Volunteer Spotlights pg. 20
Did You Know? pg. 32
Guest Photos pg. 38
Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens The AUGUST 2023
Gardens’ Gate
Monthly Calendar pg. 4 Bromeliad Island pg. 12
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, and Garden Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday | 9 AM - 5 PM Sunday | Noon - 5 PM
Summer Garden Center Hours
Tuesday - Saturday | 9 AM - 12 PM
Skates, boards & bicycles are not permitted on the walkways in the gardens.
Suggested Donations:
Adults $5 • Students $2 • Children 12 & Under $2 Free for PSLBG 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: Heather Furnari
Vice President: Jeanette Kostival
Secretary: Judy Nash-Wade
Treasurer: Cheri Mabry
Directors: John Erickson, Dale Johnson, Mary Petrone, Pam Scholey, Tim Sutton, Moses Hill, Joleen King
Standing Committee Chairs
Election Committee: Stephanie Alessandrini Giarraffa
Finance Committee: Cheri Mabry
Gift Shop Committee: Pam Scholey
Horticulture Committee: Tim Sutton, Dale Johnson
Membership & Volunteer Committee: Jeanette Kostival
Resource Development Committee: Heather Furnari
Strategic Planning Committee: Tim Sutton
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.
CONTENTS
Monthly Calendar pg. 4
Volunteer Open House pg. 8
What’s Blooming Now? pg. 12
Edible Gardens pg. 18
New Addition pg. 20
Volunteer Spotlights pg. 24
Thank You, Deidre! pg. 26
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Hot, hot, hot!
Welcome to August in Florida. We have been experiencing record temperatures, so remember to take precautions. Drink plenty of fluids, wear a hat, and keep applying that sunscreen and bug spray when outdoors.
The Anglo-Saxons called the month of August “weod month” because it’s the month when weeds and other plants grow rapidly. You just need to look at your garden to realize that’s true.
August at The Botanical Gardens brings visitors from all over the world, and they are always happy to see our zebra longwing butterflies, our resident gopher tortoise, or one of the armadillos that currently call our gardens home. I’ve spoken to guests resting in the Serenity Garden Room, enjoying the sound of water and expressing how they just love watching to see what flies through the trees or crawls on the ground.
It’s always good for the heart to just stop and watch the beauty around you.
So come, listen to the water, watch the birds and sooth your soul in The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens. See you in the shade! Stay cool.
Respectfully,
Heather Furnari
If you’re interested in discussing opportunities to join any committees at The Gardens, please email: volunteer@pslbg.org
3 PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
President Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
4 August 2023 6 13 20 27 14 21 28 29 30 15 22 16 23 1 2 7 9 8 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Sunday Sunset Yoga* 7 PM - 8 PM Sunset Yoga* 7 PM - 8 PM Sunset Yoga* 7 PM - 8 PM Restorative Yoga* 7 PM - 8 PM Fort Pierce Jazz & Blues Society Jams 6 PM - 9 PM Fort Pierce Jazz & Blues Society Jams 6 PM - 9 PM Photography Night* 4 PM - 8 PM Friends Monthly Board Meeting 4:30 PM - 6:45 PM PSL Orchid Society Board Meeting 12 PM - 2 PM KWVTCC 166 Meeting 10 AM - 12 PM Historical Society Meeting 11:30 AM1:30 PM
Upcoming Events
5 31 17 24 18 25 19 26 3 4 10 11 12 5 Thursday Friday Saturday Mindfulness in The Gardens with Moses* 7 PM - 9 PM
Tuesday * (Registration Required) Every Wednesday PSL Anglers Club Meeting 6 PM - 9PM Photography Night* 4 PM - 8 PM Treasure Coast Bonsai Society Meeting 10 AM - 12 PM Treasure Coast Rare Fruit Club Meeting 7 PM - 9 PM Yoga for Healthy Aging* 7 PM - 8 PM PSLBG Education Committee Meeting* | 10 AM - 12 PM Tai Chi* | 9 AM - 10 AM
9 Taste of the Tropics
House
Every
Saturday, September
Saturday, September 9 Volunteer Open
Saturday, September 16 Kids’ Story Time
6 HIBISCUS GARDEN MATCHING DONATION 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 FOR THE An anonymous donor has generously pledged to match each donation made to help refurbish the Hibiscus Garden! https://portstluciebotanicalgardens.app.neoncrm.com/forms/21 To donate, hold your camera over the QR Code to access the link: Every Donation Doubled up to $2,500! OUR GOAL 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% FreePlant!Hibiscus Each person who donates will be entered in a raffle to receive a
7 Enter for a Chance to Win a Cacti Basket! Stop by The Gardens and donate $10 to be entered into the raffles for 3 different chances to win a cacti basket! 50%, 70%, and 100%. ENTER TO WIN Donations help the Hibiscus Garden
OPEN HOUSE Volunteer
Saturday, September 9, 2023
9 AM - 4 PM
Volunteer Open House will be held during our upcoming Taste of the Tropics event on September 9, 2023 from 9 AM - 4 PM. Current and potential volunteers will have the chance to meet all members of the PSLBG Board of Directors. All department heads will also be on hand to listen to your suggestions / comments and to answer any questions you may have about The Gardens and the many diverse volunteer opportunities we have.
We hope you will join us to learn about this incredibly magical place, and perhaps you too will find something here that sparks your passion and helps keep The Gardens accessible, beautiful, relevant, engaging and educational for all our visitors.
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We hope to see you there!
Kids’
Story Time
AT THE GARDENS
Theme: ‘Rock Out!’ 10 AM - 12 PM
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Storytelling | Fun Games
Coloring | Planting | and More!
Ages 4 - 12
Donations help us create activities for children and their families.
Thank you for your generosity!
*Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration is required, please click here to join.
PRESENTS
TASTE TROPICS OF THE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
9 AM - 4 PM
Enjoy tastings of rare tropical fruits that can be grown in Florida, and learn how to grow and care for them.
2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
FREE EVENT
What’s Blooming Now?
Bromeliad Island at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens is a vibrant and exotic display of these unique and diverse bromeliads. With their striking foliage, colorful blooms, and fascinating architectural forms, bromeliads create a captivating and tropical atmosphere. Stop by for a visit today! Please share your photos with @pslbotanicalgardens.
AUGUST 2023 | BROMELIAD ISLAND
HEALTHY AGING on the Promenade Anti-aging benefits of yoga include: YOGA FOR Select Tuesday Nights 7 PM - 8 PM The cost is $10 for non-members and $5 for members. To register, visit www.pslbg.org/yoga-at-the-gardens.html 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 • Neuroprotection •Respiratory & Cardiovascular Health • Physical & Emotional Balance • Strength & Agility • Endocrine System Protection
15 (772) 337-1959 | 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 Tuesday - Saturday | 9 AM - 12 PM Our propagation volunteers are specialists in propagation and produce quality plants at a great value for our members and the public. Visit the Garden Center! 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
Bonsai Workshop
Thank you to everyone who joined our Bonsai Beginners Workshop on Saturday, July 22, 2023! We learned how to create new bonsai from a nursery plant, as well as styling and repotting into bonsai pots with bonsai soil.
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VETERANS & FIRST RESPONDERS in the Secret Garden YOGA FOR Select Tuesday Nights | 7 PM - 8 PM The cost is $10 for non-members and $5 for members. To register, visit www.pslbg.org/yoga-at-the-gardens.html 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 Returnsin September!
Edible Gardens in Florida Growing
Welcome to our HOT Florida August! It’s almost impossible to get out to the garden to do any substantial work, and when everything is growing so vigorously, our gardens could use a little TLC. If you must tend to your beloved garden early morning or evening are recommended. Keep hydrated and rest!
This month’s highlighted articles from IFAS include this long, but highly informative article about our South Florida fruit trees. If you do not wish to read the entire article, pages 14-23 are the relevant pages for our area fruit trees.
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasota-docs/ag/OrganicVegetableGardening_FruitTrees.pdf
And next, a fun piece that will encourage you to go out and plant watermelon NOW for harvest this winter.
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/fruits/watermelon.html
Mark Your Calendars to Join us for
TASTE TROPICS
OF THE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 | 9 AM - 4 PM
Presented by the Treasure Coast Rare Fruit Club, it’s a FREE event where you can enjoy samples of many types of our local fruits, and learn how to grown and propogate them.
NEW ADDITION
Thank you so much to Laura O’Kelly for donating her beautiful hibiscus art piece. It will be on display in front of our Welcome Desk for all to enjoy as you enter the Pavilion.
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30% OFF
ALL HANGING BIRD BATHS
During the month of August, enjoy 30% off all hanging bird baths only in the Gift Shop at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens!
2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
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DISCOVERY BACKPACK FUN!
from*IDRequired forguardian use. Our Discovery Backpacks are available now inside the Gardens’ Pavilion for parents and kids to take an exciting adventure and learning experience! Discover local birds, plants, and pollinators. Each mesh backpack is filled with books, magnifying glasses, and tools to complete activities! Adults may sign-out backpacks TuesdaySaturday 9 AM - 5 PM or Sunday 12 PM - 5 PM. 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
Volunteer Spotlights
by LAURA MEHR
Congratulations to Elva Rowell, one of our ACE Volunteers of the Month for August. Heather Furnari, Events Department Chair, nominated Elva who has worked in the Events Department for close to 2 years.
Elva is kind and helpful. Her smiling face and welcoming demeanor immediately lets everyone know that she is approachable and more than willing to help with whatever any guest or volunteer may need.
Heather said that Elva has learned and grown every time she has come in for her volunteer shift. Elva can now introduce prospective brides and grooms to The Gardens, fill out contracts, make the schedule and plan the myriad details that must be worked out before a wedding can take place.
Elva arrived in Florida from Argentina on New Year’s Day of 2020, and says she is very happy to be in the USA. She met her husband David in March of 2020, and they were married in 2022. When not at The Gardens, Elva enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
We are so happy to have Elva as an Events Volunteer, and she is so deserving of this award.
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ACE VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH
One of our August ACE Volunteers of the Month is Phyllis Brown, nominated by Board Member Tim Sutton. Phyllis has been our Butterfly Garden Room leader, mentor, designer, worker, boss, and knowledge source for everything butterflies, since The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens officially opened 13 years ago, in May of 2010.
Phyllis is also a Founding Member of PSLBG, and a Master Gardener. Without her, the Butterfly Garden Room would not be what it is today. Her diligence, reliability, dogged pursuit of understanding all things butterfly related have made the Butterfly Garden Room the most popular area of PSLBG.
She knows the name of every plant in the Butterfly Garden, and most likely will know when it was planted, what it is for, and where it came from. Phyllis’s historical knowledge of her area at PSLBG seems to be boundless.
In Phyllis’s limited spare time, she loves to be with her daughters, Jody and Frannie, and with her loveable Chihuahua, Daisy. She also enjoys visiting plant shows and finding new, different and relevant plants to add to PSLBG gorgeous Butterfly Garden.
We are beyond grateful that Phyllis volunteers at The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens.
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Contact us today to get started or learn more about becoming a volunteer at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens. (772) 337-1959 | volunteer@pslbg.org | www.pslbg.org/become-a-volunteer.html Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity that benefits your community and environment?
26 Thank you to Deidre Ewing for the bed frame. We love how it displays our Garden Center plants! ThankYou!
Boardwalk
Update
The Boardwalk at The Port District south of the bridge at Bridge Plaza is still closed due to the fire on July 11th. The City of Port St. Lucie is moving quickly to repair and reopen. Thankfully, Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens was not affected and is open for your viewing pleasure.
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Photo: City of Port St. Lucie
Take Me Out to the Ball Game!
The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens hosted a night out at Clover Park for volunteers. The evening was filled with laughter and smiles. Over 60 volunteers and guests watched the St. Lucie Mets score 17 exciting runs! The final score was 17 to 3 over the Bradenton Marauders! We thank each of our volunteers for all the time and talents you bring to The Gardens.
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Photographer SESSIONS
AT THE GARDENS
Due to the new fence around The Gardens, photographers that are members may enter the grounds for 1-2 evenings a month for a fee and bring their client to take photos.
Cost is $15/Session
Business Membership is Required www.pslbg.org/membership.html
Register Prior to the Event:
Monday, August 14, 2023 | Register Here
Thursday, August 17, 2023 | Register Here
Photography Nights
Monday, August 14, 2023 4 PM - 8 PM
Thursday, August 17, 2023
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Mindfulness in The Gardens WITH MOSES Each 3rd Friday of the Month 7 PM - 9 PM in the Secret Garden 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 • Meditation • Movement • Sound Healing • Mindful Conversations Non-Members Members Be sure to register 12 hours before the event begins. For more information or to register, visit www.pslbg.org $25 $12.50 Volunteers $6
Did You Know?
The Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree (Eucalyptus Deglupta) sheds its bark several times a year to reveal its bright inner green bark. Then the bark darkens as it matures to show blue, purple, orange and then maroon tones. This beauty is native to Indonesia, but can be found in The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens. Absolutely beautiful!
34 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 Meeting BONSAI Saturday, August 26, 2023 10 AM - Noon TREASURE COAST SOCIETY Interested? Contact us at info@pslbg.org or (772) 337-1959 A NEW VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY COMMUNITY OUTREACH A new team is being developed! Help plan and implement outreach activities throughout our local community. Options include, but are not limited to: public speaking, outreach event planning, writing articles, etc. All members of the Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens enjoy exclusive benefits: To learn more, visit: www.pslbg.org/membership.html • Free admission to the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens • 10% off most Gift Shop purchases • Garden Center Member Specials • Reciprocal Admission and/or Discounts to American Horticultural Society Member Gardens • Members Only Events • Members Access or Discounts on Select Classes, Seminars & Events Wednesday, August 2 & 16, 2023 6 PM- 9 PM $7 DONATION | $6 MEMBERS ALL WELCOME 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 JAZZ
JAMS
3RD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 7PM - 9PM
Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
Our mission is to promote tropical and subtropical fruits; to introduce and distribute new and improved varieties; to inform the public of the merits of tropical fruit; to collect and disseminate information on cultural requirements and propagating techniques; and much more!
Come join us and bring a friend or neighbor. First meeting is always free!
MONTHLY PROGRAM, DELICIOUS TASTING TABLE, SEED EXCHANGE, PLANT AUCTION, PLANT RAFFLE
Visit our website to learn more: www.tcrarefruitclub.org
2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
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WELLNESS AT THE GARDENS
Wednesday Mornings
9 AM - 10 AM
$10 for Non-Members | $5 for Members
RESTORATIVE YOGA
TAI CHI SUNSET YOGA
2nd Monday of Each Month
7 PM - 8 PM
$15 for Non-Members | $10 for Members
Select Monday Nights
7 PM - 8 PM
$10 for Non-Members | Free for Members
YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING
Select Tuesday Nights
7 PM - 8 PM
$10 for Non-Members | $5 for Members
YOGA FOR VETERANS & FIRST RESPONDERS
*Returning in September
Select Tuesday Nights
7 PM - 8 PM
$10 for Non-Members | $5 for Members
*Registration is required for all events. Outdoor event weather permitting. Restorative Yoga & Tai Chi will be moved indoors in the event of inclement weather. Refunds are unable to be provided for no-shows.
To save your spot, visit: www.pslbg.org/events.html
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2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
37 volunteers Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity that benefits your community and environment? Contact us today to get started! The Gardens depend on dedicated volunteers like you to help: growing and maintaining the plants, welcoming visitors, helping in the Garden Center, and assisting in educational and community events. • Earn volunteer hours for school • Stay active and learn new skills • Meet new people in your community • Enjoy time outdoors in nature needed! (772) 337-1959 | volunteer@pslbg.org | www.pslbg.org/become-a-volunteer.html We’re looking for hardworking and dedicated volunteers to help keep The Gardens running efficiently and looking beautiful!
be our GUEST
PHOTOGRAPHS
FROM
GUESTS AT THE GARDENS
Tag us on Facebook & Instagram to be featured! @pslbotanicalgardens
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Paula Alejandra Carrizosa Bermudez
Robin Sanfilippo Liddy
Kristina Salasevicius
Cotleur & Hearing
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Balvin Small
Christine Brandwood
Kristina Salasevicius
40 If you are interested in hosting an event at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, contact us today: 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 events@pslbg.org | (772) 337-1959 | pslbg.org/facility-rental.html
