Garden Spotlight: Bruce J. Host Northeast Branch Library
Funded by the Seed of Knowledge Library Demonstration Garden Grant
Location: 5513 Thomasville Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32312
The Seeds of Knowledge Library Demonstration Garden Grant brings the beauty and importance of Florida’s native plants to community spaces, creating opportunities for gathering and learning while supporting local biodiversity.
The Florida Wildflower Foundation and garden clubs go way back — all the way to the very beginning! Not only did the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs play a critical role in our founding, but garden clubs remain on the frontlines of what gets planted in yards and urban landscapes across the state.
In Leon County, the Babies Breath Circle of the Tallahassee Garden Club has been working to support pollinators and other wildlife at the Bruce J. Host Northeast Branch Library by adding native plants to the landscape. Along the way, they leveraged funding from the National Garden Club’s Plant America grant, Apalachee Audubon Society’s Bruce Fusaco Conservation Grant, and our Seeds of Knowledge grant to create a beautiful native plant garden now bustling with life.
Photo by Emily Bell
To get the garden started, volunteers enlisted local expert Donna Legare, former owner of Native Nurseries, to help with plant selection, design and a maintenance plan. When they received the Seeds of Knowledge grant, FWF’s North Florida Programs Coordinator, Marina Mertz, provided additional guidance. Through this process, the garden circle volunteers not only gained a wonderful education in native plant gardening — they also created a beautiful public-facing demonstration area. They’ve observed a vast increase in bee and butterfly diversity compared to the original non-native landscaping, which has only deepened their own excitement about maintaining the space. Public response has been positive, and the garden circle has participated in education tours and outreach at the library.
A note from the garden:
Watching our wildflowers establish themselves as they improve the surrounding earth and air, I think of how their unique properties nurture local birds and regional pollinators. The setting is perfect for the library behind the garden that supports us in a similar manner. We are given specialized resources, a welcoming community, and means for our own self-development. Through their uplifting interplay, the library and garden enhance each other and our environment.
— Veronica Donnelly, Tallahassee Garden Club, Babies Breath Circle
Learn more about the Winter Park Library Garden:
- Bruce J. Host Library garden page
- Bruce J. Host Northeast Branch Library Project – Native Plant and Wildflower Demonstration Garden Rosalynn Carter Monarch Butterfly Trail Extension to Tallahassee