Enhancement Projects

Future Projects

The Outdoor Working Garden

The Therapeutic Horticulture Program at Wilmot Botanical Gardens is limited to indoor greenhouse gardening at present because of the absence of an accessible outdoor venue for gardening activities. We envision a 3,000-square-foot working garden with vertical wall planters, trellises, raised and at-grade planters, espaliers, and wheelchair-accessible planters to facilitate hands-on involvement outdoors. The plan includes shelters from rain and sun and a centrally located water source for drinking and gardening activities. The incorporation of extra-wide sidewalks to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers and other mobility devices will ensure 100 percent accessibility for our participants, a guiding principle for all facilities at Wilmot Botanical Gardens. Lighting will also be incorporated in the design to permit evening activities and special events. The addition of a spacious, outdoor working garden will permit a doubling or more of the number of individuals we can serve, and it will greatly expand the types of gardening activities we can provide.

Conference Center Patio

Wilmot Botanical Gardens plans to expand visual and physical access to the Chapman Healing Garden from the conference center by constructing an adjacent patio area overlooking the site. The patio area would provide additional space for the public and for therapeutic horticulture participants to relax and enjoy the gardens. This construction project would also include some much needed updates to the conference center itself, including the creation of direct access to the patio through French doors, thereby creating a more cohesive reception space that takes full advantage of the center’s natural setting.

Lighting

As a living historic landmark, Wilmot Botanical Gardens strives to be an accessible and welcoming space for the public. To make the gardens more secure, especially in the evening hours, and to enable the gardens to host evening events, additional lighting needs to be placed along the main pathways. This would allow visitors to enjoy the gardens at dusk and into the early evening.

Completed Projects

Expansion of the Hippocratic Garden (2023)

On April 27th the gardens hosted the unveiling of the statue of Hippocrates located in the Hippocratic Garden, another of our eight specialty gardens. The focal point of the statue is a 30-inch bronze bust of Hippocrates created by the sculptor, Vangelis Ilias, in his studio in Athens, Greece. This commissioned, life-size bust sits atop a 4-foot pedestal carved from Pentelic marble. The presence of the statue serves to underscore the continued importance of the principles of Hippocrates in our teaching and clinical care at UF.


Ben and Renee Bolusky Garden (2023)

Ben and Renee Bolusky Garden was designed, constructed and funded by the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA). Members of Frontrunners, the local chapter of FNGLA under the direction of their president, Mr. Mike Gianikas, Landscapes Unlimited, were instrumental in initiating this project and bringing it to a successful conclusion. This beautiful garden is located on the northeast corner of Wilmot Botanical Gardens.


Mendenhall Family Camellia Walk

Mendenhall Family Camellia Walk (2020)

The Mendenhall Family Camellia Walk, located in the southeast section of the Wilmot Botanical Gardens was made possible by a generous gift from Drs. William and Nancy Mendenhall in July 2020. Their gift to the gardens was made in consideration of the Mendenhall’s abiding interest in and love for the University of Florida and in gratitude for the Mendenhall family’s education at UF. This handsome addition to the Wilmot Botanical Gardens is intended to provide another peaceful green-space option for quiet reflection by UF Health patients, their families, faculty, employees, students, and garden visitors.


Gordy Garden

Gordy Camellia Garden (2018)

The Gordy Camellia Garden is located just east near the Lifestyle Garden and Track. The camellias in this garden were obtained from the private garden of Clarence and Lillian Gordy of Ocala, Florida.


Chapman Healing Garden

Chapman Healing Garden (2017)

The Chapman Healing Garden is located south of the Conference Center at Wilmot Botanical Gardens. The garden provides another venue for patients and the public to experience the therapeutic benefits of green spaces, more specifically by offering an abundance of sensory experiences related to plants including their fragrance, texture, shape and color as well as an auditory stimulation from a water feature. The Chapman Healing Garden was made possible by a generous donation from The Dr. Jules B. Chapman and Annie Lou Chapman Private Foundation.


Japanese maple

Japanese Maple Tree Garden (2015)

The Japanese Maple Tree Garden which features a collection of more than 30 rare Japanese maple trees is located on the eastside of the gardens. Identifiable by a Genkan, or traditional Japanese entryway constructed of redwood and cedar, the Japanese Maple Tree Garden adds a new dimension to Wilmot’s foliage, with brilliant colors in the fall and spring and delicate green leaves during the summer. This garden was made possible by a generous donation from Dr. and Mrs. Johannes Vieweg who also contributed the maple trees from Dr. Vieweg’s personal collection.


The Greenhouse at Wilmot Botanical Gardens

The Greenhouse at Wilmot Botanical Gardens (2014)

This greenhouse is one of the most important additions to Wilmot Botanical Gardens since the restoration efforts began in 2006. The facility provides more than 2,700 square feet of climate-controlled space for gardening activities as well as an additional 900 square feet of office and reception space. It houses the therapeutic horticulture program which allows individuals to benefit from the healing power of gardening and provides a venue for the gardens’ research into the benefits of therapeutic horticulture. The greenhouse was made possible through generous gifts from private donors and gifts in kind.


Hippocratic Garden

Hippocratic Garden (2010)

As of 2010 the Hippocratic Garden serves as the site of the UF College of Medicine’s Hippocratic Award ceremony that is held each spring. The garden boasts a sycamore tree that is believed to be a cutting from the original tree located on the Greek Isle of Kos under which Hippocrates taught medicine, according to legend.


Lifestyle Garden and Track

Lifestyle Garden and Track (2010)

A 60-meter accessible track constructed of joint friendly materials graces the southern edge of the gardens, quite near the UF Shands Medical Plaza and the Davis Cancer Pavilion. Built for a research project by the Institute on Aging to examine the effects of exercise on cognitive function in elderly adults, it now serves as a shady activity zone and gathering area for patients, staff, faculty and the public. The track, which is open year-around for all to use, encircles a lovely garden and patio replete with seating.


Wilmot Botanical Gardens Hub

Garden Hub (2009)

A beautifully patterned brick paver hub that is reminiscent of a DNA helix and features an ever-changing seasonal garden bed links several of the gardens’ pathways, making the garden more accessible to those in wheelchairs and with mobility issues. The plantings are changed out multiple times a year.


Bromeliad

Bromeliad Garden (2009)

The Bromeliad Garden is located along the north side of the gardens and features several varieties of this unique family of plants. Wilmot Botanical Gardens’ bromeliads were donated and planted by the local chapter of the Bromeliad Society and volunteers.