GardenFest to Bloom Feb. 11-12 at Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Native and exotic tropical plants can be purchased by nature lovers exploring the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11-12, during the GardenFest and Green Market. The event is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days in the unique garden at 5210 College Road.
Visitors can browse and buy a wide variety of plants, palms and orchids as well as healthy-living products and earth-based arts and crafts. Other attractions are to include live music by favorite local performers, exhibits by conservation-oriented nonprofit organizations and educational presentations.
Attendees also can enjoy lunch at an on-site "beer garden," choosing items from healthy-food vendors and libations from a beer and wine bar.
Seminars include a Speaker Series presentation at 10 a.m. Feb. 11. During the "Wings Over Florida Bird and Butterfly Field Trip" through the garden, participants might earn their Ruby-throated Hummingbird certificate or Zebra Longwing Butterfly certificate with birding trail coordinator Whitney Gray and supervisor Anne Glick. Following the field trip at 1:30 p.m. is a talk titled "The Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail" by Andy Wraithmell, a wildlife information specialist with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A highlight of GardenFest is the chance to explore the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden. As a living museum, the site shelters many threatened and endangered species and showcases flora native to the Florida Keys, Cuba and the Caribbean.
Rich in biodiversity, the 15-acre garden features two wetland habitats, national and state champion trees, a 1-acre butterfly habitat, seasonal flowers, rare resident and migratory birds, a waterfall wall of tropical plants and much more. The property also contains two of the last remaining natural freshwater ponds in the Florida Keys.
Eight self-guided tours are offered, enabling visitors to discover different areas and aspects of the locale and its tropical environment.
GardenFest is an annual fundraiser for the botanical garden. Admission is free.
Event information: kwbgs.org
Key West visitor information: fla-keys.com/keywest or 1-800-LAST-KEY
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Plumeria pudica, Frangipani in bloom at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden.
Attendees also can enjoy lunch at an on-site "beer garden," choosing items from healthy-food vendors and libations from a beer and wine bar.
Visitors can browse and buy a wide variety of plants, palms and orchids.