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Heathcote Botanical Gardens consists of
an assortment of specialty gardens including a Japanese Garden,
Reflection Garden, Herb
Garden, Rainforest Display, Native Plants Garden and a Palm & Cycad
Walk. These areas convey an atmosphere of individual garden
rooms. Through this type of garden design, you will sense the
intimacy of this unique botanical garden. Gracing the areas
in between these specialty gardens are borders of flowering
shrubs, bulbs, trees, vines and other assorted herbaceous plants.
Niches found throughout the garden provide varied microclimates,
which allows the use of a wide variety of plants ranging from
those found in Mediterranean climates to the Tropics.
Heathcote
Botanical Gardens is located on the southeast coast of Florida,
in USDA PLANT HARDINESS zone 9b, and has both native
Florida flora as well as exotic flora from around the world.
It is uniquely situated in a biological transition zone between
a warm-temperate zone to the north and a subtropical zone
to the south. A transition zone contains species that are characteristic
of the adjacent region to its north and south, as well as
species
that occur only in the transition zone. In the botanical
world this is advantageous because it allows for greater diversity,
which means that one may grow many kinds of plants from around
the world that live under conditions associated with three
climatic zones.
Our labeled, plant collections are both
grouped in specific areas in the Garden and dispersed throughout
the Garden.
Other plants of interest that tend to capture many of our
visitors’ eyes
and spark numerous inquiries have also been labeled. Labeling
helps the local Garden visitor determine what plants they
have in their own Florida home landscapes or what plants
they may
want to add. Visitors from all over the US and the world
find the information on the plant labels interesting and
helpful.
The
first few steps you take out of the Gift Shop will bring delight
to your eyes with our colorful and
curly collection of Crotons, Codiaeum sp. and our specimen
Screw Pine, Pandanas utilis, which if caught in bloom in February
astonishes all visitors with its very odd, pendulous flower
structure.
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Onward to your left will
take you through the dense and bold, exotic vegetation
of the
Palm Walk,
where our labeled collections of exotic palms and cycads
from around the world will awe you. If you are unfamiliar
with cycads, you will be amazed to know that they are
some of our Earth’s most primitive, still-in-existence
plants. Don’t miss our bizarre-looking specimen of
Encephalartos gratus, a cycad from central Africa and the
Coontie, Zamia pumila, which is Florida’s native
cycad.
 Be sure to explore the smaller paths throughout
this lush and abundant area of the Garden, where you
will always find a bromeliad, in a tree or on the ground,
in
bloom.
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As you move into the Native Plants Garden, you will discover
how plants that are typically found in Florida, are not necessarily
the large-leafed, tropical-looking ones. Thick, succulent-type
foliage is common to plants of Florida, which you will notice
is characteristic of our native Pitch Apple tree, Clusia rosea
and Sea Grape, Coccoloba uvifera. The Native Plants Garden
was designed to demonstrate what Florida natives could look
like in a home landscape situation, rather than in their own
native habitats.
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Head straight through on this path, passing the
ornate, concrete picnic bench and across the open lawn, and
discover our old Florida Pioneer House. This 1880’s replica
was built to simulate the homestead of those brave and daring
Florida pioneers. Sit and rest awhile on the rocking chairs
on the front porch and imagine what it must have been like
to settle in this wild frontier over 120 years ago. Check out
our new pineapple collection next to the Pioneer House. Southeast
Florida was world renowned for its pineapple plantations in
the early 1900’s.
Wander back towards Heathcote House, where the
Garden’s offices are located, and across the cool, brick
patio shaded by the huge Weeping Podocarpus tree, Podocarpus
gracilior, (another great place to sit and observe) to find
a rarity in these parts - a Japanese Garden.
The Japanese Garden demonstrates the simplistic,
nature-inspired design of an oriental type garden, where water,
rocks and plants
are its main elements. Throughout the Japanese Garden you will
see the intricate and seasoned forms of our Bonsai collections,
ranging from a 25 year-old Bougainvillea to assorted species
of Ficus.
 Walk
over the small, arched bridge and up the stairway for a different
view of the Japanese Garden and onto
a path that will lead you down into an area that feels deep,
dark and rich with large, towering bamboos.  Continue on, but
don’t forget to stop for a minute and say hello to our
famous Pot Man relaxing next to the gate of our maintenance
area.
Back on the main walkway, your head will not
know which way to turn. To your right, are collections of flowering,
bulbous plants and to your left, is a large border chock-full
of an array of flowering shrubs including assorted Clerodendrums,
Brazilian Red Cloak and Salvias.
 Next you will pass our lawn area which is host to "Come Play in our Sprinklers" Day during the summer and weddings year-round.
This is a great place to sit, ponder and get
lost in watching the swirling water of the whirlpool pond.
Wander all the way to the back under the cool canopy of tropical
trees to find another tranquil little niche with a trickling,
tiered, copper fountain.  Meander
through our display greenhouse, with our expanding collection
of epiphytes including orchids, bromeliads and the tiny-but-fascinating
Tillandsias, which you will be amazed to discover are mounted
and grown on suspended pieces of beach driftwood. Out the
opposite door of the greenhouse you will enter into a completely
different, arid-type environment of the Mediterranean Herb
Garden, filled with fragrant herbs and aromatic trees.
Stroll
through slowly, savoring the wonderfully fragrant rosemarys,
lemongrass, allspice and cinnamon. During the winter months,
don’t miss the gorgeous, sprawling display of the
purple wreath vine, Petrea volubilis.
 Your garden journey cannot come to an end without
a visit to our award-winning and one-of-a-kind Gift
Shop. Stop
in to find it brimming with unusual plant and nature-related
items as well as the creations of some of our area’s
most talented artists and craftspeople. You are sure to find
something to help you remember your visit to Heathcote Botanical
Gardens or as a gift for that special someone. On your way
out, be sure to catch the gardens and interesting specimens
found throughout our parking area.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE GARDENS
AND COLLECTIONS,
PLEASE CALL THE GARDEN’S OFFICE AT 772-464-4672
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
or email: info@heathcotebotanicalgardens.org |
