Native Plant Garden Tour Set Nov. 10

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area Coastal Restoration Garden

(PRESS RELEASE)_(West Palm Beach, FL – October 15, 2019) The Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, today announced that it would be hosting its Annual Native Plant Garden Tour, November 10. 

From 9 am to 3 pm on Sunday, November 10, participants can visit five unique private gardens and two public gardens, all landscaped with Florida native plants: one in North Palm Beach, four in Jupiter and two in Palm Beach Gardens.

The seven gardens on this year’s Native Plant Garden Tour include:

+ Forchheimer Butterfly & Bird Garden
9714 Honeysuckle Avenue in Palm Beach Gardens

This butterfly and bird friendly yard is an inspirational example of a landscape in transition from a traditional Florida tropical exotic yard only four years ago, to a native garden full of life. From the butterfly host garden in the front, to the nectar garden in the rear yard, over 60 native plant species support at least 12 species of butterflies year-round. The garden is also visited by a wide range of birds including buntings, orioles, hummingbirds, cardinals, hawks and even eagles. Stroll through the back yard to visit the next garden on the tour, the Byrd Hammock Garden.

 +Byrd Hammock Garden 
6713 Heather Circle West in Palm Beach Gardens

Look no further for a prime example of a neighborhood native plant continuum. The Byrd garden, a mature hardwood hammock, provides nectar plants for butterflies emerging from the Forchheimer’s host plants as well as shelter for birds. Enjoy the serenity of this canopied landscape that includes some of our old favorites–Lignum vitae, crabwood, sable palm, firebush, and gumbo limbo among others.

+ Ogden Coastal Garden
12744 Ellison Wilson Road in North Palm Beach, 33408

This open-air garden was professionally landscaped in 2018 and features many native plants found in coastal habitats—coontie, necklace pod, cinnicord, beach creeper, Jamaican caper to name a few. Of special note is a spectacular sea lavender that is the poster child for the often-heard guideline “the right plant in the right place”.  An attached butterfly garden provides curb appeal for both people and pollinators

+ Crawford Coastal Hammock Garden
201 Xanadu Place in Jupiter, 33477

A mature coastal hammock landscape that celebrates the natural habitat that once graced Florida’s shoreline, now displaced by developments but named after the ghosts of our vegetative past. This multi-level landscape includes a sunny front yard that is home to many flowering natives and, of course, the pollinators they support, and a dense hardwood hammock in the back yard with many underutilized specimen plants. 

+ Licata Florida Revisited Garden
13640  156th Street, North in Jupiter, 33478

Visitors will immerse themselves in a re-creation of early Florida as they stroll through wild and timeless landscapes in the Licata Garden. The emphasis is on plant diversity, balance and sustainability as revealed in the many micro-ecosystems nestled into this 1.25-acre gardenscape. There are well over 200 distinct Florida natives to be discovered here, including Milkbark, Florida Toadwood and Wild Dilly. We are fortunate to offer this amazing garden on our tour once again, and to have a chance to witness its growth over the last four years. 

+ Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
Outstanding Natural Area Coastal Restoration Garden
600-601 State Road 707 in Jupiter, 33469

Installed in 2018, this beautiful shoreline garden and restoration project is located between the lighthouse and the bordering Loxahatchee River. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse sits atop an ancient shell midden formed by native tribes that existed here long before European contact. The native landscaping helps prevent shoreline erosion on the midden slope and the loss of irreplaceable artifacts that lay beneath the ground surface. The shoreline restoration garden features 45 different native species including nine different species of native Florida grasses, specimen shade trees, succulents, and much more from naturally occurring coastal habitats. Pathways allow for a memorable walk among the natives and along the waterfront.  

+ Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum
5353 Parkside Drive in Jupiter, 33458

Located on the Jupiter campus of FAU, this is a garden gem that shines a light on Florida native plant habitats including Tropical Hardwood Hammock, Cabbage Palm /Oak Hammock, Pine Flatwoods, and Mixed Hardwood Swamp. Mature trees, labeled for ease of identification, line the pathways that wind their way through the landscape, inviting all to explore and enjoy this peaceful haven. FAU staff will be on hand to answer questions and to help make a visit to this garden an enjoyable learning experience.

How to Get Tickets for the Native Plant Garden Tour:

The cost for the day is $10 for non-members and free for FNPS members and children under 13. Tickets will be available for sale at the October 15 chapter meeting of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and at the FANN Native Plant Show at the Mounts Botanical Garden November 7-8. Or tickets can be purchased with cash or check at any of the gardens on the day of the tour. For more information, please call 561.247.3677 or visit http://www.palmbeach.fnpschapters.org

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