Miami Beach Botanical Garden

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One very hot Sunday morning I rode my bicycle while on holiday to this fabulous little gem tucked away in downtown Miami Beach. It's actually right next to the large convention center but is camouflaged quite nicely.Most people that I spoke with who live there were not even aware of it's existence.
It's a very small garden by most standards,however,packed with many botanical gems,mostly exotic,due to the semi tropical climate. I was thrilled to see many plant specimens that were unfamiliar,and the familiar ones I did see were lush,lush and right at home in this lovely environment.
The morning that I went,it had just rained the previous night,no one was around save one worker.
I was quite in my element.
Some of the plant names I was unable to identify.The absence of some of the plant identification markers was a bit unnerving,as it always is, for plant lovers such as myself.
Enjoy the tour!








There were many little sitting areas,'rooms' to rest, in relative shade, and enjoy the dense,lush foliage.






There were a few,not many,sculptures such as this, interspersed here and there, throughout the garden.




A lovely Staghorn Fern attached to a palm tree,much like one would find in it's natural environment.






A small bed of Heliconia,cousin to the banana,as evidenced in the leaves.


I don't know what type of rock this was,but,I loved it's simplicity,naturalness,and everything else about it. It was the perfect platform to sit and contemplate the surroundings.


Banyan tree with staghorn fern attached.




Closeup of the trunk of a Banyan tree






Many Bromeliads represented,I don't know all their names,nestled in between giant bamboos.
They did a fine job I thought, of plant specimen placement,sometimes tricky to do, and have it look as natural as it did.







Off the beaten path,nestled towards the far side of the garden,was a lovely,lovely,small Japanese Garden,totally unexpected and serene. Again,I was alone here,no one else in sight,so I felt as though it were my own.











Back around to the front entrance,into the full sun again ,a selection of tropical flora,Hibiscus and the like...(at this point,my battery was running low ,however,I was pleased to have captured most of the highlights of the garden).
I do have some shots of their fabulous orchidarium and some random closeups of different foliage which I will post in a separate thread in the Garden section here.)

[happytraveller]

Beautiful ! It's the sort of place I would like to sit down on a rock and have a picnic
Am glad you found this hidden paradise !

[bixaorellana]

What a lovely, very Floridian garden. Like you, I find the absence of identifying markers very frustrating. I looked up the website and there are tons of pictures with nary a name anywhere. It's actually rather insulting, as though visitors just wanna look at the purty flowers and don't care to know what they are.

The next time you're in Florida, try to find some books on Florida plants. When I lived in Fort Myers, I was amazed at how many books there were specifically for that state. They're necessary, too, as there are quite a few species unique to the state, plus all the imported stuff that's thrived there.

Whatever the identification failings of the garden staff, you have certainly done it justice! Your photos are exquisite -- I could feel the steamy heat and the thrill of discovering what was around the next bend.

In the first couple of bromeliad photos, there are some smooth, segmented trunks shown growing up through the bromeliad foliage. Is that a type of palm? Also, in the forefront of the last Japanese bridge picture is another group of segmented trunks. Is that a bamboo?

I'm looking forward to seeing more of these treasures in Putting Down Roots!

I think that stone block is coquina: www.coquinarock.com/
There is also a native limestone that's quarried from fossilized coral beds. This commercial website claims they're "sustainable". I guess that would be true ...... if you waited long enough.
larryscaprockandstone.blogspot.com/2009/03/coral-rocks.html
Click on where it says "coral rocks" to see it in a more or less natural form.

[auntieannie]

the word that came to my mind, and I don't use it lightly is ... LUSH!

what a gorgeous, tranquil place.

I can imagine cunning (no, imec! not those ones ) visitors to the convention centre taking a few minutes' refresher break in that garden.

[Kimby]

Oh, my. How did I miss this? Lovely!

(And how did you decide where to post these pictures - it's got a little of everything an Image Bank inhabitant could want: wood, trees, color, garden furniture, bridges, shadows, sculpture....)