The Gardens Gate - October 2020

The October 2020 Gardens Gate Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

Pavilion & Gift Shop Hours: Friday & Saturday 10am - 1pm Sunday 12pm - 3pm

Garden Center Hours: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 10am - 1pm Sunday 12pm - 3pm

The Gardens Through The Eyes Of Macrobano Photography

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Rose Garden - A New Beginning

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Out & About at The Gardens

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11 Reasons We Love Trees

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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

Pavilion & Gift Shop Hours: Friday & Saturday 10:00am - 1:00pm Sunday 12:00pm - 3:00pm 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, We are pleased to announce a new, special membership opportunity for all our Friends and supporters – a Ten-Year Anniversary Membership.

The year 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we were unable to move forward with our special celebrations that were planned for the year. So, we thought long and hard about what non-contact things we could do to celebrate our decade of success. We knew there were many members, volunteers, and contributors who were sorry to have missed the opportunity to become a Founding Member, and believe we are offering a perfect solution.

We are now offering the special Ten-Year Anniversary Membership, which is limited to individual memberships only, for $250. This will entitle the member to a 10-year membership to the Gardens. This will be limited to a maximum of 100 individual memberships, and will end December 31, 2020 or when the maximum number of special memberships is reached, whichever comes first. The Ten-Year Anniversary Membership will supersede any current membership, and each person’s new renewal date will be January 1, 2031.

All those who participate in the special Ten-Year Anniversary Membership will be honored with names displayed on a plaque, similar to the Founding Members’ recognition plaque. And the best part is that the funds will help ensure the continued improvements to and longevity of the Botanical Gardens, with 50% of the funds raised allocated to Special Projects, and 50% allocated to the Endowment Fund. We hope you’re as excited as we are about this, and thank you in advance for your support, and for becoming a special Ten-Year Anniversary Member!

We are also pleased to announce the upcoming opening of a new Garden Room – The Jurassic Garden. This unique and interesting garden space will be a natural continuation of our improved gardens, located on the pathway that leads from the Secret Garden to the Event Lawn. Currently, this space is filled with sand pines and a few saw palmettos and, quite frankly, a whole big bunch of weeds. The native plant materials will not be harmed, the unsightly weeds pulled, and in their place our team of volunteer gardeners will install ancient plants and interesting garden elements. Expect to see primitive conebearing cycads, including our Florida native Coontie, specimen ferns (all non-invasive varieties), alocasia (big leaf plants), a few heliconia, and more. We hope to receive some donated funds to assist with the expense, and if you would like to donate to this effort, we certainly welcome your contributions. We’ll keep you updated on the progress and let you know when the Jurassic Garden is officially open for viewing.

There are a few other plans in the works at the Gardens that we hope to announce once approval is received. We hope to move the Daylily Garden to a new location where they can be featured and enjoyed. This will free up space in the Rose Garden quadrant for a display of ever-blooming annuals. We are also scoping out a space for a future Serenity Garden – a place where you can come and experience a rhythm of Zen in our natural environment.

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What’s Going on at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens in

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H o u r s : T h u r s d a y t h r u S at u r d a y 1 0 : 0 0 a m 1:00pm -and- Sunday 12pm - 3pm Continued from Page 3

As political debates and election campaigns heat up in our area and around our country, we want you to know that the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens will continue to be serene and tranquil place that you can come to relax and enjoy your day. At the last Board of Directors meeting, a formal written policy was approved to restrict political events and activities at the Botanical Gardens. We hope this gives you an added incentive to come and visit, stroll around, and enjoy.

There is so much more to tell you about, but I’ll save it for the November letter. Until then, I wish you and those you love health, safety and security in our uncertain times.

Until next time,

Michelle 5

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We are currently booking Wedding Ceremonies and Events for 62 guests and under inside our Pavilion and up to 100 in our outside venues.

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. A floor plan with social distancing and signed COVID-19 Addendum is required to book your event. Thank You.

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VOLUNTEERS Helping to make our Gardens Grow. Please Volunteer Today!

WISH LIST The Gardens need donations of the following items in mint to good condition please. 

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1-Gallon Pots Clay pots Ceramic Planters Yard Art

A New Beginning for the PSLBG Rose Garden:

A Rio Lindo Garden Club Venture

by Anne O. Nourse

Roses are one of the most popular species of flowers in the world due to their beauty in appearance, fragrance, and taste that can express a variety of emotions such as love, purity, passion, regret, and sorrow. Most of the 100 different species of roses are native to Asia. We are fortunate that there are approximately 300 varieties of roses that can be grown in Central/South Florida.

Margaret Passionflower (Passiflora "Lady Margaret"), orange Flame (Pyrostegia venusta), purplish Blue Butterfly Pea (Clitoria Ternatea) and red endangered Native Morning Glory (Ipomoea Gsagittata) vines. Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing butterflies can be admired eating their host vines and later flying as adults. (Blue Sky Vine shown).

In August 2020, the moon gates were refreshed with new native Blue Sky, Black-eyed Susan, and Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervivens) vines.

In March of 2019, American Rose Society Master Rosarian and exhibition winner Mike Becker of Port St. Lucie, spoke at our meeting about general rose selection, care, and maintenance. Mike offered suggestions on how to better manage the roses in PSLBG. He agreed to work with me in leading a Rose Garden rejuvenation project. After proper approvals were received, members contributed to the purchase of plants, soil amendments and work power. Mike’s new rose garden design features more varieties, colors and fragrances, all of which When the Port St. Lucie Botanical Garden are disease and drought resistant. The Florida (PSLBG) was dedicated on March 4, 2009, a Federation of Garden Clubs awarded us their formal rose garden had been included in its original Clyde D. Ware Award for Civic Development for plans. Four sidewalk paths still cross in the middle 2019-2020 for this project. of the four quadrants formed by dwarf Podocarpus hedges. Under Connie Lydon’s tenure as Soil preparation and President of the Rio Lindo Garden Club (RLGC), planting started in March the RLGC voted to maintain the Rose Garden for 2020 and was the aesthetic enjoyment of visitors. Sixteen rose completed in July. Thirty bushes were planted. These included “Prosperity,” -two roses (eight in each "Natchitoches Noisette," "Louis Philippe," and quadrant) including the "Clotilde Soupert." Under the direction of Linda original four “Louis Trottier monthly workdays were held to keep the Phillipe” rose bushes Rose Garden at its best for special occasions, such were planted. as graduations, engagements, and weddings.

Throughout the summer daily watering At the suggestion of member Joleen King, in 2017, supplemented the drip the RLGC purchased four moon gates to enhance irrigation system. Onthe entrance to the Rose Garden. Some of the going maintenance now club's UF/IFAS Master Gardener members Gail includes deadheading, Bird, Ilona Christie, Heather Furnari and Angie weeding, fertilizing, Reese planted six vines under the moon gates. mulching and pruning.

These included the colorful blossoms of Blue Sky Throughout this new (Thumbergia grandiflora), yellowish orange Black- undertaking, our club Eyed Susan (Thumbergia Alata), red Lady appreciates the Continued on Pg14 1 3

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(RL Rosarians shown from l to r: Nancy Pocius, Virginia Waters, Isabel Raposo, Chair Anne Nourse, Mentor Mike Becker and PSLBG Board Member John Erickson)

significant support given to us from the PSLBG Horticultural Director Brenda Gustafson and RLGC President Elaine Minga. And, it is because of the tender loving care of a wonderful enthusiastic and dedicated group of RLGC members that the Rose Garden survives and is thriving today. Many special thanks go to Elaine Minga, Virginia Waters, Heather Furnari, me and PSLBG Board Member John Erickson for gardening throughout the hot summer days, with Darlene Enzian photographing.

“Easy Spirit” have white flowers while “Julia Child” and “Sparkle and Shine” add yellow blossoms to the collection. Among the very fragrant Modern Roses (Austin Shrubs) are the flowers of “Heritage” and “Scepter’d Isle.” “Lyda Rose,” a Modern Shrub, shows numerous pinky white clusters of blooms.

These roses will bloom continuously throughout the year. Heavy pruning will take place in February to produce the first flush of blossoms in mid-April The new garden has a variety of 17 species of followed by a second flush approximately four roses, light-heavier fragrance, and colors from weeks later. It will take about two years for the white to pink to red and yellow. It also features four roses to fully establish. New signage has been classes of Old Garden Roses aka OGR (roses that added to the Rose Garden identifying each rose. were in a class before 1867) and four classes of Modern Roses (after the first hybrid tea in 1867 in The RLGC invites you to stop by the Rose Garden addition to Floribundas, Austin and Modern taking time to “smell the roses” as well as enjoying shrubs). The original Louis Philippe rose (OGR, its colorful array of flora. After your stroll by the China) was introduced to the U.S. by Emily de roses, you may wish to add some to your own Zavala, wife of the Mexican minister to France, garden. If you would like to help with the care of 1834-35, on their land across from the San Jacinto the roses or learn more about roses, please Battleground while supporting the Texas contact Anne Nourse at aonourse@verizon.net.

Revolution. “Louis Philippe” has a lighter fragrance than the more heavily scented OGR blossoms of “Souvenir de St. Anne’s” (Bourbon), “Ducher” (China), “Baronne Prevost” (Hybrid Perpetual) and “Rose de Rescht” (Portland).

Another special rose “Veteran’s Honor” (Modern, Hybrid Tea) is the most popular American rose noted for its classic red color and long stem.

Other Hybrid Teas are “Firefighter”, “Memorial Day” and “Mister Lincoln”. Modern Floribunda Roses “Iceberg”, “First Crush” and 14

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Little Faerie finder gets her stamp

Gift Shop Re-Opens

Gift Shop Re-Opens

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Jolien Caraballo, Shannon Martin, Stephanie Morgan, Russ Blackburn and Don Donaldson officiate the opening of the Westmoreland segment of The Riverwalk Boardwalk in The Port District next to our beautiful Botanical Gardens.

Girl Scouts Bridging Ceremony at The Gardens

Congratulations to Gardens Board Member Dale Johnson for completing the UF/IFAS St. Lucie Master Gardener Volunteer Class of 2020 and receiving his certificate of completion into the Master Gardener Volunteer Program.

Girl Scouts Bridging Ceremony at The Gardens

Weddings are always extra special at The Gardens!

Girl Scouts Bridging Ceremony at The Gardens

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Trees Rule “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today.” ~ Chinese proverb Here are some essential reasons to plant a tree today.

1: Increase Property Value Trees add curb appeal, and curb appeal sells. Even if you don’t plan on staying in your house until your tree is fully mature, shade trees and ornamental trees will make your home more attractive when it's time to sell. Many studies have found that houses on wooded lots sell for more money. Even studies done by real estate experts have found that retail areas and office buildings surrounded by trees are more desirable and command a higher rent.

plants. Try planting a tree like the Autumn Gold Ginkgo, which drops almost all of its leaves at once, making for an easier time mulching, according to Justin French.

8: Improve Your Mental Health According to master gardener Justin French, Attention 2: Reduce Utility Bills Restoration Theory — a theory which links human If planted smartly, trees can help conserve energy and happiness to contact with nature — states that the lower your utility bill. Check out this GIF from the Arbor presence of trees promotes well-being. Trees are strongly Day Foundation. It illustrates how to strategically place linked to fewer negative thoughts, fewer symptoms of trees so they will provide summer shade, winter warmth depression, better moods and increased life satisfaction. and winter windbreaks.

Another study from Scientific Reports mentions that residents of tree-lined communities feel healthier and have 3: Improve Air Quality Remember this from grade-school science? Trees consume fewer cardio-metabolic conditions than their counterparts. carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, and humans are the 9: Create a Screen opposite. So, not only do trees give us a fresh oxygen One of the most beloved shade trees, the Autumn Blaze supply, they remove large amounts of air pollution thus Maple, is big and wide, upwards of 50 feet tall and 40 feet improving air quality, especially in urban areas. wide. Its mighty size helps it act as a great screen all year Also, several studies have found that being near green round says Justin French. In the warmer months, Autumn spaces helps reduces stress and promotes physical activity. Blaze provides a natural privacy and noise screen. The full So not only will you breath better, you'll exercise more. foliage helps block the view into your yard. If you're in a suburban or urban area, it can also help block out 4: Combat Water Pollution noise. Researchers in Photochemistry and Stormwater run-off carries ground pollutants into rivers and streams — things like fertilizers, car oil, pesticides and Photobiology have found that full canopy shade trees can pet waste. Wooded areas help absorb the chemicals before also act as a natural sunscreen, providing a similar coverage to UPF 10 sunscreen. they reach our water supply and waterways.

10: Grow Food 5: Trees Are Pretty Trees can be doubly beneficial in your yard, adding beauty As kids, what's one of the first things we learn to draw? A but also serving as a source of food if you plant a pear, tree. Whether it's a lollipop shape, cone shape or a apple, citrus or other fruit or nut-bearing tree. According to deciduous tree in winter, we all love looking at trees and pictures of trees. That's especially true in the fall when we the Los Angeles nonprofit TreePeople, "An apple tree can start thinking about the different types of trees in our yards yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year and can be planted on the tiniest urban lot. Aside from fruit for and which will put on the best show of color. humans, trees provide food for birds and wildlife."

6: Improve Yard Health Trees can also increase the health of your yard in a variety 11: Reduce Crime Trees are also known to reduce crime. A study of Chicago of ways. For instance, if your property has an incline, public housing found there is less crime — personal and erosion can be a big issue. Planting a weeping willow or property — in apartment buildings that are surrounded by two near the incline can help prevent soil erosion, says trees. They cited two reasons. One, greenery helps relax Justin French of Fast-Growing-Trees.com. people, thus reducing aggression. And two, green spaces 7: Free Mulch often become gathering spaces where people come Mulching fall leaves with a lawn mower can act as a natural together to create a community and watch out for one weed deterrent. Mulched leaves provide nutrients, not another. only to the tree itself, but also for your yard or other LEARN MORE : How to Plant a Tree

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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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Visit JOIN OUR TEAM:

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

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 Nash-Wade at 772-337-1959.

Volunteer Orientation

“Inside the Gardens Gate” ** Friday: 10/2 and 10/16 • 11am to 12pm ** Learn about volunteering at the Gardens, meet other volunteers and offer Suggestions.

Prospective and current volunteers welcome!

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