McKee Botanical Garden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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McKee Jungle Gardens
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The Hall of Giants, McKee Botanical Garden
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| Location | 350 U.S. Highway 1 Vero Beach, Florida |
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| Nearest city | Vero Beach, Florida |
| Area | 18 acres (7.3 hectares) |
| Architect | William Lyman Phillips |
| NRHP reference No. | 97001636 |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 1998 |
The McKee Botanical Garden is a beautiful and special garden in Vero Beach, Florida. It covers about 18 acres (7.3 hectares) and is filled with amazing plants from warm, subtropical places. It's a non-profit garden, which means it's run for the public good, not for making money. You can find it at 350 U.S. Highway 1 in Vero Beach, Florida.
The garden first opened in 1932 as McKee Jungle Gardens. It was created by Waldo Sexton and Arthur G. McKee. They bought a large piece of tropical land next to the Indian River. A talented landscape architect named William Lyman Phillips helped design the garden's streams, ponds, and walking paths. They added many beautiful plants and seeds from all over the world to the plants already growing there.
For many years, McKee Jungle Gardens was a popular place for tourists to visit. However, it closed down in 1976, and much of its land was sold. The site was empty for 20 years. Then, in 1995, a group called the Indian River Land Trust bought it. The garden was officially reopened in 2001 as the McKee Botanical Garden. Today, it is an important landmark in Florida. On January 7, 1998, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places under its original name, McKee Jungle Gardens. The garden now has several buildings, including an office, a gift shop, an education center, and a restaurant.
Exploring the Garden's Plants
The McKee Botanical Garden is home to a wide variety of plants. Many of these plants are from tropical and subtropical regions around the world. When you visit, you can see many different kinds of flowers, trees, and other interesting plants.
Some of the plants you might see include:
- Adenium obesum (also known as Desert Rose)
- Aechmea varieties, which are a type of Bromeliad
- Alpinia zerumbet (Shell Ginger)
- Ananas comosus (Pineapple plant)
- Bambusa chungii (a type of bamboo)
- Brugmansia species (Angel's Trumpet)
- Caladium varieties, known for their colorful leaves
- Carica papaya (Papaya tree)
- Clerodendrum thomsoniae (Bleeding Heart Vine)
- Delonix regia (Royal Poinciana, a tree with bright red flowers)
- Eucalyptus deglupta (Rainbow Eucalyptus, known for its colorful bark)
- Ficus benghalensis (Banyan tree)
- Heliconia rostrata (Lobster Claw, a plant with unique flowers)
- Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Chinese Hibiscus, a common tropical flower)
- Lagerstroemia speciosa (Queen's Crape Myrtle)
- Nelumbo species (Lotus flowers)
- Nymphaea species (Water Lilies)
- Passiflora species (Passion Flowers)
- Plumeria species (Frangipani, known for fragrant flowers)
- Victoria cruziana (Giant Water Lily)
This garden is a great place to learn about different plant species and how they grow in a warm climate.
