Florida Flowers and Gardens: A Day at Lakes Regional Park

Lakes Regional Park is a popular recreational area in the heart of South Fort Myers. It began as a man-made area where rock was quarried during the 1960s. Lee County purchased the area in 1978, and in 1982, ground was broken for the development of recreational facilities. The 279-acre park has 158 acres of fresh water lakes for swimming, fishing and canoeing. A 2.5-mile paved path is available for running, roller blades and biking. In 1991, The Fragrance Garden was introduced, and in 1995 the Miniature Railroad opened for business. The train ride runs beside the lake through a tunnel and past several displays, such as scale villages, towns and natural areas. There are also pavilions with BBQ grills or pits for picnics, concession stands, boat and bike rentals, free internet access at Wi-Fi hotspots, and a weekly farmers market.

In 2004, The Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation was established by citizens who recognize Lakes Park as an important green area in Lee County. Together with Lee County Parks and Recreation, the Foundation will implement a Master Plan to have a botanical garden which ranks with the best in Florida.

On February 20, 2012, members of the Estero Island Garden Club and friends visited Lakes Park with docent Wesley Higgins.

The entrance to the Community Garden

The first stop was the Community Garden. In the Community Garden, there are 72 beds that are available for the public to use. It costs $50. per year, and there is a waiting list of people who want to garden in the beds. When there is extra food produced, as much as 40 pounds in recent months, it is donated to a food kitchen in the area. All plot rental proceeds go to the future Botanic Garden as well as other projects at Lakes Regional Park.

Beds in the Community Garden

Notice that the area is fenced in, and there are watering stations with garden hoses within the area.

Garden beds with the gazebo in the Fragrance Garden in the background

Another view of the beds

A view of the beds toward the entrance to the garden

An individual bed

Individual beds

A bed with Asian eggplant

Docent Wesley Higgins

Bonnie, Margaret and Judy in the Community Garden

Gloria admiring a garden bed

The beds have flowers as well as vegetables, in this case, beautiful, tall sunflowers.

A map of Lakes Park

Entrance to the Fragrance Garden

The walkway toward the gazebo

The gazebo

A beautiful bush called “Starburst.”

A lovely little garden with a lattice in the back and Cranberry Hibiscus, among other plants

A close-up of a Cranberry Hibiscus

An Angel Trumpet plant

A close-up of a Crinum

Diane admiring a rose

A close-up of the rose

The Peace Garden

In the middle of this garden is a “Peace Pole,” donated by The America the Beautiful Fund. The six-foot white vinyl Peace Pole is inscribed with the words, “May Peace Be in Our Homes and Community” on two sides and with the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” on the other two sides. There are over 200,000 peace poles in more than 180 countries.

A bromeliad garden under a tree

Bromeliads proliferate easily

A row of pink gladiolus borders the cactus garden.

The gladiolus with the cactus garden behind

The cactus garden

The gazebo and cactus garden

A Ponytail palm

The cactus and gazebo

There are yucca plants, prickly pear cactus and crown of thorns to name a few of these plants

Euphorbia

Margaret and the circular cactus garden

The circular cactus garden and gazebo in the background

A Queen’s Wreath Vine-covered arbor

Entrance to the rose garden

A passion flower on the portal into the rose garden

A gazebo and rose garden

A “Princess Elizabeth” rose bush

An “oasis” with bridge and pool

Notice the high-rise building in the background. It’s a reminder that we are still in the middle of the city, and this is an oasis in more ways than one.