size: 6x9 192 Pages line drawings throughout 16 page color insert

Florida means "flowery," and it lives up to its name. In a sense, Florida is the garden of the country. And within that garden—which runs from temperate, with its spring show of azaleas and dogwood, to the year-round lush profusion of the tropical—are many splendid gardens just waiting for your visit. Organized by region, this guide provides detailed information about featured species and garden facilities and supplies helpful visitors' information such as directions, hours, and admission fees. You will also find a complete calendar of Florida garden events and a listing of where to see specific types of flora.

From the Introduction:

"The sixty gardens described in this book are certainly a varied group. They range in size from a half acre to four hundred acres. While many of them are "true" botanical gardens, others are primarily commercial enterprises. Their origins are as diverse as their present resources or specific goals. But regardless of whether their main purpose is to display, research, educate, conserve, or just simply amuse, in their own special way their common denominator is being places of beauty and harmony in the ever-changing environment. They are oases of quiet peace in our increasingly complex, noisy, and hurried world. We wanted our list of gardens to be as comprehensive as possible.

We criss-crossed the state in search of gardens, and we believe we did not miss any. (But if you find one we missed, please write to us in care of the publisher so we can include it in the next edition.) The sixty additional places mentioned are not gardens per se, but could be of interest to garden and plant lovers.

While visiting the gardens and traveling throughout Florida, it seemed logical to start at the northern part of the state and end in the south. That is why the gardens are presented in this order. The first garden described is Maclay State Gardens in Tallahassee, and the last one is the West Martello Tower in Key West. You can't go more south than that in Florida.

On our trips we experienced the entire spectrum of Florida's climate. Cool winters in northern Florida, where frost is the norm, through the temperate climate of central Florida, to south Florida, with semitropical conditions essentially year-round. We felt that including the proper travel directions certainly makes the trips easier and more enjoyable, and the complete address and phone number for each garden should make it easier for you to inquire before you go concerning best times to visit, flowering peaks, and any changes in the garden's hours, facilities, etc.

We sincerely hope that as you visit the gardens you will have as much fun and see as much beauty as we did."

Dr. Lilly Pinkas has been gardening for over twenty years, but her fascination with gardens and plants goes much further. She made a transformation from practicing dentist to amateur horticulturalist, channeling her energies into this field. Studying botany and horticulture on her own, she also volunteered at Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami and learned from the experts there how to create her own tropical gardens at her Florida Keys home. She is a member of the Bromeliad Society of South Florida.