Evenstad Horticulture Campus, a $15.5 million growing facility that will promote its development of nature-based environmental solutions, expand its collections of tropical and subtropical plants, and enhance its 170 acres of cultivated gardens and native habitat, which draw some 250,000 people a year.
The new center propels the 12-year-old botanical garden—one of the nation’s youngest—into its next phase, as a regional resource for plant science, conservation, and education. In addition to private donations, the project’s funders include the Florida Legislature, which recognizes the Garden’s role in advancing environmental solutions.
The Garden’s ongoing projects include:
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Beach dune restoration
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Trialing drought- and salt-tolerant trees for public landscapes
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Seed banking
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Environmental education, including stormwater management training
“The Evenstad Horticulture Campus is key to the Garden’s evolution and our ability to contribute to our community’s environmental health,” President & CEO Donna McGinnis says. “At the same time, it will allow us to refine and expand our display gardens, honoring our legacy as a cultural resource and place of respite for residents and visitors.”