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| Miami Beach Botanical Garden |
Pond and Meandering Paths
Remodelling of the garden is in progress and it is closed at present, probably until October. Meandering paths will replace the previous straight concrete ones and a pond is being added.
Types of Palm Tree
Varieties of palm trees in the garden include the royal palm, the cabbage or sabal palm – the state tree of Florida – and the MacArthur, Everglades and Puerto Rican hat palms.
Palm trees are mostly solitary, but are sometimes planted in artificial clumps.
South Florida's humid climate isn't suitable for date palms, which are desert trees, although there are coconut palms all over Miami.
Danger from Falling Coconuts and Palm Fronds
Beware of falling coconuts and palm fronds, which can cause serious injuries, possibly even fatal. A royal palm leaf with the base, or sheath, can weigh 25 kg (55 lb).
Elephant Foot Tree
The elephant foot tree, near the offices, has the look of a palm tree, but isn't one.
Botanical Garden on Site of Mangrove Swamp
Just over a century ago the area which is now Miami Beach Botanical Garden was a rat-infested mangrove swamp. Then John Collins (commemorated by Collins Avenue, Miami Beach's main thoroughfare) decided to clear the area.
By 1907 there were groves of mangoes, tomatoes, potatoes and avocados, then known as alligator pears.
The soil is alkaline, with a lot of sand and shells, which were used as landfill, and lacks rich old vegetation.
Collins Canal next to Garden
Next to the Botanical Garden is the Collins Canal, which was used to transport crops. You may see iguanas basking in the sun if you walk along the canal-side path.
Guided Tours of Botanical Garden
Take a free tour of the Botanical Garden, starting at 11 am most days. I have given tours as a volunteer guide and I know that a visitor will walk past many interesting plants if they are not pointed out.
The tour lasts about an hour and very often there is just a handful of visitors in the group.
Self-guided Tour
Alternatively, you could do a self-guided tour.
Map of the Garden
Print the map in the Miami Beach Botanical Garden website, or ask for one in the offices.
Here are just a few of the trees and plants to look out for:
Orchids on Palm Trees
Although orchids are often air plants, which grow on trees naturally, those in the garden have been tied onto the trees.
Source of Chanel Number 5 Perfume
The ylang ylang plant is used for Chanel Number 5 perfume. Touch the petals and smell your fingers.
Norfolk Pine
This tall tree isn't a true pine. It originates from Norfolk Island in the Pacific. The explorer Captain James Cook tried to use its trunks for ships' masts when visiting the island in 1774.
Japanese Garden
Despite the name of this garden, which is shown in my photo, the plants aren't Japanese, although they have been selected to look similar to Japanese plants. It includes elements of a true Japanese garden, such as water, rocks, a stone lantern and a bridge.
South Florida Native Garden
The South Florida Native Garden has trees and plants native to this part of the state, for example saw palmettos, papayas, sea grapes, and the gumbo limbo with peeling red bark.
Also there's a tall sabal or cabbage palm, which gets its name from the taste of the hearts, immature leaves and stems from the young trunk, which can be chopped up, boiled and eaten.
Frogs Living in Plants
Water collects between the leaves of bromeliad plants, near the picnic area, and frogs can sometimes be seen living in the water.
Banyan Tree
At the back of garden, near the Collins Canal, is a big banyan tree with spreading branches.
This area can be hired for events such as weddings, bar mitzvahs or bat mitzvahs and quinceañeras.
Butterfly Garden
In the Butterfly Garden you may see with orange and black monarch butterflies and their yellow and black caterpillars.
Toxic Angel's Trumpet
Nearby is the angel's trumpet, with its big flowers shaped like the end of a trumpet. Don't touch this plant, as it can be toxic. In the Andes it is sometimes eaten because of hallucinogenic properties, but the effects are unpredictable and can be fatal.
Tour Needed to See All the Plants
To see all the plants in Miami Beach Botanical Garden you really do need to take a tour. Unless you do this you're unlikely to notice the following, for example: peanuts (or groundnuts), the necklace pod shrub, the dwarf pomegranate, the bananas and the vanilla orchid vine, whose seeds are used for flavouring.
Botanical Garden Location and Opening Hours
The main entrance to the 1.8-hectare (4.5-acre) garden was at the far end of Convention Center Drive from Lincoln Road, opposite Miami Beach Convention Center, about a ten-minute walk from Lincoln Road. I understand that the entrance may be moved during the remodelling of the garden, but the following directions will still get you there.
Go along Pennsylvania Avenue or Euclid Avenue, north from Lincoln Road, to 17th Street. Convention Center Drive is between the two avenues.
Miami Beach Botanical Garden is open from 9 am to 5 pm, except for Monday, when it is closed.
Directions to Botanical Garden in Google Transit
For directions to Miami Beach Botanical Garden by bus or driving, click on the Google Transit link in the right-hand sidebar of this blog.
If you want tips on using Google Transit go to this post: Directions in Miami - Walking, Driving, Bike, Buses & Trains.
Donations and Gift Shop
Although there is no charge for admission, donations are appreciated, no matter how small. The garden is owned by Miami Beach City Council, but run by a volunteer board, with just a small permanent staff.
Also, see if there's anything that you want in the gift shop. If it's closed, someone in the office will probably be able to open it.
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