Traveling On Tour With FNGLA Dade Chapter

By Linda Adams, FNGLA COO

Twice a year the FNGLA Dade Chapter puts together a nursery tour for landscape architects. It's intended to increase the dialouge between growers and landscape architects for everyone's greater success.

Sandy Stein, The Jungle Nursery and a member of the tour planning committee invited Joy Dorst, FCLD and me to participate on the tour and spread the FNGLA message, hopefully resulting in a few new FNGLA memberships.

Of course, we said yes, and on Friday, February 5 we joined about 35 landscape architects, designers and contractors to visit 3 nurseries, one stone company and take in 3 CEU sessions. It was a full schedule and we were ready with FNGLA membership recruitment packets in hand!

For those who may not know, Joy Dorst is FNGLA's "green" consultant. She is a landscape designer who is also an educator. Her focus for the past few years has been with sustainable and green-related programs such as LEED through the USGBC (US Green Building Council), Water Star with the St. John's Water Management District and Florida Friendly Landscaping through UF/IFAS. In fact, she is a LEED AP certified instructor and has a great sense for the potential connections and current disconnections between these popular sustainability programs and the original green industry - horticulture! Sustainable landscapes is an emerging hot topic for landscape professionals so Joy served as a resource on this topic throughout the day.

Being the non-sports people we are, neither Joy or I realized it was Super Bowl week end in Miami until we drove by the staidum - talk about being out of the zone! The tour was departing from Coral Gables and lucky for us, Coral Gables was not crowded with Super Bowl fans. Apparently, they were all at South Beach. So we found a charming, old-world themed hotel in downtown Coral Gables at a very reasonable price which Sandy Stein had recommended. It's called St. Michel's Hotel and I give it 2 thumbs up!

Allyson Humphries with Larry's Cap Rock & Stone and the head of the Dade chapter tour planning committee had things well in hand when we arrived at the bus. Badges were distributed, names were checked off the list and we left right on time! One fun thing - The owner of the Peterbrooke chocolate store across the street came over to the bus with a platter of chocolate covered pretzels and popcorn and a handful of business cards. She gave us the platter and encouraged us to stop at the store on our return. The platter of sweet and salty treats was placed on the 2nd seat of the bus so everytime we got on and off the bus we were taking "just one more" piece of the chocolate. No surprise, the platter was nearly empty by the end of the day. Two thumbs up for Peterbrooke Chocolatier !

First stop - Manuel Diaz Farms. We were at their headquarters in Homestead which has as a central feature a very large reclaimed quarry lake. They have added landscaping which gives it a park-like setting and offers an impressive showcase for their various palms and trees. In addition to the horticulture, there is a menagerie of animals, from goats, pigs, horses, birds in aviaries and chickens. If I understood correctly, some of the pigs ended up at the company Christmas party, but not as guests! With the recent freezes on everyone's mind, the focus was on the cold-hardy palms which Manuel Diaz grows.

Second stop - Vila & Son Nursery. Vila & Son's friendly staff greeted us with food, drinks and a walking tour of a portion of the nursery. After riding on the bus most of the morning, it felt good to get the legs moving. Joy and I had a great conversation here with one of the landscape designers on the tour. He specializes in high-end residential work and said his company is very busy with jobs in Miami and the Keys. Good to hear! He is very intersted in becoming a FNGLA certified landscape designer, so we made sure he had all the details to take advantage of that program.

Third stop - Larry's Cap Rock & Stone (LCRS). We spent most of the afternoon here, as Larry's (LCRS) has a great space for classes and also an upstairs room that was perfect for lunch. There were 3 very interesting presentations provided. The first related to sustainable architectural and lansdcape lighting, provided by Jessica Stanley, SESCO Lighting. I didn't realize how critical the small details are for outdoor lighting, especially as it relates to aesthetics and safety.
It was nice to have members of the FNGLA Dade Chapter board join us for a delicious paella lunch sponsored by Luxe magazine. Following lunch Allyson Humpheries
discussed the fundamentals of rock and stone for landscape use. I thought I was back in geology class when Allyson showed the different types of rock and how they are mined. We were able to see the huge saws LCRS use to slice the rock. By the way, those sawblades don't come cheap! It was all fascinating.

And the final presentation was by landscape architect Phil Maddux who showcased many of the landscapes he and his partner have designed for Palm Beach estates. What a great treat it was to hear the personal stories and insights from Phil about these unique homes and the landscapes which frame them.
Here's a quote Phil used in his presentation which addresses the native/non-native plant question. "All the plants we use are native to planet Earth." A new book written by Bradford McKee features the various landscapes of Sanchez & Maddux. It's entitled "The Civilized Jungle:Residential Landscape of Sanchez & Maddux." Allyson made sure there were books on hand for those who wished to purchase them (at a discounted price) and have Phil autograph them. Not an opportunity you get everyday and one which several on our tour took advantage.

Back to Luxe Magazine who sponsored the lunch. I asked John Gallo, associate publisher, why Luxe was involved with the tour. If you're not familiar with Luxe magazine, as its name implies, it is geared to those who enjoy luxury lifestyles in south Florida. John is on a search for people who can provide content as it relates to the gardens and landscapes which are part of a luxury lifestyle. He was very pleased at the end of the day with the great resources he found among the landscape architects and designers on the tour. Sounds like Luxe will be a new promoter of the value of well planned and executed landscapes and gardens to an appreciative audience.

Final Stop - The Jungle Nursery. The Jungle has made major changes in crops and production as owner Sandy Stein and team respond to an ever-changing marketplace. Going with the theory that "it's 5 o'clock somewhere," the group was greeted with wonderfully refreshing lychee cocktails. As you can imagine, these were a BIG hit!
And, actually, it was almost 5 pm when we arrived at the nursery. Although people were welcome to walk through the nursery, Sandy's crew had made it easy for everyone to see the plants being showcased, by creating beautiful groupings of the plants near the entrance area. It was nice to see Sandy point out the FNGLA Florida Garden Select plants he is growing. The almond bush smells wonderful.

After a jam-packed educational day, we were back on the bus and inching along in Miami/Coral Gables Friday evening rush hour. But with the help of our lychee cocktails and the good company of many new friends, it was all good!

Thanks Sandy and Allyson and FNGLA Dade chapter for inviting us along. Great day, great tour, great people!

P.S. I won a prize on the bus for knowing what SSI stands for: Sustainable Sites Initiative. Lots of good tour quiz questions, lots of prizes, lots of fun.