Category Archive

Summer is synonymous with the sweet taste of blackberries. Blackberries make a delicious addition to most warm-weather desserts, from jams and jellies to bars and cobblers. The thornless blackberries growing in the Kitchen Garden are … Read More

The fennel planted in the Kitchen Garden is flourishing this season! Did you know that fennel is a member of the carrot family? Every part of the fennel plant is edible, including the bulb, leaves … Read More

Behind-the-scenes in the Center for Plant Conservation National Collection beds at the Gardens are over 240 plants of the federally endangered shrub Florida Ziziphus (Ziziphus celata). This ex situ or “captive” population is important to … Read More

Savannas Mint (Dicerandra immaculata var. savannarum) was historically known from one small natural population on private property in a housing subdivision in south St. Lucie County. Following construction of a house, the population was extirpated … Read More

In the Center for Plant Conservation National Collection beds at Bok Tower Gardens, many of the false rosemary species (Conradina spp.) were in peak bloom in February. Housed in the National Collection are four species … Read More

Seeds of Florida bluecurls (Trichostema suffrutescens) finally ripened in January following the end of flowering and beginning of seed development back in October, when The Rare Plant Conservation Program had placed seed collection bags on … Read More

Behind the scenes at Bok Tower Gardens, the Rare Plant Conservation Program maintains a National Collection of rare plants. The maintenance and curation of this collection is part of our involvement with the Center for … Read More

Each November brings the start of the annual monitoring of Florida Goldenaster, Chrysopsis floridana. Florida Goldenaster is a narrow endemic aster that listed as endangered in 1986. It grows in open areas of sand in … Read More

The rapid reemergence of native species is an incredible site to behold in the following days and weeks after fire. Florida’s native species, both flora and fauna, have adapted to survive and thrive in fire-prone … Read More

Each year, the Rare Plant Conservation Program collects seeds from the ex situ population of Florida Ziziphus (Ziziphus celata) in the National Collection beds and sets up a germination trial to test seed viability. Along … Read More