Gardens Around Miami

By Maria Cabrera


When someone mentions the city of Miami, the initial images that many folks recall are the beautiful beaches and the exciting nightlife. But there are more attractions available to those who would like to experience something else during their trip to Miami. These are the numerous flower gardens in Miami, Miami public parks and nature preserves which will delight both locals and visitors.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

This is definitely one of the floral gardens Miami is famous for, particularly its palms and other tropical plants. The Windows to the Tropic section brings a real example of a rainforest to the visitor, with the plants, rainfall and humidity found in those areas. The plants go from native plants from Florida to rainforest species from South America. This garden can also include the Lisa D. Anness Butterfly Garden, a garden that has plants used to entice over 30 different kinds of butterflies. Also incorporated in the Fairchild Gardens are the Arboretum and an area for succulent plants.

The Kampong

The Kampong is an oasis set inside the Miami metropolitan area. At this garden, one can view many plants not customarily found on our continent. These include the Sausage Tree, named for its long fruits, as well as a one hundred year old Baobab tree from Tanzania. Collections include plants from the Caribbean, Southeast Far East and Central and South America. Due to the large selection of plants here, many universities use this garden to complement their experience in their horticulture classes. If a visitor is attempting to find something unique, this is the place to visit.

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

This garden, though comparatively little, is packed with many examples of using space with plant displays. Constructed in 1962, it is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Here, one will find a Japanese garden together with collections of orchids. There are examples of vertical landscaping, occasionally generally known as a living wall. Water is also a very important ingredient here, and thus there are many water gardens. This is another example of the botanical gardens Miami has to offer to its visitors and residents.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

The gardens and museum here have been praised as a National Historic Landmark. The gardens are a mixture of French and Italian designs. They are comprised of out of doors areas or rooms with focal points such as raised islands, elegant statues, fountains and a centrally located pool. The near dozen acres of gardens include sub-tropical forests as well as a enormous Orchid Garden.

Fruit and Spice Park

This unique site, part of Miami public parks is situated in the midst of enormous areas of tropical foliage. Here, one will find more than 500 different sorts of nuts, exotic fruits, spices and herbs. These include 70 sorts of bamboo, 80 sorts of bananas as well as many adaptations of grapes and mangoes. There is not any other garden of this kind in the US. Visitors are welcome, and can sample the fruits grown here that have fallen off plants naturally.

Parrot Jungle and Gardens

When walking through these gardens, travelers might forget they are only a short way from a big city. The gardens, along with a lake, streams and waterfalls, are home to 1200 sorts of exotic plants including orchids, bromeliads and bananas. Many tropical animals live in Parrot Jungle, for example local mammals, tropical birds and even some endangered baby apes. In addition to the gardens and animal exhibits, a replica of the Everglades is also available. This exhibit makes use of the plant and animal life of the Everglades, including alligators.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment