The Gardens Gate – April 2022

April 2022 The Gardens Gate Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

Volunteer Appreciation

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Volunteer Spotlight

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Out and About with The Gardens

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Upcoming Events Geli Visions Angelica Jaramillo

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2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd.

Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 Phone: 772.337.1959 Fax: 772.237.5952 Email: info@pslbg.org Web: www.pslbg.org

Pavilion, Gift Shop & Garden Center Hours:

Wednesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm Sunday 12:00pm - 4:00pm FURRY FRIENDS ARE WELCOMED ACCOMPANIED BY RESPONSIBLE OWNERS. PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW YOUR PET TO RELIEVE THEMSELVES IN OUR GARDEN ROOMS. PET STATIONS ARE LOCATED AROUND THE GARDENS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. SKATES, BOARDS & BICYCLES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE WALKWAYS IN THE GARDENS

Suggested Donations: Adults $5 • Students $2 Free for FPSLBG Members and Active Military with family (IDs required)

Mission Statement...

Friends’ mission is to create and maintain a beautiful, serene sanctuary in the center of Port St. Lucie that is environmentally sound and naturally diverse and to provide educational, cultural and recreational opportunities for all who visit.

Officers & Directors...

President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Directors:

Jeff Chambers Heather Furnari Mary Petrone Brenda Gustafson Mark A. Barnes Valerie Davis-Bailey John Erickson Laura Mehr Judy Nash-Wade Arthur Pearlstein Cathy Russo

Standing Committee Chairs...

Election Committee:

Stephanie Alessandrini-Giarraffa Cathy Russo Laura Mehr Brenda Gustafson

Finance Committee: Gift Shop Committee: Horticulture Committee: Membership & Volunteer Committee: Laura Mehr Resource Development Committee: Heather Furnari Strategic Planning Committee: Arthur Pearlstein

Newsletter...

Editor & Design:

Mark A. Barnes

The Gardens is managed and operated by Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity organization, that was founded to help support the daily operations of The Gardens. Friends volunteers provide hands-on daily oversight of the facility, including staffing to handle the many visitors year round. Please consider becoming a member of Friends. Friends' is a 100% volunteer organization. In all cases, donations are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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Greetings one and all!

Once again we say goodbye to our winter volunteers. We will certainly miss their impact and friendship until next fall.

Lots of things are starting to happen at the Gardens. Our new security system will be going in and finally our fence will be installed. Fencing in The Gardens is not something we chose to do without lots of thought.

Throughout the years The Gardens has been open, people have been allowed to come and go from dawn to dusk. We understand the different reasons people like to come here and just enjoy the peace and solitude. It is a special place. However, because of the amount of vandalism, graffiti, carving on our trees, theft and people ignoring our signs not to ride bikes and skateboards on our sidewalks, the decision was made to fence in the Garden rooms. The Event lawn will be accessible but the main grounds will only be accessible through the front doors of the Pavilion.

With the completion of the fence we will adjust our hours to better serve all. I know some of you will think this is unfair but we cannot afford to continue to replace plants, tools and maintain the serene environment and keep the admission free to all.

The Port project will be underway and having met with tentative restaurant owners, the concept will have something for everyone. We need to give thanks to our Mayor, the Port St. Lucie City Council and the great staff at the City for making this a reality.

If you have any spare time, PLEASE consider volunteering at The Gardens. When you volunteer you become a part of a large family. Somewhat crazy but we have fun at what we do!

As always, I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who makes this a special place.

Jeff (aka the Captain)

Jeff Chambers, President

Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

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Are You Looking for Fun and Educational Children’s Activities?

The Gardens is the Perfect learning environment!!!

Our NEW Discovery Back Packs are available to the public inside the Pavilion, free of charge, for parents and kids to take an exciting adventure and learning experience through the Gardens.

Adults may sign-out backpacks Wednesday thru Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sunday 12noon - 4pm, with a Valid State ID, for use within our Gardens.

Scheduled Lessons are available to public and Private schools. Inquire at our front desk or email education@pslbg.org.

Thank You.

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Hours: Wednesday thru Saturday 10am - 4pm & Sunday 12pm - 4pm. Closed Mondays & Tuesdays

Above left to right: Orchid Room Volunteers; Happy Donor - Thank You!; Visitors enjoying the Gardens

GARDEN CENTER WISH LIST

The Garden Center is looking for a Hibiscus Expert to assist in our Hibiscus Garden.

We are also looking for Garden Center Volunteers from 1-4pm Wednesday - Saturday and 12-4pm on Sunday. We are a 100% Volunteer Garden. Come join us today ☺ 9

Interview with Phyllis Brown First Annual ACE Award Volunteer of the Year

by Laura Mehr

What just happened? Phyllis asked her friends? Why are they calling me up? What do you mean, Volunteer of the Year?!?!

She was in shock, utter and complete shock – to get the First Annual ACE Award for Volunteer of the Year. ‘How could this happen?’ She said.

Phyllis, I said, you deserve it, you are our Volunteer of the Year – and did you notice you got a standing ovation, too? ‘ What? No I didn’t, I did? Why? ‘ she said.

And so the post party conversation went – even days later, Phyllis still in total disbelief.

And yesterday at her weekly Butterfly Gardeners lunch, which has always been for them the most integral part of Butterfly gardening, Phyllis recalled her prior 11 years as the Butterfly Garden leader and inspiration.

How 12 years ago at the end of her Master Gardener Class, another member of the class, Richard Laub, immediately descended on the brand new Port St Lucie Botanical Garden, and pestered, stalked, and harassed Phyllis to create the butterfly garden. He took her to what is now the Secret Garden, and told her that would become the butterfly garden. Phyllis said, there’s no sun, it won’t work, so goodbye.

On the way out, they passed through the area that is now the Butterfly Garden, and

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Phyllis said, ‘This is the perfect spot.’ Richard said, ‘No, you can’t have it here, this is a citrus garden.’

And Phyllis said, ‘ Four citrus trees do not make a citrus garden.’ So the Butterfly Garden slowly came into being around the struggling citrus trees, and as they died out, the Butterfly Garden came into it’s own. With Darl Emling’s help, who arrived in 2012, the garden took on the shape and form and color that we know and love today. Along with the hundreds, if not thousands of Butterflies that visit every year, it has become the favorite go-to garden for people of all ages.

The Podocarpus, sweet almond , hibiscus and fire bushes were already in place, so the frame was set for the most colorful of paintings – our Butterfly Garden.

When I asked her what her favorite Butterfly plant is, without hesitation she replied, Porterweed. Because it is always flowering, all pollinators love it and it is so easy to propagate. And the purple porterweed was a

welcome surprise volunteer that now lights up the garden. She also loves the African Blue Basil, for the same reason – it’s ability to attract all pollinators.

best loved butterfly is the Monarch, and for years she nurtured the caterpillars, eggs, and chrysalises in the butterfly houses that the Boy Scouts had built for the garden.

That activity required her to come to the Phyllis keeps a gardening journal every garden every day to release the newly week, carefully accounting for everything hatched Monarchs, so as the butterfly house that was done that week and who was there have started to come undone, she has to help. She has years and years of these slowly stopped being the Monarchs midwife. journals, an invaluable record of all that brought her Butterfly Garden to fruition. She Phyllis wanted me to mention how much she says she really needs to learn to see through appreciates her regular volunteers, Ellen and other people’s eyes though, the ones that Cortney Balsome, Darlene Mayhew, Barry constantly tell her about the amazing job Reid, Mary Lou Weiner and Darl Emling. she has done, because she can only see Without them, the Butterfly Garden would what needs to be done every week. She cease to exist. always has her clippers handy wherever she goes, as something always needs pruning or At the end of the interview, Phyllis said that she considers the Butterfly Garden ‘ a deadheading. Sometimes, she says, I can magical space where just flowers and take a step back and she can see that yes, butterflies exist and everything else just falls that does look just right. away.’

Phyliss also takes photographs and videos of her visiting butterflies, some of which can be Thank you Phyllis Brown, for bringing your seen on the greeting cards in the Gift Shop. heart and soul to PSLBG, and making our Butterfly Garden what it is today.

It is one of her favorite things to do. Her

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NEW FAERIES MAKE THE FAERIE FORREST HOME

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Anne Nourse-Rose Garden Chair, Georgia Dickman-perspective member, Lorna Doane, perspective member, Jan Bradley-member, Nancy Pocius-member and Virginia Waters-member. Thanks ladies.

Bonsai class …Frank volunteer also enjoyed it - Elaine Flasterstein

Dale Johnson chatting about Yoga with Lucie

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Dana, John & Andrea Construct a new orchid display for the Orchid Room Garden.

Connie Burke & Heather Furnari at Bonsai make and take home your own Bonsai Tree

Bonsai Class presented by the Treasure Coast Bonsai Society demonstrating how to grow, trim and care for your Bonsai.

Participants at the Bonsai Class

Participants at the Bonsai Class

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