Feast of Flowers: a One-Man Show at the Cummer Museum


Does that passionflower look familiar? It should, because Jim Draper graciously allowed the 2013 FNPS conference committee to use his image as the logo graphic for the conference. It is prominently displayed as part of his "Feast of Flowers" exhibit at the Cummer Museum and Gardens in Jacksonville.
Jim Draper with his beautiful rendition of the
Catesby lily.

Jim Draper is the keynote speaker on Friday morning May 17th at the 2013 annual FNPS Conference.  He explained that the title of this show is a direct translation of "Pascua de Florida," the name give to the land on Easter Sunday 1513. He said that this title is also a metaphor for Florida's natural resources being consumed, not only from the early days of the hungry European settlers, but that our consumption of Florida is even greater today.

Unfortunately this exhibition will close in April, so our conference attendees, will not have the opportunity to view this whole collection, but parts of it will be on display at the Mayo Clinic, just down the street from University of North Florida, our conference site.
There was a large turnout for the community reception at the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville
for Jim Draper's exhibition, "Feast of Flowers."
 

FNPS member Sally Robson and Jim Draper.

There were a number of Ixia chapter members at this reception, including Sally Robson, who has two responsibilities for the conference. She's gathering a wonderful collection of items for the silent auction and she's also your contact for inside exhibitors and vendors.

See the conference pages for more information on speakers, vendors, sponsors, field trips and more: www.fnps.org/conference/.
The formal gardens at the Cummer Museum overlook the St. Johns River.
While the gardens are dominated by a gigantic live oak, the majority of the plantings are non-native.
Native trees and shrubs have been tucked into various nooks to celebrate the "Feast of Flowers" exhibition.
Jake Ingram, Ixia member and landscape architect, managed the installation of more natives into the garden. He wrote about them in the Cummer blog: Native Plants to Accompany Feast of Flowers Exhibit; Bald Cypress; Yellow Jessamine; Dwarf blueberries; and Spruce pines.

Jake and fellow Ixian Laurie Sheldon will be offering the special hands-on workshop for homeowners on Saturday May 18th 12:45pm to 3:45pm. See the webpage on Workshops for more information.

Photos by Ginny Stibolt and Laurie Sheldon.

Ginny Stibolt

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