Great masses of hougahivillea surround the home of Mrs. James K. Clark at Palm Beach. This is one of the most 
striking of Florida’s many beautiful flowers which do not succeed in the North. Cocoanut and date palms are in 
the foreground of the picture, with royal palms in the background at left and right 
GARDEN CITIES OF THE SOUTH 
The Flowers, Trees and Shrubs: of Palm Beach and Other Famous Places—A 
Surprising Mingling of Northern and Southern Plants 
GEORGE W. SUTTON. JR. 
A S school children we were informed in our 
^ study of history that a gentleman named 
Ponce de Leon made a voyage of discovery to 
the southeastern tip of our country in cjuest of 
a legendary Fountain 
of Youth. We were 
taught, further, that 
he failed to find it. 
Later developments, 
however, seem to in¬ 
dicate that the im¬ 
pressions thus gained 
are not quite in ac¬ 
cordance with the 
facts. The truth ap¬ 
pears to be that Sefior 
de Leon really found 
the nepenthe for 
which he had traveled 
so many miles, but 
failed to recognize it. 
Doubtless he was 
seeking an actual 
fountain, of jeweled 
marble, surrounded 
by alluring young cen- 
tury-old nymphs, 
whereas the elixir of 
perennial adolescence 
which was the oljject 
of his visit consisted 
only of the balmy, 
restful, health-giving 
air around him—the 
wonderful Florida 
climate with its al¬ 
most unbelievable 
wealth of vegetation. 
It has been said 
and pretty conclusively proved that almost 
anything will grow in a Florida garden. The 
climate seems to breathe instantaneous life 
into every kind of vegetation. Therefore, it 
Of all parts of the United States, the South seems especially to call for water in the landscape 
scheme. It is utilized well here on the property of F. .4. Hardy, Esq., at Augusta, Georgia 
has been feasible to introduce many of the 
flowers, vines and bushes indigenous to more 
northerly climates. Phlox fares particularly 
well in Florida, seeming to adopt a more vivid 
coloring and greater 
size than in the North. 
Great fields of this 
colorful flower are not 
an uncommon sight in 
some of the Southern 
towns, while coreop¬ 
sis, hibiscus and ox- 
alis flourish to a sur¬ 
prising extent. 
Among the native 
plants the Bignonia 
venusla or flame vine 
is perhaps the most 
spectacular. This 
vine, with its rapid 
growth and its masses 
of brilliant orange 
flowers, is adaptable 
to some wonderful 
landscape results. 
Among the other flora 
found particularly in 
this winter play¬ 
ground are the ever¬ 
present bougainvil¬ 
leas, as well as the 
poinsettia, magnolia, 
palmetto, yucca, the 
andromeda, with its 
white and pink flow¬ 
ers, the aster-like yel¬ 
low and red gaillar- 
dia, oleander, salvia, 
the Vinca roseiim or 
