Find your "AWESOME" on a Conference Landscape Tour



Submitted by Sonya Guidry

The Pawpaw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society recently held a South Volusia Landscape Tour that included many of the native landscapes  that will be featured on FNPS Conference Fieldtrip "K" Landscape Bus Tour on Thursday, May 19th. They ended their yard tours at the Marine Discovery Center, the location for the Kayak (paddle) - Lagoon Restoration Tour , FNPS Conference Fieldtrip"I", on Thursday, May 19th. 

 Here is a glimpse of some of the  tour's native yards, and the Marine Discovery Center...

Renee Luedke's Port Orange home.  

Surprise, her front yard has no grass to mow! 

Elizabeth ponders the diversity of plants in Renee's front yard.


Most of the 16 tour visitors are gathered around Renee
as she talks about her landscape. 

 Mike visiting from the UK notes Renee's creative bird feeders...
including the log filled with peanut butter suet.

Elizabeth Flynn will be the leader of May 19, Landscape Bus Tour at the FNPS Conference.
 (I see a smile is as bright as the Beach Sunflowers in Renee's yard.)
She will make sure all on the tour have a great time.

Ray and Sonya Jarrett 's Landscape Carved Out of Nature

What a surprising number of diverse tropical species, such as the Strangler Fig intentionally set loose on the laurel oaks, Florida Orchid, Jamaican Caper, and subtropical species
...as Pinkster Azalea and Sassafrass!  


"It was remarkable to see the variety of plants and trees at the home of Ray Jarrett. He discussed his yard, along with the his journey of planting these trees, and how they grew over the past 15 years of his development of his home landscape. It was a real education in plants."  Carol Marie Vlack, Pawpaw member and tour participant. 

Rare this far north are Florida Orchids...
usually found in the Fakahatchee Strand


Mike from the UK, who gave a talk to the
Pawpaw Chapter on Florida's Wild Orchids last year,
was pleased to see the Florida Orchids.

Ray, Sonya and their little sunflower, Sasha,
with Elizabeth Flynn and Dot Backes 

Doug Hunt's New Smyrna Beach Native Homescape

Doug Hunt's gardening skills made us all envious as we made our final landscape stop for the half day Pawpaw Chapter tour.  He has  a wide variety of tropicals, which includes a newly installed TALL Gumbo Limbo Tree. How surprising to also see crop of jonquils 
in this New Smyrna Beach homescape!

The view of Doug Hunt's yard before everyone arrived.


"The company was genial, the rain held off, and the tour locations were diverse and all interesting to observe. However, it was  the extensive number of native plants and how they worked as a beautiful home landscape that made it  a fantastic learning experience." Carol Marie Vlack, Pawpaw member and tour participant.



 The view of Doug's front yard loaded with happy landscape explorers :
Carol Marie, Warren, Renee, Amelia, Renee,
Mike and Carol Parsons (from the UK). 

No doubt Mike and Carol Parsons find a Florida Native Garden Tour...quite different from one in the UK!

Are those hanging pots really an Orchid garden?
 Bill Kiel and Kim Johnson find a shady place
to just sit and admire the scenery.



Marine Discovery Center, New Smyrna Beach


The Pawpaw Chapter Landscape Tour ended at the Marine Discovery Center (MDC) where where a a butterfly garden was recently installed  by the NSB Men's Garden Club. They also visited a huge lagoon restoration area, where Warren Reynolds will lead a Marine Discovery Center Kayak (paddle) - Lagoon Restoration Tour , FNPS Conference Fieldtrip"I", on Thursday, May 19th.
 



Mike Parsons in foreground and Carolyn Kiel in the back ground inspecting the future kayak launch area at the lagoon restoration area. 
Warren Reynolds, Kayak Tour Guide for the Marine Discovery Center, 
talks about the MDC and the Lagoon Restoration Project. 
Warren will lead the conference kayak (I) fieldtrip at MDC on Thursday, May 19th. 


Newly installed Butterfly Garden at MDC  
So, how did the participants feel about the day? 


For me it was TOTALLY AWESOME.
Carol Marie Vlack . 

Don't miss out on the awesome...visit the 2016 FNPS Conference fieldtrip pages and make your field trip choices. Some fieldtrips will fill fast, so be ready to reserve when registration opens. 

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