Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden

With a mission to inspire and educate through nature, Mounts Botanical Garden (mbg) is the oldest and largest public Garden in the palm beaches. The now 20-acre tropical oasis is home to 25 display gardens featuring a collection of over 7,000 species of tropical and subtropical botanicals. Mbg welcomed over 88,127 guests and 3,453 member households over the most recent fiscal year. Uniquely setting mbg apart from other gardens, approximately 90% of the plants at mbg can be effectively grown in Florida home gardens. This allows mbg to provide visitors the opportunity to learn how to successfully grow their own tropical oasis at home. In addition, mbg's nursery and vintage Garden thrift shop offer an opportunity for visitors to purchase suitable plants, flowers, and accessories for their personal gardens.continued investment in beautifying the Garden's landscape is another top priority. This included 370 new permanent plantings over the past year. Mbg has also begun planting hundreds of additional orchids throughout the Garden. Under the guidance of the Garden's professional horticulture staff, dedicated volunteers gave over 5,800 personal hours to the Garden's beautification, including planting, pruning, propagating, and educating.

Mbg's seasonal plant-a-palooza plant sales and major exhibits continue to be the Garden's most popular events. Held in february, april, september, and november, the four seasonal plant sales feature top growers from throughout Florida displaying and selling a wide variety of ornamentals, orchids, succulents, cactus, bonsai, butterfly/native plants, shrubs, fruit trees, herbs, Garden accessories, baskets, fine crafts, and more. To complement its lush tropical landscape, mbg houses a number of permanent exhibits and collections. The 'moai at Mounts Botanical Garden' exhibit reconnects visitors to the ancient rapa nui culture of easter island, and the story of preserving and protecting our environment and resources, including our potable water, ocean and sea life, forests, native wildlife, and fertile farmlands. Mbg also houses an eclectic art collection of sculptures prominently displayed throughout the Garden. In addition, throughout each year, mbg provides visitors the opportunity to experience featured exhibits. In december 2022, patrick dougherty built his last outdoor sculpture "fit for a king", which will be on display until december 2024. In january 2024, mbg open its largest traveling exhibit to date that runs through may 12, 2024. Origami in the Garden, by santa fe artists jennifer and kevin box, features more than 20 larger-than-life metal sculptures located throughout the Garden.

Education:as a cornerstone to its mission, mbg is known as a teaching and learning Garden, providing a wide array of educational learning opportunities for all ages designed to cultivate wonder and appreciation for the natural world. Over 330 public programs, classes, workshops, and guided tours took place this past year, attracting over 3,450 adult participants. The Garden's wide array of programming includes horticulture, gardening, art and culture, and health and wellness. In addition to adult programming, mbg offers a robust spectrum of youth programming which served 10,650 students and children last fiscal year. Children's experiences with nature from wilderness backpacking, to plants in a preschool, to a wetland lesson are proven to promote learning. Mbg's environmental science program 'ambassadors of the wetlands' provides hands-on discovery-based learning to school students and teachers. Currently in its sixth year, 'ambassadors of the wetlands' has engaged over 4,000 students since its inception, and continues to provide valuable and impactful education to students. Mbg provides this education program at no charge to high schools, and provides teachers with comprehensive learning guides. Teachers report students enjoyed learning in the field using various instruments such as dip nets and a pollution tolerance index enabling them to make informed judgments about water quality. Data trends revealed positive changes in students' willingness to adopt water conservation behaviors. During mbg's summer and holiday camps, students engage in hands-on and discovery-based activities. Campers explore the Garden through taste, touch, smell, and an abundance of curiosity. Participants use high-level technology, including handheld microscopes, ipads, and a hydroponic growing system, among others.