A Plant Geek in South Florida - Lincoln Road Mall

One of the best photography tips I have read seems very obvious - take your camera with you wherever you go.  While we were in Florida my brother had to go to Miami Beach to check on a piece of furniture, and being always up for an adventure, we tagged along.  After some disappointing news at the furniture store, we walked into the mall to see what we could see and to get a bight to eat as well.  Now for someone who works in retail, I really can't stand shopping, but when I saw the mall I was glad I went, and very glad I had my camera.

There was once a trend in urban planning that aimed to inject new life into old retail corridors by turning streets into pedestrian malls.  With few exceptions, most of these efforts were failures, but I think Lincoln Road was one of the exceptions.  One look at the lush landscaping and the plant geek told his family he would meet them later for lunch, he had some pictures to take.

I did go in one other store while I was at the mall.  The photographer Peter Lik has one of his galleries on Lincoln Road.  I had never seen any of his work up close before, and the landscapes had me at a loss for words (a rare thing).  All of his work is printed on metal paper and the photos just glow.  I really thought they were lit from behind and electrified, but all the light is on the surface due to the paper.  It gave me big ideas.

A Plant Geek in South Florida - Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Part II, Fruit, Flowers and Freaks

Although I was totally amazed by the trees at Fairchild, there were many other items fighting for my attention.

I am not sure which banana this was, but I loved its flower.

As you might expect there were also many bromeliads.

The plant combo above was part of a much larger landscape, looked over by tall Bismarkii nobilis.

Flame Violet (Episcia cupreata)

Japanese Lantern (Hibiscus schizopetalus)

Plumeria

Gold Finger Plant (Juanulloa aurantica)

Cannonball Tree (Couroupita guianensis)

This waterlily had good company in the form of some Chihuly sculpture.

One of my favorite parts of Fairchild was the Madagascar garden. The thorny trunks on the left belong to Pachypodium lamerei.

I am not sure what this was lying on the floor of the rainforest garden.

Wax Jambu (Syzygium samarangense)

The size of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) would make any man tree feel proud.

African rainbow lizards were all over the garden, and they are also starting to show up on Florida's ever-increasing invasive species list.

This will end our visit to Fairchild Gardens, but if you would like to see more photos click here for my complete set. 

Up next from Florida, I enter a world far more foreign and exotic to me than any tropical garden - I go to a shopping mall.