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Experience the Magic of The Garden of Lights By Gabby Gregory at Heathcote Botanical Gardens If you’ve ever been to a botanical garden, then you know it offers a transcendent opportunity to relax and rejuvenate as you admire and appreciate the magnificence of our natural world. If you haven’t been to a botanical garden, then doesn’t such an experience — one that is calming, restorative, and awe-inspiring — sound like one you would enjoy? We all deserve to feel those positive emotions, to be at peace... so take a journey with me to Heathcote Botanical Gardens, and to their magical, 7th Annual Garden of Lights event. The Green Heart of the Treasure Coast Heathecote Botanical Gardens has been a safe haven for plants, animals, and humans in Fort Pierce since 1986. As the “Green Heart of the Treasure Coast,” Heathcote is a vital source of information, education, and research for everyone from curious children and families to budding horticulturists and experienced botanists. With over 10 different gardens and galleries, Heathcote Botanical Gardens has something for all ages not only to enjoy, but also to respect. Feel mesmerized by the largest bonsai collection in the United States, with trees (some of which are over half a century old!) donated by the late “bonsai master of Florida,” Jim Smith. Experience the tranquility of the rainforest as you traipse across small bridges next to rock waterfalls and lush greenery. Stroll through the Japanese Garden to marvel at the koi pond or the replica of a traditional Japanese tea house, built for an Eagle Scout project. Be bewitched by the Butterfly Garden, where Heathcote’s Executive Director Joan Friedman says you can find fluttery friends at their most active in the mornings. If you’re lucky, you may even see an Atala butterfly, once thought to be extinct before being mysteriously discovered at Heathcote! You might think that the above flora is all that Heathcote has to offer, but the botanical garden has even more to see, do, and learn about while you’re there! Heathcote Botanical Garden most certainly warrants a visit during their regular garden hours, but this holiday season, Heathcote deserves another, special tour during their magical 7th Annual Garden of Lights Event. The Magic After local residents Tom and Judy Salmon brought the idea for the Garden of Lights to Heathcote’s Board of Trustees, they helped to bring it to life, making it one of the most anticipated events on the Treasure Coast. Tom has since passed, but Judy still volunteers her time at the gardens both for the event and during regular garden hours. The “illuminators” for the event are all volunteers who dedicate countless hours to designing, creating, and decorating (in all types of weather!) the lights that transform Heathcote Botanical Gardens into an enchanted holiday wonderland. Many of the lights are even made from recycled materials, keeping in theme with Heathcote’s dedication to environmental protection.
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