Morningside Park Palmetum

Help Save the Morningside Park Garden! 

“Longtime SFPS & IPS member Elvis Cruz is the primary caretaker of the magnificent palmetum at Morningside Park in Miami, Florida. This 3-acre garden was the defining element of the park’s original design in 1953. However the palm garden was neglected over time. The South Florida Palm Society adopted this jewel in the rough, and there are now nearly 200 palms representing over 125 species. The garden is enjoyed by the entire community. Elvis regularly conducts tours for school children and local horticulturalists. Alarmingly the city is considering demolishing the ENTIRE garden.” 

A public meeting will be held to discuss the fate of the Morningside Park Palmetum. If you reside in the Miami area, please try to attend and help protect this public treasure.”

Monday, November 29, 2021, at 6 pm,  

at the Morningside Park community building: 

750 NE 55 Terrace, Miami, FL, 33137

For those of you who cannot attend in person, please consider expressing your support of the Morningside Park Palmetum by emailing Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell: KRussell@miamigov.com

This extract is replicated via the IPS – Volume 9.11 • Nov. 2021 • Newsletter of the International Palm Society.

About the Morningside Park Palmetum…

Morningside Park has featured this Palmetum since the park opened in 1953. While a dozen or so of the original 1953 plantings remain, many palms were lost to attrition over time. The South Florida Palm Society (SFPS), in agreement with the City of Miami, adopted the Palmetum and aspires to restore it to glory.

SFPS members engage in planting, irrigating, fertilizing, weeding, mulching and general maintenance of the palmetum, at no cost to the City. Rare palms have been donated by Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden (FTBG), Montgomery Botanical Center (MBC), various commercial nurseries operated by SFPS members, and individual donations. The SFPS has also donated the identification signs for each palm, and gives educational tours of the Palmetum.

Biology students and garden club members of Morningside K-8 Academy, the local public school. The students and faculty enjoyed the tour and learned much about palms. SFPS member Elvis Cruz has conducted numerous tours of the Morningside Park Palmetum.

SFPS member Elvis Cruz has conducted numerous tours of the Morningside Park Palmetum.

A group of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts participated in the Baynanza shoreline clean-up in Morningside Park, then enjoyed a BBQ picnic and a tour of the palmetum.

Not only are these tours an educational benefit for the public, they also help preserve and protect the Palmetum by giving it a social and educational value. The SFPS is a 501C3, with education as part of its mission statement. Tours are given free of charge to the public. Contact SFPSMiami@gmail.com to schedule a tour.

Currently displaying over 170 individual palms representing approximately 150 different species, with new plantings an ongoing endeavor, the Palmetum will become increasingly more beautiful over time.

The Palmetum is located in the middle of the loop road, towards the south end of the park. Visit Morningside Park at 750 NE 55th Terrace, Miami, FL 33137, just east of Biscayne Boulevard. See map below: