The Gardens Gate - August 2020

The August 2020 Gardens Gate Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

The Gardens Through The Eyes Of Wayne Goldenberg

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5 Ways to Stay Engaged at Home

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Out & About at The Gardens

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2nd Annual Art Show in The Gardens ***Artist & Fine Craft Call***

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2410 SE Westmoreland Boulevard Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 Phone: 772.337.1959 Fax: 772.237.5952 Core Volunteers: 772.302.4393 E-mail: info@pslbg.org Web: www.pslbg.org Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday Noon - 4pm Closed Monday, Tuesday & Some Holidays PETS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE GARDENS Suggested Donations: Adults $5 Students $2 Children 12 & Under Welcome 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:

Michelle Peterson Heather Furnari Claire Clark Brenda Gustafson Jeff Chambers John Erickson Dale Johnson Laura Mehr Judy Nash-Wade Mary Petrone Tim Sutton

Standing Committee Chairs...

Election Committee:

Stephanie Alessandrini-Giarraffa Brenda Gustafson Claire Clark Brenda Gustafson

Finance Committee: Gift Shop Committee: Horticulture Committee: Membership & Volunteer Committee: Judy Nash-Wade Resource Development Committee: Heather Furnari Strategic Planning Committee: Michelle Peterson

Newsletter...

Editor & Design:

Mark 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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Dear Friends, COVID-19 continues to loom heavily over our lives, especially here in Florida. Yet nothing seems to stop our dedicated volunteers. My sincerest thanks to all of those hard workers who continue to plant, propagate and maintain the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, even in this sweltering weather.

Although our Pavilion remains closed to the public at this time, there are many exciting things happening at the Gardens. One item of note is the renovation of the Native Plant Garden, which currently features an area that is being solarized in preparation for a small native flower meadow. So, please pardon our plastic, as we use the power of the sun to help beat back weeds and pests, and set the stage for future garden success. If you’ve never heard of soil solarization, I encourage you to do a web search to learn more.

There are also other plans in place to improve our current garden rooms, and create new areas of horticultural beauty that will delight future visitors. To paraphrase the old adage, when times get tough the tough gardeners keep going!

During these challenging times, we are always on the look out for temporary escapes from our current situations. For some, the Botanical Gardens remains a serene sanctuary for morning wandering or a sunset stroll. For others, like me, who have family, friends and coworkers who fall into high risk categories, we do our best to limit our time and exposure outside of our homes, and try to find ways to remain productive.

And if you’re like me, you may be using this time for personal growth and learning.

You may have signed up for just about every online conference, training, seminar, and class – anything to keep you positively occupied.

Sometimes I’ve fallen down a virtual rabbit hole. And sometimes I’ve come across some very useful resources. The following is a list of linked recorded webinars that might be of interest.

“A Walk in the Garden” Presentations from the Ecological Landscape Alliance Adventures with Oddities: Strange and Noteworthy Native Plants Art and Design Principles for Ecological Landscapes Garden Ways: Professional Tips on Design and Plant Selection Let Them Eat Flowers: The Gardens of Paris Planting Design Considerations Pollinator Ecology Save the Pollinators! Save the Planet!

Specialist Bees Tenacious Plants for Tough Places

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Click Here For The Current Calendar Listings

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Summer Hours - T hursday thr u S at u r d a y • 9 : 3 0 a m t o 1 2 : 3 0 p m

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Florida Native Plant Society Florida Milkweeds Florida Kissimmee Prairie Wildflower Walk How to Identify Milkweed Species Orchid Hunting at Julington Durbin Creek Preserve for the Southern Twayblade Orchid Permaculture Gardens Presentations Growing Climate Solutions with Climate Victory Gardening -by Green America Composting 101 - on returning to the earth that which we've taken from it The Bee Webinar - An introduction to nurturing bees in the garden

The Urban Harvest Presentations Florida Gardening 101 Summer Leafy Greens for Florida Gardening Raised Garden Beds for Florida Gardening Summer Vegetables to Grow in your Florida Vegetable Garden Just a word of caution that not all of these videos focus on our sub-tropical climate zone. So recommended plants may not survive here, or may grow too well and become invasive.

When in doubt about what to plant in your landscape, always remember to turn to our local experts at the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (www.fleppc.org) and the Florida Forest Service (https://www.fdacs.gov/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service).

Stay safe, stay positive, keep learning, and happy gardening!

Michelle 8

We are currently booking Wedding Ceremonies and Events for 50 guests and under. These dates are being booked fast.

Email Heather at events@pslbg.org NOW to reserve your date!

As we are in changing times, we will be evolving along with them due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 Protocol recommendations are in place and required for ALL events. Thank You.

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VOLUNTEERS Helping To Make Our Gardens Grow

S u m m e r H o u r s - T h u r s d a y t h r u S at u r d a y 9:30am to 12:30pm

WISH LIST Mint to Good Condition  Clay pots  Ceramic planters  Yard Art

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5 Ways to Stay Engaged at Home!

Grownups get bored too! Here's some links to explore: WikiArt - A visual art encyclopedia whose primary goal is to make world’s art accessible

to anyone and anywhere. WikiArt already features some 250.000 artworks by 3.000 artists, localized on 8 languages. These artworks are in museums, universities, town halls, and other civic buildings of more than 100 countries. Most of this art is not on public view.

With your active involvement, WikiArt is planning to cover the entire art history of the Earth, from cave artworks to modern private collections. WikiArt also provides you with tools for translation on as many languages as needed. VISIT HERE

Omeleto - is the home of award-winning short films and the next generation of great

filmmakers. They showcase Sundance winners, Oscar noms and critically-acclaimed filmmakers from every genre. With over 4 million subscribers across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and tens of millions of viewers each month, they are the premier platform to reach millions of film enthusiasts around the world. VISIT HERE

Online Museums - While it’s hard to beat the experience of seeing a seminal piece of

fine art or important historical artifact with your own two eyes, you could easily spend a lifetime traveling the world in search of all of them. Fortunately, the digital age has made it possible - easy, even - to visit some of the world’s most famous museums from the comfort of your own home. Here are 12 world-class museums you can visit online. VISIT HERE • After you visit those, here are 50 more. VISIT HERE

Stunning Libraries - Some of

the most beautiful architecture in the world is found in libraries.

Even if you can’t visit a particular library in person, you may be able to explore its highlights virtually online. ILoveLibraries.org is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world with members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries.

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ALA is a more than 64,000-member-strong organization that seeks to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services, and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. VISIT HERE

National Parks - Got a bit of downtime? Take a trip to a national park from wherever

you are! Many national park sites across the country offer digital tours and experiences that you can access anytime, anywhere. From digitally diving under the sea to watching the cherry blossom trees bloom, there are countless ways to #FindYourPark / #EncuentraTuParque online. Get up close and personal with parks through virtual tours.

Learn more about the history of these legendary places and how essential their protection and preservation is in ensuring these sites are enjoyed for generations to come. VISIT

HERE

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Gene & Merv installing shade sails in the Garden Center

Thanks to Dale, Heather & Michelle for removing and potting up the ilex shrubs from the back pathway so the City’s contractor can lay their electrical wiring.

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Alyona Ushe from the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance touring the Gardens with Director Laura Mehr.

Visit our Garden Center for August Plant Sale Specials.

Alyona Ushe from the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance touring the Gardens with Mark Barnes.

Dieulanie Claude from the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance visiting with Lucie.

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K Re-Opening Soon

Visit

JOIN OUR TEAM:

We have availability in the Gift Shop, Welcome Center, Propagation, Garden Maintenance, Event Planning

for a selection of fine gifts and those one f a kind items.

VOLUNTEER AS LITTLE AS 3 HOURS A WEEK., MEET SOME GREAT PEOPLE, AND HELP YOUR COMMUNITY. Call Judy NashWade or Angie Reese at 772-337-1959.

Volunteer Orientation ** Dates Will Be Announced Soon ** Learn about volunteering at the Gardens, meet other volunteers and offer Suggestions.

Prospective and current volunteers welcome!

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The Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens proudly announce our 2nd Annual Art Show in The Gardens, which will be held at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens on Saturday, January 2, 2021 and Sunday, January 3, 2021 from 9am to 4pm each day (rain or shine).

The Art Show will highlight local, regional and renowned artists in the mediums of Original - 2D, 3D, Jewelry & Fine Crafts. The show will also include Music, Dancing, Food Trucks and more. A variety of food, snack and beverage vendors will be on hand for your culinary pleasure as well as Art Raffles, Fairy Hair and local Non-Profit Agencies to complete the mix.

Additionally, this year our event will include a Saturday evening “Party With The Artists” Silent Art Auction and Reception. An opportunity to meet and talk with the artists while enjoying a selection of hors d'oeuvres and entrées, adult beverages and good music. The Reception will be held Saturday, January 2, 2021 from 6pm to 9pm at The Gardens Pavilion and Promenade. Tickets will be available soon to the public for $50 per person –or- $75 per couple.

We invite Artists and Fine Crafters (all work must be original and not mass produced) to sign up to be an Artist or Fine Craft Vendor at our 2nd Annual Art Show in The Gardens. The Deadline for artist applications is November 15, 2020.

We are accepting application for artists in the 2D, 3D, Jewelry & Fine Crafts categories. You can apply at www.pslbg.org/artshow **or** receive event updates on our event page at: www.facebook.com/events/753266478766751.

Sponsorship Opportunities are available. For more information contact Mark Barnes at art@pslbg.org or visit our website at www.pslbg.org/artshow.

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Attention St. Lucie County Youth Are you a local K-12 or college student? Enter to win in our Young Hearts to Arts campaign! Put your creativity to work to inspire our community to show their love and empathy. This will be a two-part campaign:  a contest, which will take place online (website and social media)  a county-wide exhibition tour at local venues Participants are to illustrate love, friendship, community, or compassion in their masterpieces. Submissions will be entered into four categories:  Elementary school  Middle school  High school  College Submitted artwork will be voted for by the general public. Each category will have a 1st place and 2nd place winners. Don’t miss this opportunity to be innovative, get your work showcased in public and win amazing prizes!

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Participants must be local K-12 or college students Submitted art must be original work of the participant Artwork should not contain a demonstration of violence Submission must not depict hatred towards a person/ group Submissions will be accepted online (arrangements may be made for in-person submissions) Each participant may submit a short video, a maximum of 5 minutes, detailing the inspiration behind the submitted artwork. (optional) 7. The submission deadline is Sunday, August 2, 2020.

8. Participants who fail to abide by these rules will be disqualified *By participating in this campaign, participants and/or parents give St. Lucie Cultural Alliance authorization to make copies of and share/distribute submitted artwork on all digital and printed formats. *Please note, a Gmail account is required to submit your entry form. If you do not have one, you may upload your artwork HERE.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ART WORK TODAY

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