From the office of Commissioner Shelley Vana.
Mounts Botanical Garden to Host Palm Beach County’s Official Arbor Day Celebration:For the Love of Trees
January 18, 2013
Free Tree Seedlings for the First 100 Attendees
(West Palm Beach, FL – December 21, 2012) The Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden will once again be hosting “Palm Beach County’s official Arbor Day celebration” next month:
Florida Arbor Day –For the Love of Trees
Friday, January 18 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Throughout the Garden
FREE for members and Suggested Donation of $5 for non-members
For the seventh year in a row, Mounts will celebrate Florida Arbor Day. The Garden will salute trees with the planting of a native mastic tree, guided tours and a special Tree Trek for children. Vendors will be on hand selling trees suitable to south Florida yards. Youngsters will enjoy the kids’ activities and the visit from Smokey Bear, who will share tips on fire prevention. Free tree seedlings will be given to the first 100 attendees, who can also picnic in the Pavilion and obtain the latest information on how to properly select and maintain trees.
At the 11 a.m. tree planting ceremony, Palm Beach County CommissionerShelley Vana will issue the official Arbor Day proclamation. Participating inFlorida Arbor Day at Mounts Botanical Garden will be the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., District X,a member of the Deep South Region and the National Garden Clubs.
In addition,Allen Sistrunk, Director of Mounts Botanical Garden, will introduce honoreeGloria Blake, the chairman of the NGC Deep South Region Penny Pines project and Director-elect of the Deep South Region. The Penny Pines program of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs provides donated funds to plant trees in Osceola National and John Bethea State Forest that had more than 11,000 acres destroyed during the Okefenokee fires in 2010 and 2011. Currently, the U.S. Forest Service is trying to reforest up to 500 acres per year to replace trees destroyed by these fires.
With a mission to inspire the public, Mounts Botanical Garden is Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest botanical garden, offering gorgeous displays of tropical and sub-tropical plants, plus informative classes, workshops, and other fun-filled events. The Garden contains more than 2,000 species of plants, including Florida native plants, exotic and tropical fruit trees, herbs, palms, bromeliads and more. Mounts Botanical Garden is a facility of the Palm Beach County Extension Service, which is in partnership with the University of Florida and the Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden.
Located at 531 North Military Trail in West Palm Beach, Mounts Botanical Garden is open Monday-Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The suggested donation for entry to the Garden is $5 per person. For more information, please call561.233.1757 or visit www.mounts.org.
Available for Interview:
Allen Sistrunk, Garden Director
Gary Schweikhart, PR-BS, Inc.
561.756.4298 / gary@pr-bs.net
