Home > Begonian > Volume 67 (March/April 2000, pages 70 - 71)

Florida 2000…
Begonias By the Beach

Radison Palm Beach Shores Resort
May 3-7, 2000

First, don't forget to submit your begonia poems (see Begonian, Nov/Dec 1999, p, 234). Send up to 5 poems with $1 entry fee each to Virginia Jens, 922 Upland Rd., West Palm Beach, FL 33401.

Then, make your hotel reservations by calling 561- 863- 4000. Tell them you are with ABS for a $99. net rate. Arrive on Tuesday, May 2, to make the pre-convention tour on May 3. It leaves bright and early for the Grand Bahama Island to visit Garden in the Groves, a 12 acre garden with winding, shaded paths and waterfalls. After a catered lunch there, we will be off on a garden tour hosted by the Freeport Garden Club. You will look at your gardens with a different eye after seeing the challenges of island gardening.

Charles Jaros in his role as Speaker Chairman has lined up some wonderful speakers: Hugh McLaughlin on "There's No business Like Shore Business," Carrie Karegeannes on "Everything you ever wanted to know about Herbariums", Dr. Mary Fuqua of the New England Botanical Conservatory on their begonia collection and also collecting in Indonesia, and Evan Donaldson, General Manager of the Glasgow Botanical Garden, on the McIntyre Collection and collecting in New Guinea.

A tour on Sunday, May 7, will take us to the Bok Tower at one of Florida's highest points, Iron Mountain in Lake Wales. (Visitors to our state should remember that it's not polite to laugh at a vertically challenged state such "as Florida! We call it a "mountain" so go with the flow and laugh in private! It is all of 298' tall.) Bok Tower (photo) is a National Historical Landmark. Its 205' stone and marble tower houses the 57 bronze bells of the carillon, a gift from publisher and author Edward W. Bok to America. The purpose of Mr. Bok's gift was to give back to his adopted country by sharing the influence of beauty through the trees, shrubs, flowers, birds, and music of the carillon and garden. Many beautiful specimen begonias are pleased tc call this spot home. 

Finally, take a look to the right and get prepared. You might be the lucky one to take home this lovely stained glass which was designed and made for this convention by Joan Patterson of Jupiter, Florida, Joan is a native of Glasgow, adding another Glasgow touch to the convention.

Convention packets should get to you by the time you receive this issue and remember every one is invited to the monthly meeting of your hosts, The Begonia Society of the Palm Beaches on Monday, May 8 al 7:30 p.m ... a chance for one more begonia experience.

There will be many chances to buy begonias at Palm Hammock Orchid Estates (One of the Begonian's regular advertisers! Ed.) and also at Tropical World and Johanna Kitson has been working very hard on making the convention plant sale memorable. -Virginia Jens