Mounts Botanical Garden is not the biggest or most famous garden in Florida, but it packs a lot in its 14 acres.
Because Mounts Botanical Garden began as a demonstration garden, it is full of informative labels and practical tips on how to apply what you see to your own garden.
But it also offers some features that you will want to visit just for their beauty. There are 25 distinct garden areas, with many paths and benches. Many area residents consider it their hidden gem.
Things I loved about Mounts Botanical Garden
- The butterfly garden, which was aflutter with many kinds of butterflies.
- The water garden of aquatic plants and small waterfalls. It’s called Windows on the Floating World.
- The garden of edible fruits and vegetables, lush with produce in winter.
- Finding out the names of all the trees and plants I see in Florida but never can identify.
The negatives? The garden is adjacent to the Palm Beach airport so the jets overhead reduce the sense of serenity.
The story behind Mounts Botanical Garden
The garden was started by the man after which it is named, Marvin U. “Red” Mounts, who served Palm Beach County Extension and Palm Beach County farmers for over 40 years. He established and cared for the garden’s fruit trees. (By 1964 there were 69 fruit producing trees growing on site and there continue to be many.)
Mounts began work as the county’s first agricultural extension agent in 1925, when Palm Beach was different world. It was largely a farming communty and it took him two days to travel from his office in the county courthouse to the Glades, including traveling by barge.
The garden named after him has been developed over the years, and also re-developed, because it took a might wallop from Hurricanes Frances, Jean and Wilma in 2004 and 2005.
Mounts Botantical Garden of the Palm Beaches
531 N Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL, (561) 233-1757
Website
- Adult admission: $20; $18 seniors; $13 for ages 6 to 17; free for children under 6. (Admission may be more during special exhibits, which are generally in the winter tourist season, and the admission price is reduced slightly during summer.)
- Children 5-12: $5
- Members of Mounts & children 4 and under: Free
- You can expect to spend one to two hours in the gardens.
Note: You can bring a picnic. There were a number of picnic tables as well as a covered screened shelter.
From Florida Rambler: Find more beauty spots in Florida’s 20 spectacular botanic gardens
The author, Bonnie Gross, travels with her husband David Blasco, discovering off-the-beaten path places to hike, kayak, bike, swim and explore. Florida Rambler was founded in 2010 by Bonnie and fellow journalist Bob Rountree, two long-time Florida residents who have spent decades exploring the Florida outdoors. Their articles have been published in the Sun Sentinel, the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, The Guardian and Visit Florida.