Remarkable Florida Garden Is Devastated But Will Recover

Horticulturalist Gene Joyner surveys an uprooted bread-nut tree on his property. Before the storm, Joyner had more than 1,500 varieties of plants. He hasn't been able to survey his property to see what he's lost because there are so many fallen trees. (Photo: Shannon O'Brien/The Palm Beach Post)

Longtime Palm Beach Post gardening columnist Gene Joyner's landmark Florida garden is one of the casualties of this year's tropical storm season. Joyner's Unbelievable Acres Botanic Gardens was a 35-year backyard project and labor of love. It was reduced to a woodpile by Hurricane Frances in mid-September.

?EUR??,,????'??What I have is a forest on its side,?EUR??,,????'?? he told the South Florida Sun Sentinal.

Joyner, who also spent many years as a professional urban forester, had transformed a 2.5-acre backyard into a jungle wonderland lush with more than 1,200 varieties of plants, including palms, oaks, shrubs, orchids and dozens of rare tropical fruit trees.

Until September, Joyner's preserve had been enjoying unprecedented media attention with features on television and in newspapers and magazines. In a twist of irony, the gardens had just been featured in September's issue of Southern Living magazine.

While damage is extensive, many of Joyner's trees survive and he vows to nurse it back to health. He plans to reopen it to public tours by January. Friends of the garden are lining up to help clean up the mess-which would cost an estimated $40,000 to hire a crew to clean up. Anyone who wants to help is invited to phone Joyner at (561) 233-1754 or (561) 686-6687.