Hollis Gardens

There are many parks in lakeland focused on water. Usually they are left natural, with plants taken care of and benches provided for people to sit and relax and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. Hollis gardens is an exception and I love it ! The first and second picture is from the inside of the main entranceway. They change the flowers as the seasons change.


I love to go there with a camera and take pictures of what's blooming in any given month. It helps me to know (more or less) what might survive in my gardens at the same time. There is also usually someone on hand more than willing to talk with you about any of the plants.

People use the entrance stairs, benches, flowers frequently for weddings. The park is still open, but they ask people to remain away from this main area. In the second photo you can see the sluice which goes from the main entrance down to Lake Mirror, a small round lake with a fountain in the middle.





This photo is of a fountain (not running at the moment), the source of the water for the sluice. I love the sound of the water splashing, seems to make everything feel so much cooler.

You can see the fountain just to the right of center in the middle of the small lake.








Swans are the Lakeland 'icon' and there are many statues around the city. Lake Morton has many black and white swans that breed and are protected there. The kids from schools in the city decorated large swans that were sold and placed around town by various businesses.

These swans seem to be protecting the perimeter of the gardens.





In the gardens there is one section totally dedicated to butterfly gardening, a woodsy section complete with nesting birds and shade loving plants and trees. They have a few fruit trees, a water garden, shrubs, annuals and perennials. The main area of the gardens is divided into rooms with a predominant color in each - like this white room.















There are flowers all along the borders outside the gardens as well as inside. These are some cool weather hollyhocks. Just beautiful.











Along one sidewalk the fencing is a blue picket with gardens peeping out for people to enjoy. Right now there is a riotous colored bed of petunias all along the garden. Along the parking area are beautiful tiny pink roses that seem to defy the heat.