St. Lucie Cultural Alliance | Member Spotlight – Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
Contributed by Mary Petrone
Member Spotlight – Friends of Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
History tells us that sometime around March of 1513, Ponce De Leon arrived on the coast of Florida. Smitten by the abundance of plants, flowers, and colors, the explorer christened the land La Florida – “the place of flowers.” While time and increasing population over the intervening centuries have altered Florida’s native vegetation, some of those cultivars that caught his eye are making a return in the Port St. Lucie Botanical Garden’s Native Garden Room.
Recently restored through a Florida Wildflower Foundation grant, this native garden is hoping to offer a landscaping option to Florida gardeners by encouraging the use of native Florida flowers.
Native plants have evolved over the years to the habitat they live in and using them is beneficial. Landscaping with native plants can save a person money, time, and resources. Native wildflowers support native crop pollinators, decrease air and water pollution, as well as reduce water use (a good thing here in Florida!), and provide wildlife with habitats.
The Native Garden Room at Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens is using only Florida native flowers: Native Blanket Flower, Coreopsis, Black-eyed Susan, Coral Honeysuckle Vine, White Plumbago, Cocoplum, Verbena, Dune Sunflower and Coontie, plants to name a few. Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and birds are daily visitors.
The garden is cared for by local volunteers, specifically 7-8 grade students at Sun Grove Montessori Middle School. These same students are growing Florida native plants at school with the help of their teacher, Master Gardner Terri Zulmeida. The partnership between public gardens and local students establishes generational stewardship and keeps Florida, the “La Florida” Deleon found enchanting.
With their teachers, Master Gardner Terri Zulmeida and Andy Paramele, Sun Grove Montessori Middle School students spent an active day at the Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens. Their day began with a weeding session in the renovated Native Garden then taking part in a learning workshop on local Florida birds finishing the day by setting up their booth for Botanica!
Together with Aviary expert, Michelle Goebel, and newly retired teacher and Friends of Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens volunteer Mary Pat Harper, students were guided through patterns of bird migration, preferred environments, feeding behaviors and nest building. Beginning in March Sun Grove Montessori Middle School students and their teachers will take over care and maintenance care of the Native Garden. This amazing group propagates Florida Native plants on their school grounds!