Note: Here's another guest contribution to the blog from Pat!
An hour southwest of us, Homestead & Florida City produce truckloads of fruit & vegetables that feed much of the USA and Canada. For Floridians this area is also (literally!) the 'hotbed' producer of trees, shrubs & plants for landscapers. But for a northern gardener the real treat and sampler is the one-of-a-kind Miami-Dade Fruit 'n Spice Park.
From a dream in 1935 to a beginning in 1945 Mary Calkins wanted a park to advertise and promote South Florida's subtropical climate by showcasing plants from around the world that would grow in these particular conditions. South Florida is the only region in the continental USA with this climate. Mary became the park's first superintendent. Today this 35 acre park organized by regions (Tropical America, Mediterranean, Africa, Asia , Australia &Pacific) contains 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, nuts and other plant specimens, all made possible through exchanges with botanical gardens in Central America, Southeast Asia & Australia.
Who knew?...here you can walk among 70 varieties of bananas, over 100 varieties of mangos, 60 varieties of bamboo.
Who knew?...Jackfruit forms on the bark of the tree, held in place by a sap stronger than most commercial adhesive and weighs on average 60 pounds --- the heaviest tree fruit there is.
Who knew?... the fruit of the mamey sapote (Cinammon Apple) takes 1 1/2 years to mature.
Who knew?...that the green corncob-looking fruit of the monastera (Swiss Cheese Plant) tastes like a strawberrry/banana smoothie.
Of course January is not the ideal month to visit this garden but we were not disappointed. There were lots of fruit & spices to sample and our guide Karen made up for the absence of blossoms and fruit by leading us on an extra-long tour. Her vivid descriptions of the park in spring/early summer encouraged visitors to try growing many of these shrubs/trees in other parts of the south.
Among gardeners there is always a debate over the use of botanical versus common names.(e.g. monastera vs. Swiss Cheese Plant). With this collection I can't resist sharing some fun and not-so-common names: Lipstick Tree, Miracle Fruit, Tree of Life, Custard Apples, Gac, African Sausage Plant, Chinese JuJube Tree & my favourite the Midnight Horror Tree!
Samples were offered ready-to-eat and/or off-the-tree. Yummy!
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