Page 21 - 2018 Art-i-facts Jan-Feb

Camellia japonica 'Pope John XXIII.' Photo courtesy of Bok Tower Gardens.

Full Bloom Ahead! Peak Bloom Celebration

February 1 - March 31 Abloom with Music and More
Bok Tower Gardens Like the blooms that fill the Gardens, live music will delight visitors
throughout the two-month festival. The visual centerpiece of the
National Historic Landmark is the 205-foot art deco and neo-Gothic
Bok Tower Gardens rings in the spring blooming season with an all- Singing Tower, a pink marble and coquina stone architectural
new festival dedicated to highlighting the cultural and horticultural treasure that houses one of the world’s finest carillons. The 60 carillon
arts. Peak Bloom celebrates the majesty of Mother Nature, a full bells ring every half hour and during daily concerts at 1 and 3 p.m.
calendar of events and beautiful floral displays in each room of
Pinewood Estate from February 1 through March 31. Concerts will be offered on the Blue Palmetto Café terrace on
selected Sunday afternoons. A concert listing will be available at
During this annual rite of spring, visitors can observe more than www.boktowergardens.org.
150 varieties of camellias and hundreds of azaleas along with nun’s
orchids, irises, coral bean, Mexican flame vine, and other flowering Peak Bloom Walking Tours
plants as they create an explosion of color throughout the Gardens. Visitors can enjoy guided walking tour of the Gardens in bloom
Since the exact date range is hard to predict, guests are encouraged to Monday-Friday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tours
return throughout the bloom season to experience Mother Nature’s depart from the Visitor Center.
ever-changing palette of colors— and to take plenty of pictures.
Peak Bloom at Pinewood Estate
“Azaleas steal the show, “says Greg Kramer, Gardens’ director of The jewel of Bok Tower Gardens, Pinewood Estate will blossom with
horticulture. “And the best time to visit is February through the first specially designed floral displays located throughout the 20-room,
few weeks of March while the bloom cycles for camellias and azaleas Mediterranean-style 1930s winter retreat. The estate is open for
are overlapping,” Kramer said. historical tours daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for an additional fee.

Violas, snapdragons, dianthus, delphiniums, holly hocks and other What began as nearly 50 acres of woodland gardens designed by
annuals also escort the arrival of spring with glorious displays of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. has grown to more than 600 acres of
color. Trees in bloom include native plums and deciduous magnolias. woodland gardens, nature trails, conservation lands and groves.

Art-i-facts • A Publication of the Polk Arts Alliance 21