Garden of the Month – July 2026: Pinecrest Gardens

Founded: Parrot Jungle founded in 1936, with Pinecrest Gardens opening as a public garden in 2003

Location: Pinecrest, Florida, USA

Size: 14 acres

Access: Open year-round

Collection: Exotic and native tropical plants, including palms, orchids, succulents, cacti, aloes, native hardwood hammock species, baldcypress and Garden Croton

Collection type: Historic public display garden, tropical living plant collection, native landscape remnants and Garden Croton collection

Across 14 acres in South Florida, Pinecrest Gardens holds tropical plantings, native hardwood hammock, an old-growth baldcypress slough, dry succulent gardens, palms, orchids, rock formations and water features. It’s a public display garden, but it’s also a place where the site’s history and ecology are still visible if you know where to look.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognised for its significance by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Pinecrest Gardens has a character rooted in the land itself. Subtle changes in elevation, varied soils, exposed rock and pockets of shade all hint at the site’s original ecology, even though the landscape was dramatically reshaped during its years as Parrot Jungle.

A blue land crab, native to South Florida, makes its home in the Cypress Slough at Pinecrest Gardens | Image: Jennifer Taylor

The Garden

The landscape changes as you move through it. In the lower areas, paths lead into the hardwood hammock and down towards the baldcypress slough. The air cools, the shade deepens, and the planting turns lush: palms, orchids, cypress and large-leaved plants grow alongside water features. It offers a glimpse of what this part of Florida may have looked like before urban development reshaped much of the surrounding area.

Further up, the central and upper sections have far less tree canopy, and the sunnier, drier, warmer conditions support a different kind of planting altogether: cactus, aloes, palms and trees from drier parts of the Americas, Africa and Asia. These areas also display native species, giving visitors a sense of the wider range of plants suited to South Florida's climate and geology.

Water feature beneath the Tropical Hardwood Hammock, featuring palms, cordylines, bromeliads and more | Image: Jennifer Taylor

Plant Collection

Pinecrest Gardens’ plant holdings are grown as landscape display and are not generally kept in climate-controlled greenhouses. This great species diversity requires an understanding of individual plant needs, from optimal siting to the considerable horticultural maintenance needed in a near-coastal location. Many of the garden’s trees are of particular interest, either as legacy Parrot Jungle plantings or as indigenous site natives.

Dry Meadow Garden Trail, featuring European olive, cacti, aloes and historic ponytail plants | Image: Jennifer Taylor

The garden is also working towards collections accreditation with the American Public Gardens Association Plant Collections Network for its Garden Croton collection, Codiaeum variegatum.. The species is known for its many vibrantly coloured cultivars, which are easily grown and have a long history of popularity in South Florida.

Lake Garden Terrace, a dry landscape with historic cactus and yucca plantings | Image: Jennifer Taylor

Hurricanes and Weather

South Florida’s climate gives Pinecrest Gardens the warmth and rainfall its tropical plants need, but its near-coastal location also brings real risk. The garden sits within a hurricane zone and occasionally experiences catastrophic winds, intense rainfall and flooding of the baldcypress slough.

Extensive proactive procedures are in place to prepare plants and facilities, as much as possible, ahead of bad weather and storm surge.

Two horticulture specialists hanging orchids from palm trees near the Cypress Slough | Image: Harvey Bernstein

Events and Community

Throughout the year, the garden hosts field trips, summer camps, guided tours and learning opportunities run in partnership with local education programmes, bringing together plants, nature, science and art.

Twice a year, Pinecrest Gardens holds Family Garden Days, with exhibitions, interactive activities and garden exploration. Several local plant societies are based here too, including the Pan Am Orchid Society, the Dade Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and the Pinecrest Garden Club. The garden also hosts visual and performing arts events, alongside its work as an outdoor classroom and community space.

From left to right: Sara Fleites, Horticultural Specialist; Jennifer Taylor, Collections and Education Specialist; Harvey Bernstein, Curator of Landscapes and Living Collections; Kristy Albury, Horticultural Specialist; and Glenn Hilton, Horticultural Specialist | Image: Pilar Andujar

Sharing the Collection Through Hortis

As part of Pinecrest Garden’s commitment to creating an accessible horticultural
space for the public, a portion of our online database, through Hortis, is used to display plants of interest, collection highlights and visitor favorites.

Because Hortis can be accessed from a handheld device, visitors can learn more about plants in real time as they experience the garden. Rather than separating the plant record from the living landscape, the public site helps connect information to place.

Palms and ficus trees are filled with blooming orchids and staghorn ferns, a scene that can be found throughout Pinecrest Gardens. Image: Jennifer Taylor

Learn more about Pinecrest Gardens, plan a visit, or stay connected through their website and social channels.

Pinecrest Gardens Linktree - Visit their main links for the garden website, events, news and social channels.
Website: pinecrestgardens.org
Hortis Public Site: pinecrest-fl.hortis.com/public/site/pinecrestgardens/browse
Contact: info@pinecrestgardens.org