“Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a
garden to know it.”
Rumi
Another
of our great adventures was to travel to Florida with our lovely
daughter, Jeannine, and five of her seven children (three daughters
all under 7 years old and two foster sons, three years old and one),
and Joe and I in her fifteen passenger van. Away we go. Have you
ever traveled with that many children in a single vehicle for eight
hours? It is something to remember. There is always someone
talking and the excitement as we got into Florida was incredible.
We sang songs, we read books, told stories, we watched movies, and
we talked about what we were seeing. When we got to our rental
house, we unloaded the van, and then took the kids to the beach to
let off some steam from being trapped all day. We saw a beautiful
sunset and then came home where they swam in the pool at the house.
This rental was lovely with room for us all and only a mile from the
beach. It was also only two miles from The Florida Botanical
Gardens in Largo which is our destination for the day.
The
next day, we loaded up the kiddos in the traveling fun van and headed
to the gardens. Since we got there on the early side, there were
only a few cars in the parking lot. Low crowds would help us keep
track of all the children. This morning was sunny and beautiful
with a cool sea breeze blowing. When we entered the park and were
surprised there was not an entrance fee. There is a donation box
though and they do appreciate donations to help keep this place as
pristine and perfect as it is. We walked down the winding path next
to the lake, stopping to view the beautiful lily pads, wild flowers,
and gorgeous natural environment surrounding the lake. We saw many
different birds that were visiting that day and turtles diving deep
into the shaded water both enjoying the cool water. Throughout the
park there are plenty of benches to sit and enjoy the beauty all
around you. The beautiful new walkways made it easy for Jeannine to
push a little one in the stroller.
We
loved how they divided this park into different gardens and that the
plants were labeled so you knew what they were. There are twenty
five gardens at this park as of April 2019 and they include the palm
garden, succulent garden, wedding garden, vegetable garden, tropical
fruit garden, herb garden, children’s garden, and many more. What
a joy seeing all these rare, colorful, and exotic plants and trees.
There
is a boardwalk area that goes over the McKay Creek where you get
great sightings of fish, birds, sometimes a gator, and of course, the
beautiful pond. We observed some good size fish in that pond
effortlessly gliding through the water. The birds were serenading us
while we observed this serene area and we saw a few frogs jumping
into the water. This area was so peaceful and tranquil to see.
The
children loved the butterfly garden where we saw hundreds of colorful
butterflies flitting around visiting the butterfly friendly plants
that were planted just for them.
The
wedding garden was eloquent and would make a great venue for a
wedding. They have a beautiful gazebo set up for the ceremonies. I
love the Jazz garden which is where the band would set up for the
event with instruments hung permanently on the wall. There was
also a topiary garden and rose garden inside the wedding venue which
would make for great pictures. It is private from the rest of the
park with a decorative wall and gates around it so you are still in
the park but have privacy.
There
are 182 acres to this property with about 60 acres used for
agriculture and another 60 acres is the natural area. This park was
expertly designed by Post, Buckley, Schuh, and Jerrigan who were the
architects. The pavilions were are designed by Harvard, Jolly, and
Toppe – also architects. The park was funded by “Penny for
Pinellas” which was a voluntary sales tax fund and McKay Creek and
pond was funded by the Public Works. The park was first opened on
December 2, 2000 with ten gardens. It surely has grown into a
magnificent park that makes a great destination. It is a wonderful
gem that is tucked away in the city of Largo.
Some
of the hard work taking care of this gem is done by the Parks and
Recreation Department. Also Master Gardeners contribute thousands of
hours each year maintaining the fauna and flora in this park. There
is a Master Gardener program which is a part of the Extension Urban
Horticulture Program in Largo were the participants can receive 80
hours of horticultural instruction when they do 75 hours of service
during their first year in the program. Then every year after, they
are required to give back 35 hours of service to the gardens to
remain Master Gardeners. What a great plan and it is obviously
working as the grounds were beautifully kept.
There
are over 150 types of birds, mammals, and reptiles in this park and
is the home to many bald eagles that nest here. One of the missions
of this park besides to just enjoy it, is to educate and inspire.
There are many educational programs held here throughout the year and
many school classes also come to visit and learn.
There
is a visitors center that is open from 8 to 5 that sells water and a
few snacks. They try to incorporate some art into this garden as we
noticed on our way out near the visitors center. This one was was
entitled - “Writers Block.” by Sheryl Oring. It is a
remembrance of the book burning done by the Nazi’s in Berlin on May
10, 1933 where they burned 20,000 volumes. I remember my mother
typing with one of these typewriters at our dining room table and
felt sad to see them all in cages being left out in the weather.
Heritage
Village is adjacent to the Gardens which is another great place to
visit. It is a 21 acre living museum that features historic buildings
including homes, general store, railroad depot, two schools, and a
church. You can step back in time by visiting here and see history
come to life with live demonstrations and people wearing the clothes
of the day. We didn’t have time to do this but will return
someday to see it. This property sits on 21 acres.
We
enjoyed the gardens with the children who love exploring and yelling
to us, “Look at this, Grand mom and Pop Pop”. It was a
beautiful day and glad we were able to see this hidden gem. We
recommend you go visit and see it if you are near the Tampa area.
You will not regret it. Check them out at:
www.flbgfoundation.org.
“A
society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know
they shall never sit in.”
Greek
Proverb
#BotanicalGardensFlorida #BeautifulPlaceFlorida
#InterestingThingsToDoFlorida #TropicalGardensFlorida
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