Florida's Secret Garden

Southern Living, Mar 2004 by Thompson, Annette

Tucked into steep ravines on the banks of the St. Johns River, this long-forgotten Eden still flowers profusely in early spring.

Hope emerges in the delicate blooms of branching azaleas at Ravine Gardens State Park. Each spring, this hidden spot shouts out in brilliant pastels amid brambles and towering oaks.

Almost dismissed as a relic of a by-gone era, the partly wild park refuses to die. Instead, gorgeous blossoms raise their heads each year in the backwaters of the sleepy town of Palatka, Florida, about an hour south of Jacksonville and east of Gainesville.

The Original Promise

Ravine Gardens State Park began with a lofty goal: to create a tourism industry in an out-of-the-way place. The Federal Works Progress Administration employed approximately 2,000 men here between 1933 and 1939. They painstakingly grubbed out the 59 acres and planted 95,000 azaleas. They also added 11,000 palm trees and 250,000 ornamental plants.

The park's heyday occurred in the forties and fifties, and then Florida State Parks took over the property in the seventies. Although they don't have the resources to finely manicure the grounds, the agency tends them lovingly, maintaining a wonderful destination for those fortunate enough to seek out its glories.

An Azalea Eden

The undiscovered garden rambles over precipitous hillsides and is surrounded by 1.8 miles of paved road. The peak flowering season runs from January to April. In March visitors can see breathtaking azaleas and camellias.

Sago palms love the ravines, as do many volunteer native azaleas. Aggressive Boston ferns spread over the land too. Above them, magnolias and overly mature live oaks form the canopy. In the picnic area, knobby knees of cypress poke out of the creek to make a handsome backdrop.

Formed by underground springs trying to get down to the St. Johns River, these steephead ravines are unlike common, V-shaped gullies. The sides reach 120 feet above sea level-veritable hills for Florida. More than 90 different springs seep through the loamy soil, creating two creeks that join and run to the river.

When you come, plan to spend several hours exploring and enjoying the scenery. Six observation decks overlook the ravines, all accessible from the one-way loop road. Two of the three original suspension bridges remain. Birds and wildlife roam; if it's particularly quiet, you may spy foxes, bobcats, and otters.

The loop road closes to vehicles at 4:30 p.m. each day, remaining open to pedestrians, bicycles, and wheelchairs till dusk. It's the best time to visit, when the breezes gently stir the blossoms. Chances are, you'll have most of the place to yourself-your own little secret garden. ANNETTE THOMPSON

Ravine Gardens State Park: 1600 Twigg Street, Palatka, FL 32177; (386) 329-3721. Hours: 8 a.m.-sunset. Admission: $4.25 per vehicle, $1 pedestrians.