Visit arboretum at Agricultural Center

Did you know that there is an award-winning garden just minutes from most Historic City News readers?

The Arboretum at St. Johns County Agricultural Center is planted and maintained by Master Gardeners with emphasis on seasonal displays of color. The University of Florida has presented St. Johns County’s Master Gardeners with first-place awards for the “best’ Demonstration and Educational gardens in Florida since 2007.

St. Johns County master still-life photographer, Bob Honiker, told Historic City News, “I’ve sort of adopted the Arboretum as a project.”

The gardens are renewed with thousands of flowering plants several times a year to ensure continuous beauty. Most of the flowers seen in the gardens are grown from seed.

“These are recent shots taken in the last few days,” Honiker told Historic City News. “The arboretum is a great place to have a camera.”

The spring display during March and April is a “must see” venue featuring many of the old favorites; hollyhocks, sweet alyssum, larkspur, delphinium, snapdragons, stock, statice, bachelors’ buttons, phlox, black-eyed Susan and many more.

“I don’t make it a commercial effort,” Honiker says. “I donate prints to the Humane Society auctions and other similar fundraisers.”

Two significant garden events are held in the gardens every year – EPIC Flower and Garden Expo in April and the Home and Garden Show in October. The Arboretum is the site of next weekend’s 16th Annual Flower and Garden Expo. “I plan on attending the show,” Honiker said. “It will be a gold mine for photography.”

There is no shortage of butterflies, as many varieties are seen floating about.

“It is not well publicized,” Honiker told Historic City News Editor Michael Gold. “I don’t think most St. John’s County residents even know it exists.” The Community Gardens at the Agricultural Center offer plots where you can grow your own vegetables, herbs and flowers.

The gardens provide entertainment and education to children on school field trips and attendees at Flora and Fauna camps.

4H students learn to identify plants and the “good” and “bad” bugs during scavenger hunts.

“Pack a picnic lunch and bring the kids or a friend to enjoy a few moments of beauty and nature,” Honiker said. “It’s definitely worth your time — you can always find something interesting.”

The gardens have recently become a popular venue for weddings, meetings, reunions and social events.

During the week, the Arboretum at St. Johns County Agricultural Center is free and open to the public. The St. Johns County Agricultural Center is located at 3125 Agricultural Center Drive; off CR-208. For more information, call 904-209-0430.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News contributed photograph by Bob Honiker