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Mounts Botanical Garden

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Coordinates: 26°41′07″N 80°06′49″W / 26.685416°N 80.113474°W / 26.685416; -80.113474
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Mounts Botanical Garden
Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach, Florida
Mounts Botanical Garden is located in Florida
Mounts Botanical Garden
TypeBotanical
Location531 North Military Trail
West Palm Beach, Florida
Coordinates26°41′07″N 80°06′49″W / 26.685416°N 80.113474°W / 26.685416; -80.113474
Area14 acres (5.7 ha)
Opened1954
Owned byPalm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service
Websitehttp://mounts.org/

Mounts Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in West Palm Beach, Florida.[1] It is Palm Beach County's oldest and largest public garden with over 2,000 species of tropical and subtropical plants from six continents, including plants native to Florida, exotic trees, tropical fruit, herbs, citrus and palms. Mounts is a component of the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service and is affiliated with the University of Florida / IFAS.[2]

History

Mature tropical plants and trees adorn the mile long meandering route through the garden

Botanical plantings began shortly after the Mounts Building was built and opened in 1954. Then Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Director, Marvin Mounts,[3] desired to create a tropical fruit tree arboretum on the adjacent three acres. This vision was never realized, but many tropical fruits were planted and a few remain to this day.

In 1975 Clayton Hutcheson, Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Director, had a vision of creating a Horticultural Learning Center on the three acres surrounding the Mounts Building, which housed the Extension Service. This initiative was successfully supported by many local plant-focused organizations and volunteers and was created in 1983.[4] Today’s Garden was formed by a public-private partnership of Palm Beach County and the Friends of Mounts Horticultural Learning Center in 1985. Ten additional acres were added to the property in 1985, bringing the total acreage to fourteen. In 1986, the Friends voted to officially change the name to Mounts Botanical Garden for a more clear understanding of the organization and its mission driven purpose.

In 2004, the Friends funded a research grant to the University of Florida to produce a Master Plan to guide the Garden’s future development. During 2004 and 2005 Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Wilma destroyed 70% of the property’s mature tree canopy and virtually shattered the original Garden. Since 2006, The Friends and Palm Beach County have restored both the lost tree canopy and the Garden.

Gardens

The Edible Gardens contain dooryard tropical fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and consumable flowers
  • Butterfly Garden, where you will commonly find a dozen or so different species of butterflies at any given time
  • Rainbow Garden, arranged in a spectrum of color hues, this full sun garden showcases a wide variety of plants that grow well in Palm Beach County
  • Dry Stream Bed, allows water a cleansing path flowing through the landscape
  • An Edible Landscape, offers a wide variety of tropical fruits, seasonal vegetables, flowers and herbs that can be successfully grown in South Florida
  • Garden of Well Being, showcases plants that have made our lives better though taste, cosmetics, teas, medicinal use, dyes, ceremonies and folk remedies
  • Tropical Foliage Border, non-woody tropicals in two gently curving borders reliant on foliage color has a visual impact that lasts year-round
  • Garden of Extremes, features plants and materials often unique to extremes such as light and weather conditions
  • Rose and Fragrance Garden, pleases the eye while fragrance adds another level of indulgence
  • Our Island: Zimmerman Color and Shade Garden, provides color in the shade through foliage, diverse texture and flowers
  • Tropical Forest, lush foliage and ferns provide a feeling of a tropical forest, outdoor or living conservatory
  • Tropical Cottage Garden, traditional elements include an abundance of colorful flowering perennials, annuals and vines, cascading over arbors and trellises
  • Begonia Garden, highlights this popular plant which grows in the tropics along edges of forests or river banks
  • Florida Native Plant Garden, comprises a Native Plant Initiative demonstrating the wide variety of plants native to South Florida in a traditional, easy to understand landscape design
  • Mediterranean Garden, shows how to successfully grow Mediterranean plants or very reasonable substitutes that will thrive in the South Florida climate
  • O’Keeffe Rain Garden, demonstrates how we can improve the quality of all runoff water in our region
  • Trial Garden, where we evaluate plants for how well they will perform for the average gardener or landscape
  • Gazebo Garden, covered in dappled shade, foliage and flower color, this is the setting for many of the weddings held in the Garden

Photos

  • Dry Stream Bed (Bioswale)
    Dry Stream Bed (Bioswale)
  • Garden of Extremes
    Garden of Extremes
  • Tropical Cottage Garden
    Tropical Cottage Garden
  • Rose and Fragrance Garden
    Rose and Fragrance Garden

See also

References

  1. ^ http://mounts.org/
  2. ^ "http://www.pbcgov.com/coextension/aboutus.htm". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  3. ^ "http://www.pbchistoryonline.org/page/marvin-umphrey-red-mounts". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  4. ^ "http://volunteer.truist.com/uwpbc/org/304622.html". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
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