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Need More Coupons - OkeechobeeLiving.com A Fantastic, Fun-Filled Floral Event: The 35th Annual Fall Garden Festival at Heathcote Botanical Gardens

Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 15th and Sunday, October 16th to visit Heathcote Botanical Gardens for their 35th Annual Fall Garden Festival, which is set to be a fantastic, fun- lled oral event! “The great thing about the Fall Festival,” explains Alisia Kifer, Heathcote’s horticulturist who organizes the event, “[is] it’s so diverse! Grandmas and grandpas can bring their grandkids to keep them busy, plant enthusiasts can come and nd a special or rare plant that they haven’t seen, and nature enthusiasts who have or haven’t visited the gardens can see some of our latest updates and the plants that we have available!” This year will be the largest that the Fall Festival has ever been, and it will be held almost exclusively outside so you can enjoy all that our natural environment has to offer!

Plants & Trees for Sale

Heathcote will be selling a mix of 25-30 ornamental and native Florida plants, as well as 3-5 ft. palm tree varieties, all of which Alisia and her team of dedicated volunteers, including Ed and Marge Carlin and Justin McSweeney, have been nursing and propagating since the beginning of the summer. They will even have some potted bonsai trees available for purchase!

Additionally, many of the 30+ vendors at the festival will be selling even more types of plants and trees, including cosmos, milkweed, various types of fruit trees, beach daisies, orchids, and air plants. “We’re going into the growing season,” Alisia explains, continuing, “so now would be the time if you want to put a garden or veggie garden in to purchase [the plants] at a competitive price… [and] they’re going to thrive for you until next May because there’s not as much heat!”

The best part about shopping for plants and trees at Heathcote’s Fall Festival is that you will be supporting local businesses! Each and every vendor is native to Fort Pierce, the Treasure Coast, or Florida. Alisia af rms, “These people are your neighbors. They’re your friends. They’re the people you’re going to help and support.”

By Gabby Gregory

Fall Food & Fun for Everyone

At Heathcote Botanical Gardens’ Fall Festival, you will not only nd beautiful, quality plants and trees for sale, but you’ll also have the opportunity to listen to educational presentations (for children and adults) from local experts, enjoy tasty food and beverages, shop for jewelry and handmade art from talented local artists, and engage in fun activities, like face painting or fairy hair! This year’s festival will be more robust than ever before, with more vendors present than previous years and educational presentations occurring almost every hour each day.

The educational talks for adults will focus on topics such as bonsai pruning, wild re prevention, and the recent endangerment of the Monarch butter y species and how you can help. The Audubon Society will also be at the festival to do a presentation about local birds. And, on Saturday, Heathcote’s bonsai expert, Tom, will be conducting tours throughout the bonsai garden, telling stories about the trees and their history as well as sharing how he takes care of them.

For children, beyond the face painting and fairy hair vendors, there will be a sewing demonstration in Heathcote’s Pioneer House, which is a historically-accurate replica of the style of dwelling that Florida settlers used about 200 years ago. During this time, the kids will have the opportunity to learn more about why the Pioneer House looks the way it does, as well as how the settlers would have lived. For the younger kids, there will be a variety of creative activities.

In terms of food, the festival will have a variety of options. There will be hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, snacks, ice cream, meat from Adam’s Ranch, honey from the local Beekeepers Association, baked goods, lemonade, cookie dough, and much more!

Art lovers will also be excited to learn that they can begin buying tickets for Heathcote’s annual auction of a gorgeous mosaic created by local artist Anita Prentice, who you may know for her incredible mosaic benches that are spread throughout Fort Pierce. This year’s mosaic features a stunning image of a royal poinciana tree. The winner of the raf e will be announced at the end of Heathcote’s annual Garden of Lights event in the winter.

Gardening Inspiration

The Fall Festival is a free event that allows you to walk through and enjoy the entirety of Heathcote Botanical Gardens FOR FREE! Indeed, a key part of Heathcote Botanical Gardens’s mission is “preserving and offering the plant beauti cation that we have here to the public,” explains Alisia. As a result, the Fall Festival has been an integral event over the past 34 years for Heathcote, as it not only allows people to see, appreciate, and get inspired as they walk through the botanical gardens, but also because it encourages people to learn more about plants/trees they like and how they can use them in their own yard. And, of course, the friendly staff and volunteers at Heathcote are happy to answer questions or give advice about gardening, planting, propagating, and more. From there, it’s simple for people to purchase whatever plants/trees that they love and then incorporate them into their own gardens or homes.

Support Heathcote Botanical Gardens

The best way to support Heathcote Botanical Gardens, beyond attending the Fall Festival, is to join their membership program, which gives you FREE access to visit not only Heathcote, but also numerous other botanical gardens around the entire country! Plus, a membership gets you a special discount in Heathcote’s gift shop and exclusive access to events held at the gardens throughout the year. You can sign-up for this incredible program at the Membership Table at the Fall Festival. A fun fact about Heathcote is that it is 90% volunteer-run… there are only 8 staff members! As a result, Heathcote Botanical Gardens really needs volunteers for the Fall Festival. There are roles for parking, in the gift shop, at drink and food tables, and more. If you are interested in volunteering, then please scan the QR code below for more information and to sign up!

Heathcote Botanical Gardens is also accepting additional vendors for the Fall Festival event! If you’re interested in showcasing your business at the festival, then contact Alisia by October 7th. Mention this article for a special discount! The Fall Festival offers an exceptional opportunity for you to promote your business to the 3,000+ individuals that are expected to attend.

Another way to support Heathcote Botanical Gardens is to become a sponsor for their popular Garden of Lights event, which is held each year during select dates from November to the end of December. The annual celebration is another great way to promote your business, as thousands of visitors from all over the state come to see the dazzling displays.

The Gem of Fort Pierce

Heathcote Botanical Gardens is an exceptional community haven and resource… it’s the gem of Fort Pierce! If you haven’t had the chance to visit, then you should de nitely take the opportunity to check out the Fall Festival. Free admission to the gardens, Fall owers and trees for sale, and tons of fun to be had… you can’t miss it! Alisia and the entire team of staff and volunteers at Heathcote welcome you, saying, “There’s a place here for everyone.”

Heathcote Botanical Gardens is located at 210 Savannah Road in Fort Pierce. The Fall Garden Festival, which is a FREE event with FREE access to the gardens, will be held on Saturday, October 15th and Sunday, October 16th from 9AM-4PM. Regular admission to the botanical gardens is also available for purchase on Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10AM-4PM and Sundays (NovemeberMay only) from 10AM-4PM. For more information, call 772-464-4672 or visit heathcotebotanicalgardens.org.