These photos are of the garden of Dr. John Rossi during the CFPACS + FCPS Fall Meeting.  John was a wonderful host and has an impressive garden.  To give you an idea of the challenges he overcomes to have such a splendid garden, these are the averages and records for Hastings, FL:

 

 

This is a map that we received to help us explore the sections of the property we were most interested in before the formal tour.

This is part of the walking path around the pond where most of the common cold hardy palms are planted, including Washingtonias and Queens:

Another part of the trail around the pond.  You can see Tiki Key in the background:

The footbridge that takes you to Tiki Key:

Another picture from the path around the pond:

A picture of the driveway heading toward the parking area:

The succulent garden.

Palms lining the driveway:

More palms toward the end of the driveway:

Yep, a bottle palm.  This one had an interesting protection method associated with it.  During the freeze in January, John pulled in the driveway, parked the truck near it with the hood open and the engine running.

A picture of the backside of Tiki Key from the walking path:

You can see the observation deck on Tiki Key in this picture:

This is a view of the pond and the fountain:

A view of the pond and the shaded portion of the walking path:

A view of the pond, the cabin and some of the common cold hardy palms from the shaded path:

A clump of bananas near the woods:

A miniature Chusan Palm:

A view of the pond and the shaded path from near the cabin:

When you cross the footbridge to Tiki Key, this is what greets you:

Tiki Key has a fireplace:

Tiki Key also has it's own bar:

Tiki Key also has a hammock:

Tiki Key has coconuts:

A view of the front of the property from the observation deck above the bar on Tiki Key:

A view of the cabin and walking path from the observation tower on Tiki Key:

Wow, very impressive! Especially for N. Florida. 

The shoreline from the observation deck on Tiki Key:

The dock on Tiki Key from the observation deck:

Some folks coming back from their visit to Tiki Key:

The was the last palm I noticed on my way back to the car.  A phoenix theophrasti:

Very nice, I like gardens with a sense of humor, thanks for posting !

Thanks for the pictures!

That is a nice little piece of paradise!     I remain jealous 

Bottle Palms and Coconuts in Hastings! What a spot! Back in the day at UF, Hastings was a beer stop on the way to the beach. I always thought they grew potatoes. Thank you for the show!

wow beautiful picks! what an incredible zone challenging garden

For those that liked the pictures I posted, CFPACS posted their own on their Facebook account.  The did a better job labeling the various types of palms in the pictures (in some cases, they were mislabeled).  You don't have to log in or anything to go through the photo album.  I posted this link in the Affiliates section, but I'll post it again here as well for those that want to see more of the garden:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Nonprofit-Organization/Central-Florida-Palm-Cycad-Society-145851341806/

Dr. John and his assistant Jenny do a fantastic job of protecting the palms in the landscape. 

Thanks so much for posting this! Fabulous! 

For those who would prefer a video tour, there is one on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm-p_9NbkrE

This tour is narrated by David Casella.  Enjoy!

Great garden sorry I missed that trip. 

Wow!  This is a must visit for sure.  I love the protection method for the bottle Palm, that is something I would totally do.  Thank you for sharing Jeremy.

Wow, that's amazing! I wonder why he hasn't tried any royal palms? I see he has coconuts but I suppose he protects them or replaces them annualy? I didn't see too many lady palms either which would look nice there too. Very impressive! Does he spend all day every day tending to that garden??

25 minutes ago, chinandega81 said:

Wow, that's amazing! I wonder why he hasn't tried any royal palms? I see he has coconuts but I suppose he protects them or replaces them annualy? I didn't see too many lady palms either which would look nice there too. Very impressive! Does he spend all day every day tending to that garden??

He has Royals, I just didn't get a photo of one.  I think he does protect the coconuts.  No, he does work at his practice.  It's amazing he can keep up with it all.  Not sure if he still has his garden assistant as well or not, but he did say he had a bunch of new species last time we talked.

For those who enjoyed the photos of this garden and would like to see it in person, the 2021 Holiday CFPACS meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held at this garden.  This is subject to change due to circumstances between now and then, but if you are up for a garden visit come December 2021, mark your calendars and keep an eye out for our meeting posts in the Affiliate News and Meeting Dates section of the site.  Additionally, http://cfpacs.com/org/ .

Time flies... three years later, we're slated return as this private garden will soon become St. Johns Botanical Garden:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/71053-central-florida-palm-cycad-society-holiday-meeting-sat-12042021/