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love_the_yard

My Trip to Gardens and Nurseries in Orlando, Tampa & St. Pete

I just got back from a quick trip through central Florida and the Tampa/St. Pete area. I had a great time! Thanks to everyone here on this forum because, when planning my trip, I searched back through old threads and you guys had posted exactly where I should go! Thanks to you all! So in addition to Epcot, the Salvador Dali Museum, Chuhuly Gallery and the Museum of Fine Art, we visited:

- Leu Gardens in Orlando
- Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg
- Kathy's Korner Nursery in St. Petersburg
- Hazel's Nursery in St. Petersburg
- USF Botanical Gardens in Tampa

All of the above were worth seeing. I saw for the first time many plants that I had never seen in person before: false blue ginger, other blooming gingers, red Brazilian cloak, large elephant ears, anthuriums, large Australian fern trees, huge Golden Pothos hundreds of feet up a tree, Banyan trees, Silk Floss trees, Orchid Trees, etc. I would have gone to many more gardens/nurseries but I was with people that could only take so many "plant places".

It is interesting that so many botanical gardens are missing the boat by not selling plants. You cannot buy plants at either Leu Gardens or Sunken Gardens. You can look at gorgeous plants and find exactly what you want to buy, but you cannot buy it there. The gift store is full of postcards, tshirts, stationery and pictures of flowers and plants, but not a single live one. I don't know exactly why that is. Seems like they would have the perfect clientele... me! Maybe it is concern over unhappy visitors that don't get a plant home safely or take care of it properly... I'm not sure.

HOWEVER, Brock, one of (the?) head gardener at Leu Gardens called Hazel's and made sure they had false blue ginger (Dichorisandra thryrsiflora), gave me directions and not much later I owned it!

Hazel's is hidden in a residential neighborhood but has a small sign out front. They have a great selection of plants. I wish the owners had more time to show me more but they seemed very busy that morning. But I did get my blue ginger and I was happy.

Unfortunately, I think I missed most of what was at Kathy's Korner. I pulled up and parked on Haines street and went in from that side. I looked around quickly at lots of great plants but didn't have a lot of time. As we left and drove around the corner onto 62nd Avenue, I saw a bigger sign, parking lot and entrance. I didn't dare say anything to the rest of the car - they would've killed me - but I bet I missed most of Kathy's Korner nursery. I knew they had two addresses but I didn't know which one to use. I think I picked the wrong one. :(

USF Botanical Gardens is great because they DO HAVE a great plant sale area! They have two large areas with tons of plants from which to choose and the prices are awesome. I purchased a Variegated Crape Ginger (Costus speciosus), Begonia 'Chuck Jaros' and Pink Justicia (Dianthera nodosa). With the Blue Ginger I got at Hazel's, I came home with four great new plants. Here's my new goodies!:

False Blue Ginger (Dichorisandra thryrsiflora) - it's a small little thing, but that's ok. It will have gorgeous dark bluish-purple blooms. I was told that young/new leaves have the stripe down the center that can be seen in the photos. The plant is not actually a ginger at all - it is related to the Wandering Jew and you can see it in the leaves:

Variegated crape ginger (Costus speciosus) - will have red/dark pink cones with white blooms:

Begonia 'Chuck Jaros' - a thick-stemmed begonia that will have white blooms:

Pink Justicia (Dianthera nodosa) - this is similar to the pink Justicia Carnea I already have all over my yard - but it is not the same plant. This pot jumped into my arms as I walked by... the flower is pink, ya know...:

Carol in Jacksonville

This post was edited by love_the_yard on Mon, Oct 7, 13 at 20:43

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