FAIRCHILD TROPICAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CORAL GABLES, FL

Whenever I bring a potted plant home, Jimmy mumbles something about the kiss of death.   I toss something back about black widows, and the debate fizzles with the usual standoff married couples rely on when the topic is old news and the outcome just a matter of time.  
 
I think if I lived in Coral Gables, close to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, I’d have a green thumb like everybody else living in the Miami area.  It's truly a tropical paradise.

My sister Lynda lives in Miami; she grows orchids right outside her back door!  

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

You’d think with the same genetic makeup, my thumb would be as green as my sister’s. Alas, my big sister has many talents that leave me questioning birth order at the very least, the order of the universe in the big picture. 
 
Truth be told, these aren’t actually Lynda’s orchids.  She is fabulous when it comes to many things (her green thumb, of course, her cooking, her smile, her watercolors; she actually teaches a Beginner’s Watercolor Class at Fairchild),

Lynda in her element; one of many.

but these orchids happen to be firmly planted in Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.  That’s practically Lynda’s back yard.

Yep, since 1938, when the garden opened, orchids and all manner of flora

It's so beautiful when people stand up for what they believe in.

and fauna can be found there.  

There were four legged friends all over the garden.

There is something for everyone; edible gardens (ooh, count me in), several conservatories,  a rainforest, a butterfly garden (always a favorite) numbering 3000 guests from as far away as Central and South American, an arboretum with over 700 species of tropical flowering trees, a Keys Coastal Habitat for attracting migratory birds and other wildlife, as well as a Sculpture Garden.  Did I forget anything?   

Oh, yes!  There were over 4000 palms and rare, ancient cycads for our viewing pleasure.

Jimmy and I were quite pleased

This is as good as it gets.

with the views Robert Montgomery had created when he established the garden in 1936 with landscape architect William Lyman Phillips.

Weddings are a popular option in this spot.

When the garden opened in 1938, Mr. Montgomery named his premier tropical botanical garden after his good friend, David Fairchild, the educator and botanist who created the Office of Seed and Plant Introduction of the United States Department of Agriculture. 
 
In 1891, at the age of 22, Fairchild set out to travel the globe (sounds like fun to me) in search of plants of potential use in the United States.  He was responsible for introducing 200,000 exotic plants and varieties of crops to the States, including mangos, alfalfa, nectarines, dates, cotton, wheat and bamboo.

Mr. Fairchild personally had a hand in planting many of the flora now thriving in the 83 acres of land devoted to saving tropical plant diversity by exploring, explaining and conserving the world of tropical plants.  
 
The garden boosts one of the greatest living collections of palms and cycads in the world.  My palms were getting itchy just thinking of the photographic opportunities.

The palms certainly dominated the garden.  There were short, fluffy cycads;

This headress is getting very heavy.

tall coconut palms;

I could go for my own tropical island.

bunches of lowland palms,

Yes, this is a real spot in Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden. Wish you were here.

and this plump little cycad with a magnificant tuft of hair on top. 

I feel as big as a barrel this morning.

There were fan-cy peacock palms that obviously thrived on showing off their plumage. 

Palm Sunday, here I come.

There were hundreds of succulents too (did you know all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti? I just ask the questions; I don’t have all the answers; one or two on a good day; todays not looking good).  

Some of the succulents looked like they’d just rolled out of bed.  This one was sporting the bedhead look;

My hair always curls in this humidity.

others, in the Lin Lougheed Spiny Forest of Madagascar, had very little hair to speak of;

Reach for the sky, fella.

still others seemed to have no head at all, much less hair; just a few stubby limbs.

I could stand to benefit from a few weeks on their diet.

These little guys had razor sharp crew cuts which probably came in handy to insure they didn't get stomped on.

Ouch!

There were trees that were the epitome of elegance;

We have at least a dozen branches for your banking needs.

others were a study in  southern grace;

Oh, the twisted webs we weave.

this one delighted in branching out into new avenues of interest;

Wish we could have seen Havana-born artist Jorge Pardo’s lamp works at night.

And of course there were trees oh so happy to simply offer respite from the afternoon sun to frequent visitors. 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas had found one such tree.  As Florida’s most celebrated and noted author, Ms. Douglas single-handedly set out to redefine the popular conception of the Florida’s
Everglades as a treasured river rather than a swamp, which she accomplished quite successfully with the publication of her book, The Everglades: the Power of Grass.   

Do you see what I see?

Marjory was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993 for her efforts in saving the unique and fragile eco-system that supports the Everglades.

I think I want that hat.

There was more than Jimmy and I could do justice in a single afternoon.  We took the free  tram through the sculpture garden area, enjoying all too briefly this large, colorful piece by Will Ryman.

I bet you'll believe me now when I tell you this is truly a unique tropical paradise.

My favorite portion of the garden involved the Zimbabwe stone exhibit, a collection of 82 sculptures by Zimbabwe artists depicting their culture and connection to nature and the environment. 

These two sisters are obviously very close, just like me and my sister Lynda.

I think this one would look good in my back yard.

Aren't children wonderful?

I couldn’t talk Jimmy into creating our very own stone sculpture by signing up for a full day workshop with one of a handful of visiting Zimbabwean artists for a mere $500. He wasn’t buying the option either of fast forwarding to simply purchasing a sculpture to take home minus the day of instruction and work.  
 
Jimmy told me to leaf well enough alone.

Do you see that stubborn chin?

You know, there are so many detours on the road to marital harmony,

Where's the nearest mall?

a girl can be sorely tempted to misbehave, garden or no garden.

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Bottom Line on Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden:   

Verdict:  This is truly paradise; a lush, tropical garden where communing withnature is the focus of every waking moment.   What’s not to like?  
 
How to Get There:  From Miami, head south on SW 27th Avenue to S. Bayshore Drive.  Take  the 2nd right onto McFarlane Road, then left onto Main Highway.  Turn left onto S. Douglas Road (SW 37th Avenue), followed by a slight right onto Ingraham Highway.  Ingraham Highway becomes W. Ingraham Terrace. Turn left onto SW 42nd Avenue, enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Old Cutler Road.  Entrance to the garden will be on the left off Old Cutler Road.  
  
Insider Information:  Take the free tram ride first before walking the garden to get a feel for those areas where you may want to devote your time.  Our driver was very knowledgeable as were all the volunteers (1,200 total) that were the heart of the hospitality and success of our learning experience.  You'll need days to do this place justice. Their special events are renowned for drawing crowds regularly.  We returned a day later with my sister Lynda for their annual Chocolate Festival.  If you’re in the Miami area, be sure to check their website for dates of upcoming special events.  The festivals are an added bonus to a program already brimming with spectacular color and choreography.  

Nearby Food:  We had lunch at the Glasshouse Café in the garden, where the options, from salads to sandwiches, quiche and smoothies were as tasty as they were fresh.