NAPLES, Fla. — In Southwest Florida sits a 170-acre world-class garden paradise.
Inside the Naples Botanical Garden sits endless floral beauty from rainforest scenery to waterlily-laden pools.
WATCH: Tropic flora thrive at Naples Botanical Garden
Opening in 2009, the Naples Botanical Garden has impressively become the youngest garden in history to receive the prestigious Garden Excellence Award.
"That's really unusual to be as young as we are," Vice President of Education and Interpretation, Britt Patterson-Weber, said. "We're not associated with any estate or anything like that. We started as a massive ecosystem restoration project, and then the designed cultivated gardens came after that."
A memorable sight from the moment you arrive, guests will immediately spot a colorful ceramic mural in the Brazilian Garden painted by Brazilian-born Roberto Burle Marx, who is considered the father of modern landscape of architecture. It's Marx's only mural on public display in North America.
"It really was designed to be a showstopper when you walk down that entry and get that first glimpse of the waterfall in the mural, too," Weber said.
Although Marx started as a painter, his contributions to both horticulture and conservation are equally impressive.
"There are over 100 different plants that are named after him, either because he bought them, you know, discovered them for science, or because he used them in his works," Weber said.
Visitors are guaranteed to find serenity within the gardens as they venture around the botanicals surrounded by water features.
"We have about two acres of water gardens here at the Botanical Gardens, which is a lot of water," Weber said. "So out here right now, we have our Victoria water lilies. They'll just get bigger and bigger and bigger. Each one of those leaves can get to be about six feet across, which is wild."
Each year the Naples Botanical Gardens competes with other botanical gardens in a competition to see who can grow the strongest lily pad.
"And last year we were able to put one hundred thirty-five pounds, and we would have won the competition if we didn't run out of sandbags," Weber said.
Inside the spot's Caribbean Garden, visitors can gaze upon the portlandia plant, native to Jamaica. Weber says the Naples Botanical Gardens is one of only four gardens in the world with porltandias.
"We try, you know, to prevent plants from going extinct, and so that we don't want to be the only garden with something in its collection, so we make sure to share our plant material in that way," Weber said.
The gardens even grows tropical fruit such as bananas and breadfruit, which is a showstopper for guests.
Surrounded by 90 acres of natural areas, reaching your step goal is no issue in this area.
"When you think of where Naples Botanical Garden is located, like we are really only twelve minutes from Fifth Avenue, from Downtown Naples, and we've got wilderness here," Weber said. "We have trail cameras throughout our native habitats, there's bobcats, there's deer and there's foxes. To us, it's important that those animals are here, especially the top-level predators and those herbivores that are eating plants, and to us, that means that we've got a healthy plant community."
The important ecosystem in Southwest Florida can be seen clearly within the botanical gardens. Come see this tropical escape for yourself, meander along the tranquil trails, and soak in the unique beauty of the Gulf Coast.
"Plants are not optional," Weber said. 'We all need plants to live, and they are an indispensable part of our lives, and oh my gosh, aren't they cool?"
Watch "Finding Florida" each Sunday at 10 a.m. on WPTV!
