The Gardens Gate - February 2023

Cover Photo by: Julie Adair

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, Garden Center and Gift Shop Hours:

Wednesday - Saturday | 10 AM - 4 PM Sunday | Noon - 4 PM

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 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.

Office & Directors

President: Jeff Chambers

Vice President: Heather Furnari

Secretary: Mary Petrone

Treasurer: Moses Hill

Directors: Mark A. Barnes, John Erickson, Jeanette Kostival, Judy Nash-Wade

Standing Committee Chairs

Election Committee: Stephanie Alessandrini Giarraffa

Finance Committee: Moses Hill

Gift Shop Committee: Jeanette Kostival

Horticulture Committee: Jeff Chambers

Membership & Volunteer Committee: Jeanette Kostival

Resource Development Committee: Heather Furnari

Strategic Planning Committee: TBD

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

Congratulations to the Friends on Their Grant pg. 14

Volunteer Spotlights pg. 20

Wellness at the Gardens pg. 24

Photos from Our Guests pg. 28

What’s Blooming Now? pg. 10 Friends

Monday, February 13, 2023 | 4:30PM

the things we have accomplished and know that we have ended 2022 on a positive note.

The Directors have stepped up and worked multiple positions this last year. I truly thank them for keeping the Gardens on an upward trend. This year will have some challenges with the ongoing construction of The Port, but once it is complete, I believe the Gardens will benefit greatly. Two of our main events, the Art Festival and Botanica will not be held, but there are plans for smaller events to help offset not having these events. If the members look at the December financials they will see that Events, the Garden Center and the Gift Shop have blown away all expectations for 2022.

I trust that the 2023 Board members and all of the Friends will continue to advance our mission of providing the community with a beautiful, serene sanctuary providing educational, cultural and recreational opportunities for all.

As always, I thank the City Council and Parks and Recreation for their incredible support in helping us achieve our goals. I thank the Friends members and the donors for their continuing support as well. The volunteers need the biggest thank you of all! You all are the Gardens. Your commitment and supporting nature are an invaluable asset to the community. I really enjoy working with you all.

Jeff Chambers

President

Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

As we start the new year, let’s all remember...

HAPPENING AT THE PORT ST. LUCIE BOTANICAL GARDENS

February

A new team is being developed! Help plan and carryout outreach activities throughout our local community. Options include, but are not limited to: public speaking, outreach event planning, writing articles, etc.

3RD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 7PM - 9PM

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

Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

What’s Blooming Now?

IN THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN

See what plants are currently blooming the Butterfly Garden!

Chinese Hat Plant Holmskioldia

Wax Mallow/Turk’s Cap Malvaviscus

Firecracker Russelia Equisetiformis

Firespike Odontonema Strictum

Button Beauty Centratherum punctatum

Seminole Pink Dombeya

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FRIENDS

The Smith Horticultural Trust has approved a $19,580 Grant to the Friends of the Port St Lucie Botanical Garden for their “Smart” Plant Identification Interactive Program.

Our appreciation and thanks go to the Stanley Smith Horticulture Trust for awarding us this generous grant and allowing us to continue our Plant ID program.

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust was created in 1970 by May Smith, in honor of her late husband and in fulfillment of his vision. The Trust stewards Stanley Smith’s philanthropic legacy and seeks to nurture in others his enthusiasm for ornamental horticulture.

The Trust supports education and research in ornamental horticulture, and the development and maintenance of public gardens and arboreta that offer educational experiences to their visitors. The grant will continue to support our “smart” interactive plant identification program and will be administered by the Plant ID Chairman, Master Gardener Program, and a Horticulture Program intern from the University of Florida.

This grant will allow us to design, purchase and install professional educational panels and plant identification signs to be placed throughout the garden. The display signs will be educational and “smart”. Each will be full color and add exciting visuals that describe items in our collection, with colorful text and graphics specific to the subject garden that will explain larger concepts and special features about our gardens that will enhance the experience of our visitors. The “smart” QR code will bring visitors to our web site to find additional information about the topic.

A special thanks goes to Brenda Gustafson, former Board member for her efforts in generating and submitting the Grant.

Sample Display Signs

The display signs will be educational and “smart”. Each will be full color and add exciting visuals that describe items in our collection, with colorful text and graphics specific to the subject garden that will explain larger concepts and special features about our gardens and will enhance the experience of our visitors. The “smart” QR code will bring visitors to our web site to find additional information about the topic.

Sample Plant ID Sign

Every identification sign will be educational and “smart.” Each will include basic information, such as common and scientific names, climate zones, origin, etc., with a scannable QR code. Scanning the code with a smart device will give visitors additional photographic and written details

FLORIDA ARBOR DAY

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Arbor Day and made this day so memorable!

Photo by: Kristy & Vic Photography | kristyandvic.com

The Jensen Beach Garden Club, Inc. Presents

Jensen Beach Garden expo

Saturday, February 25, 2023 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Indian Riverside Park

1701 NE Indian River Drive, Jensen Beach (Grassy Area-North of Children’s Museum)

Featuring:

Vendors with garden plants, supplies & accessories

Educational presentations and demonstrations

Jensen Beach Garden Club Booth

ADMISSION FREE

Volunteer Spotlights

by LAURA MEHR

Connie Burke has been selected for The Gardens February 2023 ACE Volunteer of the Month. Connie, a Gift Shop volunteer off and on for several years, has more than earned this recognition. Her reliability, her focus, her willingness to be responsible for the Gift Shop inventory and displays, all of this and so much more make her the obvious choice for this award.

Connie voluntarily took over the jewelry section of the Gift Shop. Jewelry is our biggest seller in the Gift Shop, and so requires constant work to maintain stock levels, to be on top of what is being sold, and what needs to be reordered. The displays for the jewelry she has made are just the thing to keep those pieces of jewelry flying out the door. She picks just the right pieces to display for each season, and each color.

Connie maintains the backstock of the jewelry, making sure it is organized and secure (organization is her middle name). Not only does she do all of this, but will take time to make sure the other items in the store are out, well displayed, restocked and maintained.

Connie’s inquisitive nature and her helpful good humor go a long way toward making her just a joy to work with, as she is always coming up with new ideas for the betterment of the Gift Shop.

Connie spent her life working in all levels and aspects of banking, which leads her to being meticulous and so well organized. When she is not working her magic in the Gift Shop, she spends her time with friends, traveling to different botanical gardens, league bowling, and spending time with her S.O., Jim, and participating in activities in her HOA.

The BOGS

(Band of Garden Sisters - and a Brother) have been selected for The Gardens February 2023 ACE Volunteer of the Month. Nominated by Board Member John Erickson, The BOGS are: Cathy Russo, Veronica Montoya, Nancy Baquet, Cheri Johnson, Shari Miller, Mayra Carbonell and Brother Frank Flasterstein.

This group of gardeners came together in mid 2020 and quickly bonded over their shared love of The Gardens and the hard but always fulfilling work of gardening. Shortly after they started volunteering, all of the people who became The BOGS realized that they really wanted to be a part of working in the field, maintaining the overall beauty of The Gardens. They went to Brenda and got permission to work in landscaping. Brenda named them ‘The Band of Garden Sisters’, which quickly became ‘and a Brother’, when Frank joined the crew.

Cathy Russo, the groups lead, and the Board of Directors Treasurer throughout 2022, is an organizer par excellence. She contacts either Jeff or Brenda early every week for their suggestions as to what is needs to be done, what needs to be cleaned out, trimmed, cut back, planted, mulched or any other job they may have in mind. After the project is determined, she sends a text to the entire group on Thursdays, outlining their Friday morning activity, and where they will meet and what time and who will be doing what.

Volunteer Spotlights

Cathy gets to The Gardens extra early on Fridays, and gathers all of the needed equipment into the golf cart, and gets all of the other needed supplies ready for the 2 hour whirlwind that is THE BOGS. Cathy is a retired accountant and works for The Source, aka I Am Ministries in Vero Beach, and The Gardens is so very happy that she continues to lead THE BOGS.

Within 5 minutes of 9 AM Friday, the rest of THE BOGS have assembled in the parking lot, and are raring to go. Veronica Montoya, always the first to get going, is their go to spitfire, able to get more done in 2 hours than most of us could do all day. Veronica is extremely knowledgeable about Florida plants and their needs, and has made her home into a tropical paradise. Veronica is a Real Estate agent, and takes Friday mornings off from her office at Vic Picks to come to the Gardens and be a part of this group.

Next up is Nancy Baquet, with her unique talent to see the big picture and analyze what needs to be done and in what order, and as she loves digging in the dirt, she quickly dives into the days work. Nancy is a part time dog sitter and also creates wonderful teapot totems and other garden art that is for sale in the Garden Center. Nancy, along with Veronica, are our ‘Lobby Décor’ artisans, and are quickly learning how to make showstopping lobby displays.

Shari Miller, the BOGS ‘quiet one’ is no less enthusiastic about her joy of working in The Gardens with THE BOGS. She is a retired accountant, and Cathy says she gets things done with good humor and is always willing to do anything, especially crawling under the overgrowth to cut out the dead plants, as she is the ‘short work’ specialist.

Cheri Johnson, does the ‘tall work’ of The BOGS, and really enjoys doing research on the various varieties of plants, where they need to be planted, what kind of light they need, their water requirements, what might be wrong if they are not looking happy, and how to make them come back to their innate happy nature. Cheri is retired from the government, and loves to now be outdoors.

Mayra Carbonell, an active Real Estate agent, comes in on Friday mornings just to work with THE BOGS, as she loves working with the team, and is more than willing to do any landscaping projects that are assigned to her. Cathy describes her as ‘quiet but mighty’! Mayra has told Cathy that she is attracted to the beauty and tranquility of The Gardens, and wants to be a part of The Gardens staying that way. Along with all the laughs, she says that everyone is so fun and respectful.

THE BOGS Brother, Frank Flasterstein, is affectionately known as ‘The Silent Man’, he is a retired physician, and comes in for the love of The Gardens, and for the great exercise that the Friday morning group provides. He is also THE BOGS ‘Strong Man’ and is able to lift great weights of plant debris into the dumpster, and other duties that require more strength than the girls possess. He also loves to pull those nasty vines out of the trees with Veronica. It is their shared project to rid The Gardens of those vines.

Together the group is a powerhouse of intuitively working together, instinctively knowing what needs to be done, almost like a choreographed dance, they move together throughout the morning, gracefully, competently, and happily, getting it done, laughing, and talking, accomplishing a massive amount of work in a short amount of time.

At 11 AM they all know it is time for breakfast at Susie Q’s – their go to eatery, wearing their PSLBG work vests with pride, their accomplishments shining on their sweaty faces.

WELLNESS AT THE GARDENS

Yoga at the Gardens

Sunset Yoga

Monday, February 6, 20, 27

5PM - 6PM

Restorative Yoga

Monday, February 13 7PM - 8PM

Take advantage of the beautiful weather we have this time of year and find your zen in the gardens! The cost for Yoga at the Gardens is $10 for non-members. Sunset Yoga is FREE for members. Restorative Yoga is $5 for members and friends of members.

Tai Chi at the Gardens

Select Wednesdays

February 1, 8, 15, 22 9AM - 10AM

Join us for Tai Chi in the Gardens! Tai Chi is an ancient martial art practiced for health benefits and meditation. All levels are welcome! Dress comfortably in flat tennis shoes and bring your water bottle and a towel.

*Registration is required for all events. Outdoor event weather permitting. Refunds are unable to be provided for no-shows. To save your spot, visit: www.pslbg.org/events.html

THE Garden Center

It’s hard to believe that the Garden Center started in 2010 with a bag of potting soil and 3 pots. They didn’t even have a table. Laurie Hart, our first Chair of the Garden Center and Master Gardener envisioned a Garden for the purpose of propagating cuttings that would result in not only a learning center but a profit center. And here we are 13 years later exceeding our expectations! Visitors are always pleasantly surprised when they visit and see how we have transformed our Garden Center into a unique, whimsical spot that includes an abundance of plants and garden art.

Special thanks go to past Chairs Laurie Hart, Jacques Burrell, Mike Bond, Josephine Telenko, Ben Woodward, Paul Renwick, and Brenda Gustafson. They saw the future of the Garden Center as unlimited and led this successful and wonderful adventure. If you like ‘digging in the dirt’ and love gardening, we’d love you to join our team! Please Volunteer!

THANK YOU TO MANY OF OUR GARDEN CENTER VOLUNTEERS

Back Row: Merv Yearwood, Special projects, Nancy Bacquet, BOGS*, Marva Ponder, Propagation, Sharon Mandy, Lead & Butterfly expert, Holly Haas, Lead & Herb expert, Sherry Catalina, Lead & Special Projects, Eric Catalina, Special Projects, Second Row, Debbie LaDow, Chair of Garden Center, Maria Maneos, Propagation, Laura Brady, Lead & Special Projects, Front Row: Brenda Gustafson, former Chair of Horticulture, Veronica Montoya, BOGS*, Stevie Smith, Propagation, Shari Miller, BOGS*, Lori Welsh, Lead & Propagation, Chris Campanella, Lead & Propagation

For some people, volunteering is about giving, but for the likes of you it is a way of living. Thank you!

be our GUEST

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM OUR GUESTS AT THE GARDENS

Jasmin Gimotea

Leslie Benedetti

Leslie Benedetti

@tyemarleyfilms

@joicyreisd

Jeanette Kostival

Wild Eyed Photography