American Orchid Society

The AOS Botanical Garden features a 2,000-sq. ft. orchid greenhouse and 3 1/2 acres of orchids and tropical/exotic flowering trees, palms and native Florida plants. In slightly less than a decade, the AOS facility has become a first-class attraction for Florida visitors as well as residents.

The 4,000 sq.ft. Bauman Display Greenhouse contains rotating orchid displays presented in the midst of outstanding tropical plants like a chocolate tree (Theobroma cacao). The Orchid Court and Formal Lawn area welcome visitors to the outdoor section of the Botanical Garden. Extensive demonstration areas complete the Botanical Garden.

Greenhouses

Two waterfalls add elegance to the Bauman Greenhouse. The larger of the two forms a 14-foot cascade that is the backdrop of a small pond and wooden bridge in the main display section. On view are usually several species of vanilla orchids (Vanilla spp.) along with seasonal bloomers such as the clamshell orchid/octopus orchid (Prosthechea cochleata) in September and October. This unusual orchid has a clam-shaped bloom with sepals and petals that dangle like tentacles of an octopus.

The smaller of the two waterfalls, donated by the Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society, enhances the smaller greenhouse section that houses a 13-foot display “cork tree.” This display tree is constructed of PVC pipe, concrete, wires and screws finished with a fa√ßade of 600 lbs. of cork. Blooming orchids, bromeliads (relatives of pineapple), ferns and vines cling to the cork and demonstrate how epiphytes grow upon trees in their natural habitats.

Visitors can view the AOS collection of more than 5,000 orchid plants in the Production Greenhouse through viewing windows in the display greenhouse. Production and conservation of the AOS collection are the main tasks in this facility. It is not open to the public.

Outdoor Garden Spaces

Visitors pass though the Orchid Court and the Formal Lawn area on their ways to the more informal garden areas. The Orchid Court, immediately adjacent to the Visitors Center, owes its cool elegance to a waterwall, traditional fountain and bordering massed plantings of thatch palms (Thrinax spp.). The Formal Lawn area with its spacious carpet of grass extends from the Orchid Court to the substantial Jungle Garden. Tropical trees such as Japanese mahogany palms (Satakentia liukiuensis) edge this tranquil area.

The Jungle Garden has a tumbling waterfall and small pond at its center. From this point, visitors can explore paths that circle through the realistic displays. Included here are orchids, brugmansias, and plants such as the allspice tree (Pimenta dioca), jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Buddha’s belly bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris ‘Warmin’), baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) and rose of Venezuela (Brownea coccinea forma grandiflora).

The Florida Native Plants Garden features a 30-foot-diameter Native American-inspired chickee hut that resembles a European-type gazebo, used as an outdoor classroom and for special events. An “Old Florida” atmosphere that continues into the Everglades Boardwalk area spans a cypress (Taxodium spp.) swamp. Some of the native and endangered plants displayed here are lignum vitae (Guaiacum sanctum), silk floss tree (Ceiba speciosa) and live oak (Quercus virginiana).

The Vaughn Garden located between the Florida Native Plants Garden and the Orchid Court is the smallest of the outdoor garden spaces. It is dedicated to the Vaughn family who shared their estate in West Palm Beach with AOS for sixteen years before the society moved to its present Delray Beach location. This garden space contains a reflecting pool, the first orchid collected by Lewis Vaughn and other orchids like the ones found on the Vaughn’s original estate.

The AOS Visitors Center and Botanical Garden is open daily from 10am to 4:30pm except for Christmas and Thanksgiving. There is an admission charge.

©Text and photograph by Georgene A. Bramlage. 2008. Reproduction without permission prohibited.