St. Johns Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve: Grand opening 

By: London Collins Puc

At the beginning of October, The St. Johns Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve located in Hastings, St. Augustine, off of CR-13, just about 20 miles from Flagler College, opened to the public.

Spread across 16 acres, St. Johns Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve hosts more than 2,400 plant species, 300 palm trees – 20 of which are endangered, including the Madagascar Coconut Palm – and two-and-a-half miles of trail situated alongside river Deep Creek.

In order to achieve a real glimpse of Florida, much of the gardens and nature preserve is left in its natural state.

According to Visit St. Augustine, “Trees downed by storms are left where they fall, so that visitors can enjoy a glimpse of old Florida, and to provide the local flora and fauna the opportunity to grow, hide, and feed.”

Home to a variety of Southern-American, Southeastern-Asian, and Mexican species, St. Johns Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve offer visitors rare and unique flora and fauna, unlike any other botanical garden in Northeastern Florida.

Denizens of St. Johns Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve include local animals, such as river otters, tree frogs, tortoises and snakes. Migrating bird species, however, such as hummingbirds, warblers and sparrows, offer a not-so-common Floridian sight.

Dr. John Rossi, president and founder of St. Johns Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve, shared the story of opening the location to visitors.

“Since I bought this beautiful property in 2003, I have been planting palms from around the world,” he said. “People visiting would be amazed at the beauty of the place and kept telling me that it should be a park.”

Years later, Dr. Rossi took them up on their suggestion.

“About three years ago, I started…converting it into a public garden,” Dr. Rossi said.

St. Johns Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve is a wonderfully-peaceful, exotic, and unique location filled with various species of life to learn about, explore and appreciate. Flagler students can benefit from visiting the Gardens during a particularly-stressful school week, either by sitting by river Deep Creek,  strolling along the trails or participating in a guided tour.

If you are interested in visiting the St. Johns Botanical Gardens & Nature Preserve click here.