McKee Botanical Garden
The McKee Botanical Garden is a non-profit, subtropical botanical garden in Vero Beach, Florida. It is located at 350 U.S. Highway 1, Vero Beach, Florida.
History
The garden was founded in 1929, when Waldo E. Sexton and Arthur G. McKee, a millionaire engineer, purchased an tropical hammock along the Indian River. Famous plant explorer Dr. David Fairchild was consulted and Tropical landscape architect William Lyman Phillips was hired to design its streams, ponds, and trails. Its indigenous vegetation was augmented with ornamental plants and seeds from around the world. In 1932, they proceeded to open the garden, then known as McKee Jungle Gardens, as a tourist attraction.
Although the Garden was successful for several decades, it shut down in 1976, and most of its land was sold for development. The site remained vacant for twenty years until the Indian River Land Trust purchased it in 1995. The current Garden was formally dedicated in 2001. It is now a Florida landmark and on January 7, 1998, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places under its former name of McKee Jungle Gardens. Currently, there are several buildings on the garden including the office, gift shop, education center and a restaurant.
Flora
The Garden's collections currently include:Adenium obesumAechmea 'Blue Tango'Aechmea leuddemanniana 'Mend'Aechmea pineliana var. minutaAechmea 'Li'l Harvey'Aleurites moluccanaAlpina purpurata 'Eileen McDonald'Alpinia calcarataAlpinia zerumbetAnanas comosusAnnona glabraAnnona muricataAnthurium 'White Gemini'Ardisia crenataArdisia escallononioidesAristolochia giganteaAristolochia grandifloraAsclepias speciesBambusa chungiiBarleria micansBauhinia punctataBauhinia speciesBegonia 'Beefsteak'Belamcanda chinensisBillbergia speciesBixa orellanaBromelia pinguinBrugmansia speciesBrunfelsia jamaicensisCaladium 'Aaron'Caladium 'Florida Starburst'Caladium 'Florida Sweet Heart'Caladium 'Freda Hemple'Caladium 'Ginger Land'Caladium 'June Bride'Caladium 'White Queen'Caldium 'Scarlet Pimpernel'Calliandra haematocephalaCallicarpa americanaCallicarpa americana albaCanna speciesCarica papayaChamaedorea tepejiloteCitharexylum spinosumClerodendron fairchildianum 'Musical Note'Clerodendron speciosissimumClerodendrum bungiiClerodendrum quadriloculareClerodendrum thomsoniaeClerodendrum ugandenseClivia speciesCongea tomentosaCordia luteaCordia boissieriCostus barbatusCrinum americanumCrinum asiaticumCrinum species Curculigo capitulateCurcuma speciesDelonix regiaDendrobium × hybridDichromena speciesDombeya wallichiiDracaena fragransEpidendrum 'Kauai Sunrise'Eucalyptus degluptaFicus benghalensisFicus natalensis leprieuriiGigantochloa pseudoarundidaceaGlandularia tampensisGrewia afraHabranthus brachyandrusHamelia cupreaHamelia macranthaHamelia patensHedychium gardnerianumHeliconia rostrataHibiscus coccineusHibiscus rosa-sinensisHoya carnosaIpomoea carneaJacquemontia penthanthaJatropha podagricaJusticia speciesKaempferi pulcharaLaelia pacaviaLagerstroemia speciosaLantana trifoliaLonicera sempervirensMegaskepas erythrochlamysMussaenda 'Dona Aurora'Myrsine guianensisNelumbo 'Mrs. Perry Slocum'Nelumbo speciesNymphaea speciesOdentatum strictaOxalis 'Montana'Passiflora citrinePassiflora hahniiPassiflora speciesPassiflora × violaceaPentas lanceolataPetrea volubilisPhoenix hybridPlumbago scandensPlumeria speciesPodranea ricasolianaPseuderanthemum alatumPseudobombax ellipticumRondeletia leucophyllaRuellia brittonianaRusselia equisetiformisRusselia sarmentosaSagittaria lancifoliaStachytarpheta urticifoliaVachellia farnesianaVictoria cruziana.