Florida Botanical Gardens - Largo

What on earth is that? Strange looking.....  Reading the sign, I see that it's a fig tree. Well, I sure didn't know figs grew like that!
 
And so, as I strolled the pathways in the Florida Botanical Gardens, more beauty and wonders were discovered. There was a Silk Floss tree, a very spiky barked tree belying its softer name. I wandered past a lovely water garden featuring beautiful blue water lilies. A stunning garden bed of brightly colored impatiens followed (Think of a red, purple, hot pink, and orange explosion). Bromeliads, in their many shapes and forms, were blossoming in and around trees along the way.
 
I counted seventeen different types of gardens – every fascinating and beautiful plant labeled so you can take notes for your own yard. There is a butterfly garden featuring host plants and nectar plants for butterflies. Butterflies are everywhere in this park! Lush kale, lettuce, and tomatoes grow in the raised bed garden display. What fruit can you grow in central Florida's climate? Check out the tropical fruit garden. Florida Botanical Gardens even has a wedding garden, walled and secluded for that special event. It is flanked by four other gardens: a rose garden, a "contemporary jazz” garden, topiary garden, and a cottage garden.
 
I love this place. There is always something different to see in this little piece of paradise.
 
12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, Florida
Flbg.org

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Written by Lucy Noe