Mounts Botanical Garden to Host Tropical Fruit Festival, Workshops on Backyard Vegetable Gardens, Bromeliads & Orchid Care, Evening Garden Walk and Digital Photography Judging During June & July
Now is the time to begin planning a vegetable garden. Mounts Horticulturist Mike Page and Arthur Kirstein, Coordinator of Agricultural Economic Development, will teach this hands-on workshop on how to successfully grow vegetables. The focus of the program is on establishing and managing small vegetable projects, with helpful tips on site preparation, seedling establishment, planting, maintenance and harvesting will be covered. Register early, because this popular workshop has sold out quickly in the past.
Admission FREE for members of Mounts and Palm Beach Chapter of the Rare Fruit Council International; $5 for nonmembers
The Tropical Fruit Festival will include special cooking demonstrations by Chef Allen Susser, recipient of the coveted James Beard Award as Best Chef in the Southeast and the author of several best-selling cookbooks; a Tropical Fruit Display by Gene Joyner and Fruitscaping lecture by Dr. Jonathan Crane; tropical fruit samples (limited to the first 500 attendees), plus fruit and fruit trees available for purchase. The Tropical Fruit Festival at Mounts Botanical garden is made possible by the generous support of the Marge & Fritz Bell Tropical Fruit Project.
Enjoy the beauty of Mounts Botanical Garden in the early evening hours. Garden Director Allen Sistrunk will share information about the Garden’s history and future vision, plus stories of folklore and ethnobotanical uses of South Florida plants. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the evening fragrances of exotic flowers. Meet at the front entrance of Mounts.
Hosted by Jeff Hutchinson and Joe Libertucci of The Bromeliad Society of the Palm Beaches, this popular workshop returns to discuss the basics of bromeliad culture and focus on the plant’s natural, epiphytic tendencies. This program will show how easy and fun it is to be creative with bromeliads and how they complement any garden situation. There will be demonstrations of various mounting techniques using driftwood, trees and rocks, plus the use of containers will be shown. Each attendee will receive a special bromeliad and rare and unusual plants will be available for purchase.
All of the entries from the photography contest will be projected and commented upon by the Judges, who will collectively choose the best five entries in each of five categories: Scenics, Animal Life, Plant Life, People and Nature Close-Ups. The judges will also select a Best-in-Show winner.
Workshop instructors Tom Wells and Sandi Jones of Broward Orchid Supply will explain what orchids need in regard to water, light, fertilizer and temperature. Attendees are encouraged to bring an orchid (up to 6 inches) to be repotted or mounted. Several methods will be demonstrated such as potting and mounting on tree fern, cork bark or grapevine. Orchid supplies will be available for purchase.
About Mounts Botanical Garden:
Mounts Botanical Garden is Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest public garden. Mounts displays tropical and subtropical plants from around the world, including plants native to Florida, exotic trees, tropical fruit, herbs, citrus, palms and more. As a component of the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service, and through its affiliation with the University of Florida, Mounts is the place to connect with Extension Horticulturists, Master Gardeners, the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program, and professional horticultural advisors. Mounts also offers a variety of horticultural classes, and garden-related events and workshops.
Located at 531 North Military Trail in West Palm Beach, Mounts Botanical Garden is open Monday-Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The suggested donation for entry to the Garden is $5 per person. For more information, please call 561.233.1757 or visit www.mounts.org.
Media Contact:
Gary Schweikhart, PR-BS, Inc.
561.756.4298 or gary@pr-bs.net