AIR DATE APRIL 6, 2023

Title: Florida Flowers – Bloom Where You Are Planted

Emily meets with native plant and gardening organizations in central Florida.

Guests

Tarflower Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, Mead Garden Restoration Chair – Catherine Bowman

Orlando Garden Club, Recording Secretary – Joanne Mulinare

Local Gardens Deliver Multiple Community Benefits

Community gardens beautify the landscape while promoting a healthier lifestyle and building stronger relationships with our neighbors and friends. It is also an excellent way to preserve native plants.

“All of Florida’s ecology is endangered these days because we’re using too much water and killing off things that need to be preserved,” said Joann Mulinare from the Orlando Garden Club. “There are a lot of plants that are endemic just to Florida that need to be saved with all of the building that’s going on.”

Catherine Bowman, a 30-year member of the Florida Native Plant Society, agrees with that observation. “We try to educate the public about the importance of maintaining the natural habitats that we have left in Florida, and how we can work with our public land managers to go out and participate in volunteer events where we remove invasive exotic plants.”

Mead Garden Offers a Unique Way to Preserve Native Plants

“Mead Garden is indeed unique,” Bowman told me. “It is one of those fortunate botanical gardens that is located within a municipality. In addition to having a legacy collection from botanist and horticulturist, TL Mead, of tropical plants, bromeliads, orchids, day lilies, and a very nice legacy non-native display garden, it also has areas that were never really developed.”

Mead Garden first opened in 1940. Its unique topology offers a glimpse at the different soil possibilities in the region, including the various native plants that would grow in unworked areas.

Mulinare says that taking simple steps to encourage native plant growth can make a big difference in each community. “We have planters along Mills, which is just outside of our property, and in front of businesses. We’re also promoting the coordination of the Garden Club with the community by keeping those planters full of mostly native plants and encouraging the business owners that are behind them to keep them watered.”

Native Plant Preservation Begins with Local Education

Orlando Garden Club offers an environmentally oriented youth camp in Wekiwa State Park to encourage interactions with native plants. “We each several hundred children every summer about preserving our environment and honoring mother nature,” Mulinare said, “learning about what they can do to make sure that the things that we appreciate about Florida are still here.”

Bowman offered me a comprehensive look at the Florida Native Plant Society’s programs. “We help the public learn about the native plant communities in Florida, what lives there, what grows there,” she said. “We have field trips so that members and visitors can visit all kinds of native habitats from dry sand pine scrub to swamps and the river basins, and see what grows there.”

Both organizations meet regularly to discuss preservation opportunities, connect with members, and share their passions.

Every day, there is something new to learn about the biodiversity found in our own backyards. More information about Orlando Garden Club is available at their website https://www.orlandogardenclub.org/. You can also connect with the Florida Native Plant Society by visiting https://www.fnps.org.

“Buy native plants, put ’em in your yards, join the chapter,” said Bowman. “There are plenty of ways to get involved volunteering.”