With grateful appreciation to Michele Vatalaro and her fellow members of the Moonlight Garden Circle of the Tampa Garden Circle for their generous donation, VISTA Gardens now has a new tree!
On January 20, Florida's 2023 Arbor Day, Marquette McManus from Wilcox Nursery planted a beautiful Marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides) in the shady glade just west of VISTA's pavilion.
Our tree welcome celebration featured Vicki Kuse, who has created many of VISTA's native plant landscapes, and who studied which Florida native trees would do well at VISTA. Vicki described what our tree will look like as it grows, and then read Trees, the Joyce Kilmer poem: " I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree...." While our specimen is already quite tall it will eventually reach 18 feet. Our many thanks to Vicki who will foster the tree with frequent watering to ensure its success.
For more info about the Marlberry, go to https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-ardisia-escallonioides/