Florida Botanical Gardens, Botanical garden in Pinellas County, United States.
Florida Botanical Gardens covers 182 acres (74 ha) in Largo, within Pinewood Cultural Park. Its demonstration gardens include the Wedding Garden, Butterfly Garden, Cactus/Succulent Garden, Herb Garden, Native Plant Garden, Palm Garden, Rose Garden, Topiary Garden, Tropical Courtyard, Tropical Fruit Garden and Vinery, where vines grow over covered "hubbles". The 2-acre Majeed Discovery Garden along McKay Creek, with 500 linear feet of frontage, has an outdoor classroom, sensory garden, pollinator landing and potting area.
The idea began in 1991, when the Cooperative Extension Service proposed an outdoor learning center; the Pinellas County Commission pledged $1 million and 13 additional acres. The Friends of the Gardens, founded in 1993, became the Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation, a 501(c)(3) fundraising body. The gardens sit within Pinewood Cultural Park alongside Heritage Village and a UF/IFAS extension office.
The Wedding Garden hosts an annual mass wedding on Valentine's Day, when couples marry or renew vows. The Jazz Garden takes its planting scheme from the movement and colour of American jazz, and the McKay Creek Plaza, patterned in shell and mosaic, stages events such as Holiday Lights in the Gardens.
The gardens are open daily from 7 AM until dusk, with free admission. The entrance is at 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, where the Visitor Center and Butterfly Garden stand; the Visitor Center houses the UF/IFAS Pinellas County extension, which offers plant diagnostic services. Heritage Village and Creative Pinellas share the Pinewood Cultural Park.
The Jazz Garden is an informal planting area whose design draws on the movement and colour of American jazz, filled with annuals and perennials. Nearby, the McKay Creek Plaza is paved with patterns of shell and mosaic and hosts events such as Holiday Lights in the Gardens.
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