Nature Coast Botanical Gardens

An oasis of serenity in Spring Hill, several acres of compact garden rooms make up the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens. Each delights the senses with an ever-changing array of blooms and colors.

Resources

Overview

Location: Spring Hill
Address: 1489 Parker Ave, Spring Hill
Fees: Free, donations appreciated
Open daily from dawn to dusk

Land Manager: Spring Hill Garden Club
Phone: 352-683-9933

Leashed pets welcome. Their on-site nursery is open Monday and Saturday from 9-noon. Your purchases help support the gardens.

Directions

From US 19 in Spring Hill, turn west along Spring Hill Drive. Make a left on Parker Avenue, just past the Bank of America. The garden entrance is up one block on the left, across from a residential area.

Details

As you wind along the garden pathways, enjoy the serenity that comes with a walk in a garden. We walked in a counterclockwise loop, taking the side loops wherever we found them.

Main entrance to the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens

In all, with some minor backtracking to explore the Oriental Tea Garden, the Palm Garden, and the Rain Forest, we walked a half mile.

Admiring the ferns in the Rain Forest

The east side of the gardens benefit from a tree canopy – what remains of the original sandhill habitat that blanketed this area – so plants that enjoy deep shade thrive here. You’ll discover more open sun-washed spaces at the Rose Garden, the Picnic Area, the Butterfly Garden, and the Desert Scape, which amused us with its colorful thematic art.

In the sun-drenched Desert Garden

With its bold, colorful mosaics, the Fantasy Garden caught our imaginations.

Mosaic floor in the center of the Fantasy Garden

We found the Oriental Tea Garden a peaceful, welcoming space.

The Oriental Tea Garden at Nature Coast Botanical Gardens

As we rambled from garden to garden beneath the canopy of oaks, I started mentally tallying all of the different garden rooms. By the time we reached the kiosk near the nursery, I discovered my count was low. There are 22 themed gardens within the complex, which covers less than five acres. Since the first plantings took place in 1994, the gardens are quite mature, as is the canopy knit above by the sand live oaks.

A mature tree canopy shades much of the gardens

Each thematic area is cared for by a lead volunteer. Show up on Saturdays and you might catch the garden railroad in action: it circles the waterfall that adjoins the Rain Forest.