Somehow I had missed the notice about the March Pinellas Chapter meeting, but thanks to Facebook, I saw a last-minute reminder Debra Butler, FCHP, Golden Rain Nursery had posted and signed up. My 2 chapter-visiting companions, Billy Butterfield, FCLC, Ameriscapes Landscape Management Services and Amy DiBella, FNGLA staff, signed up for the fun as well, and Monday afternoon we headed west to St. Pete.The meeting was at the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum in St. Petersburg. I have been to this area before and never knew this palm garden exists. It's a hidden treasure in plain site, as it is so nicely incorporate into the overall landscape of the waterfront park you don't realize its an arboretum until you see the sign.
About 40 chapter members were in attendance on a surprisingly chilly Spring night. I was
very glad I had brought a jacket! Volunteer palm experts with the arboretum were on hand to give us a tour with lots of details about the various palms and cycads in the arboretum. Amy, Billy and I were in the group led by Rick Nale, aka Palm Boy. He has been involved with the arboretum for several years and was able to share the history of the various palms and cycads we were viewing. Several palms were showing cold damage with brown and burned fronds, but overall everything came through a very cold winter with out serious damage.
very glad I had brought a jacket! Volunteer palm experts with the arboretum were on hand to give us a tour with lots of details about the various palms and cycads in the arboretum. Amy, Billy and I were in the group led by Rick Nale, aka Palm Boy. He has been involved with the arboretum for several years and was able to share the history of the various palms and cycads we were viewing. Several palms were showing cold damage with brown and burned fronds, but overall everything came through a very cold winter with out serious damage.There are approximately 500 palms and cycads in the arboretum, several were varieties the group had never seen before. My new favorite palm is the Cuban Petticoat Palm. I like t
he way the fronds fall down around the base and form a petticoat - must be a girl thing. If you get a chance to visit the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum it is well worth seeing. If you have a passion for palms you need to add this to your bucket list of places to visit. Kudos to the City of St. Petersburg for providing such a nice collection of palms and cycads. You can get more info at http://www.stpete.org/parks/palm.asp.
he way the fronds fall down around the base and form a petticoat - must be a girl thing. If you get a chance to visit the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum it is well worth seeing. If you have a passion for palms you need to add this to your bucket list of places to visit. Kudos to the City of St. Petersburg for providing such a nice collection of palms and cycads. You can get more info at http://www.stpete.org/parks/palm.asp.Once we completed the tour we gathered informally to share a meal of subs and side dishes and desserts brought by chapter members. Loved the chocolate dipped strawberries (with sprinkles) that Angela Strain, FCLD, Brava Tropicals, brought! Chapter President Patrick Dugan had a quick business meeting while we were all gathered. I was impressed that Pinellas Chapter already has its slate of nominations for the various postions for the new year! Lots of announcements of upcoming activities - this might be a small chapter, but it's a very busy group!
I was happy to make sure everyone knew Bonnie Desmond, FCLD, from Pinellas Chapter is receiving a Special Award of Recognition at the FNGLA Convention in June for her tireless work related to FNGLA's certification programs and chapter activities. And with the final announcements the meeting ended right on time (9 pm). We grabbed another chocolate strawberry and some brownies for the road, and headed back to Orlando.
Thanks FNGLA Pinellas Chapter for an informative and beautiful evening beneath the palms trees and starry skies with Tampa Bay as the backdrop. Perfect setting! Thanks Billy for driving and thanks to Amy for remembering the camera and being our photographer.
