Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Melbourne, FL – The Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) has designated October as “Native Plant Month.” During October, local society chapters host talks and hikes to natural areas to promote native plant communities and the environmental benefits to wildlife. In that educational spirit, FNPS created a landscape award program open to homeowners, businesses, government agencies, HOA’s, and community groups. FNPS received 19 applications for the 2023 landscape award cycle. Applicants across Florida had the opportunity to showcase their landscaped project and to highlight their garden.   Among the 19 applicants, a local winner for the “Garden of Excellence” was selected. The vibrant retirement haven, Sun City Center was chosen for its continuing restoration of 37 acres of pine flatwoods connecting North Lake to Cypress Creek. In 2015, members of the local chapter of the Audubon Society stepped up to assume stewardship of the property, which is owned by the homeowner’s association. The ap

Melbourne, FL – The Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) has designated October as “Native Plant Month.” During October, local society chapters host talks and hikes to natural areas to promote native plant communities and the environmental benefits to wildlife. In that educational spirit, FNPS created a landscape award program open to homeowners, businesses, government agencies, HOA’s, and community groups. FNPS received 19 applications for the 2023 landscape award cycle. Applicants across Florida had the opportunity to showcase their landscaped project and to highlight their garden. Among the 19 applicants, a local winner for the “Garden of Excellence” was selected. The new Camp Matecumbe Playground, located within the 98-acre park in western Miami Dade County. Not only does the park have a historic connection for the many children refugees housed at Camp Matecumbe who escaped the Castro regime during the 1960’s, but the existing park includes a “significant pine rockland preserve.”

Melbourne, FL – The Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) has designated October as “Native Plant Month.” During October, local society chapters host talks and hikes to natural areas to promote native plant communities and the environmental benefits to wildlife. In that educational spirit, FNPS created a landscape award program open to homeowners, businesses, government agencies, HOA’s, and community groups. FNPS received 19 applications for the 2023 landscape award cycle. Applicants across Florida had the opportunity to showcase their landscaped project and to highlight their garden.   Among the 19 applicants, a local winner for the “Garden of Excellence” was selected. Mead Botanical Gardens in Winter Park was chosen for its native upland plant restoration work since 2013 in partnership with the local FNPS Chapter. The applicant described Mead Botanical Garden as a “natural oasis amid urban Winter Park and Orlando, almost a “last frontier” of natural land.” The presence of 100-year-ol

Melbourne, FL – The Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) has designated October as “Native Plant Month.” During October, local society chapters host talks and hikes to natural areas to promote native plant communities and the environmental benefits to wildlife. In that educational spirit, FNPS created a landscape award program open to homeowners, businesses, government agencies, HOA’s, and community groups. FNPS received 19 applications for the 2023 landscape award cycle. Applicants across Florida had the opportunity to showcase their landscaped project and to highlight their garden. Among the 19 applicants, a local winner for the “Garden of Excellence” was selected. The residential home of Mark and Teresa Miller were one of only four top winners and the only residential winner of this annual award. Since 2005, the Millers have been adding native vegetation to their residential lot. Historically a pine flatwoods, the Millers have continued to project the adjacent wetlands and added spe