Learn About the Garden

The Discovery Gardens are located to the right of our 900 and 800 wings.  The site is arranged as a large rectangle that is approximately 190 x 60 ft.  The Gardens will provide an enriched environment that will facilitate discovery and learning about plant development and diversity.  It will emphasize four levels of plant development through time with emphasis on Florida native plants.  The four interconnected gardens will represent plant development as follows:

In the first, “Fossil Plants”, will represent very early stages of plant development and will include such prehistoric plants as ferns, cycads, horsetails and ginkgo trees.

The second garden, “The Gymnosperms”, will represent cone-bearing plants such as pines, cypress, and other conifers.

The third garden, “The Angiosperms”, will represent flower and seed bearing plants, including monocots and dicots such as magnolia, oak, palms, herbs and grasses.

The fourth garden, “Commercial Production”, will include citrus and vegetables cultivated by Florida.

A wide range of plant families will be represented and special sections will include a butterfly garden, and annual and vegetable plantings by classrooms.  All plants will be permanently labeled with common name, scientific name, plant family, and place of origin.  The plant donor’s name will also be placed on the label. 

The Millennium Discovery Gardens will not only add aesthetic value to a rough and poorly drained site but educational value as well.  The gardens will provide educational opportunities for students and teachers to learn about the following:

1. Plant diversity as has occurred through time.

2. The development of plants from simple to complex.

3. Basic botany of diverse plants.

4. Fundamentals of plant taxonomy.

5. Structure and function of diverse plant parts.

6. Recognition of basic plant types and evolutionary groups of plants.

7. Recognition of plants native to Florida.

8. Fauna attracted by various angiosperms.  Examples:  birds and insects

9. Commercial citrus grove:  appearance, flowering and fruiting cycles.

10. Commercial vegetables:  appearance and production cycles.

The Gardens will provide year round curriculum activities and experiment opportunities for our students in the areas of recycling, ecosystems, and environmental science.  Students will be able to perform soil tests, create a worm compost, enhance their microscopic explorations, and perform other activities and experiments too numerous to mention.  The enrichment and hands-on interaction provided by these gardens will bring science at WMSS to new and higher levels.