The board members of the Palmetto Bay Garden Club formally presented the Garden of the Year Award to Dr. Lloyd Wruble at their last meeting before summer break on Tuesday, May 27.
Dr. Wruble, a resident since 1971, was recognized for creating what outgoing Garden Club president Richard Dorn called an “amazing” garden blending traditional subtropical urban landscaping with a natural wonder of South Florida.
“He created a bit of the Everglades,” Dorn said. “It looks just like the Everglades. He has cypress trees, and the cypress knees. It’s so unusual and it’s remarkable what he’s done.”
Dr. Wruble said in an interview two days after the presentation that he was motivated by the fact that he has been visiting the Everglades for 30 years and loves the area. But it took a natural disaster to prompt the beginning of his project.
“Hurricane Andrew knocked down the grove that was on my property and uprooted all the trees, so I thought I’d try using native plants that I see in the Everglades,” Wruble said. “I have a friend who helped. It took about a year and a half to do one portion and another year to do another portion. I did it in two portions. I wanted to see if I could do it first, and I liked what I saw so I increased the size.”
Dr. Wruble said that it meant a lot to him to be recognized by the members of the Garden Club with this year’s annual award.
“I’m very pleased,” Wruble said. “I like other people to appreciate what I appreciate, and I’m glad they think the same way that I do. They seemed to enjoy themselves looking at it, and that gives me enjoyment.”
This coming fall the Palmetto Bay Garden Club will start its fifth year. Founded for educational and charitable purposes, the mission of the Palmetto Bay Garden Club is to promote horticulture understanding and beautification of the community. Meetings take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month, September through May, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Ludovici Park Library complex in the Edward and Arlene Feller Community Room.
Each meeting has a speaker who is a professional in his or her field of gardening, cultivating and landscape architecture. The club also schedules field trips throughout the year that are of interest to gardeners.
To join the Palmetto Bay Garden Club or for information contact Cecilia Best at 305- 255-3894 or by email at ckbest@att.net, or Jeanne Bunten at 305-253-8056 or by email at bjsplace66@yahoo.com.
