I recently visited family in Florida. Though the state is very developed, I do enjoy the flora there. Most people probably associate Florida with palm trees, but there is nothing more majestic than an old, southern live oak tree (Quercus virginiana) which also grows in other regions of the deep south. These huge trees develop horizontal branches that become host to all sorts of other plants, including ferns, lichens, and mosses. I tried to upload a video of a 200 year old Confederate live oak at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens in Port Orange, FL but I could not, so the above photos are still shots we got of another tree in South Carolina:
The Dunlawton garden is lovely, and unexpected, right in the middle of a neighborhood. It has a nice collection of palms, a Florida hammock trail, lovely gingers and orchids, among other sub-tropical plants. It is free and open to the public, but they ask for donations. It is the former home of the Dunlawton sugar mill, the curated ruins of which are on site.
For more info on this garden, visit:
http://www.dunlawtonsugarmillgardens.org/
Happy New Year! Happy gardening!
2 comments:
From the appearance on the photo, it seems that I can build a house in that tree and live in it! All the other creatures would have to go, though.
..and this was not the most stunning of the live oaks we saw- there was just no way to take a photo of such a huge tree! The one pictured in SC is over 300 years old (a university took a core sample to find out).
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