While waiting for the dealership to fix our van, we explored the Punta Gorda area. The Peace river Botanical & Sculpture Garden caught our eye.
The Peace river Botanical & Sculpture Garden is a 30 acre oasis. The grounds integrate natural habitat and stunning contemporary interpretive art.
The gardens were beautiful with informative signs around the plants and trees, but for us, the sculptures stole the show.
Some were very large
and whimsical.
some instilled stillness and calm,
while others, motion
and purpose.
Some filled the horizon with shapes,
that drew meaning from different vantage points
for best effect.
They were just wrapping up a sculpture show from Zimbabwe. Below is one we liked.
One of our favourites installation was Laundry Daze
This colourful metal laundry swayed gently in the breeze and was effective in invoking a “retro” feeling.
Here are a few close up details.
There were many more sculptures in the garden. Read more about the sculptures and the artists here.
We walked into the butterfly enclosure and watched the butterflies fluttering about, escaping my attempts to take pictures of them.
The Tree Trellises are beautiful botanical sculptures of wire.
Simply gorgeous.
We had every intention to write about the many species of palm tree, many of them represented in these gardens. We abandoned the idea after finding out that there are 2,600 different species!
So here are just a couple of examples:
A Royal Palm,
and a Cabbage Palm.
It was a scorcher of a day and we did a lot of walking, much of it in the sun. It was nice to find a few shaded places to rest.
The main building has a gift shop and you can buy refreshments and sit on the porch by the pond.
Such a beautiful place!
I wish my laundry looked that good!
Haha, I know, right?
What an amazing place! The sculptures are terrific. Imagine wearing a Ford dress! 😂 but the trees and flowers are stunning.
Yeah, a Ford dress just for the elections lol.
It looks such a beautiful space. The sculptures are really fun and the metal laundry is very ingenious artwork. Love the use of well known brands into the exhibit. You got 2 palm trees covered. 2598 to go!
It was beautiful. If I am brave I might attempt a palm tree post just for you!
An excellent find. Love the whimsical art mixed in with plants. We found one in New Zealand that surrounded a winery. Art there also included audible and hands on pieces. Exercise and culture in nature is a good thing Cheers. Have a great Wednesday. Allan
Thank you, Allan. That garden sounds wonderful!
My, what an interesting place. I liked the clothes on the clothesline. Yet, every sculpture was unique.
It was lovely and the sculptures were stunning!
True pieces of art – those sculptures.
Wow! What a place. I love it. I could easily spend a day there.
You would love it!
Great sculptures and lovely gardens – perfect day
It was! Thanks for coming along.
I love how to make the most of your “down” time, exploring while your van was being repaired!
It was the best forced vacation because of that! Thanks for stopping by!
Part of exploring the world is to adapt to the unexpected which you do very well!
❤️
Marvelous place to visit. I especially enjoyed the sculptures and Laundry Daze was brilliant. Who knew there were so many varieties of palm trees?
It was a gem, and I was shocked to find how many palm tree varieties there were out there.
I love it when a garden combines with a sculpture garden. Sculpture works well out in an environment. It looks like it was a lovely afternoon.
It was lovely, and I agree, nature and art work well together to feed so many senses.
Very fascinating sculptures! Each one probably has a story to tell. A quirky spot for your “forced vacation,” that’s for sure!
It was quirky and whimsical and very sensory. We loved it!
Some of these art pieces are so clever. I liked the laundry one and the guy standing in the fountain.
All of the pieces were impressive, and their impact depended on your vantage point and distance, which was brilliant. They did such a great job of placing the sculptures in the landscape.
What a neat garden with all those interesting shaped sculptures. I can see why the Laundry Daze was your favourite. I had no idea that there were so many different species of palm trees!
It was a feast for the eyes for sure and we managed to put in about 4 km of walking!
Wow what a great place to explore minus the scorching heat of course. Beautiful.
It was beautiful and we even enjoyed the heat!
Lovely, look at all those palm trees!
So many palm trees 😊
Absolutely magnificent made me feel very happy and content with the world. The person who created it must be a nice person, I think
You know, it made me happy too, at least for a day that is. I don’t know about the world though…there’s some info about the artist in the link above and he looks interesting. He might be nice too.
Interesting sculptures!!
They were!
What a great find beautiful shots 🎭
Thank you for coming along!
Thanks for sharing this one… what a fun discovery! The laundry is wonderful.
It was wonderful. Thanks for coming along!
Absolutely beautiful and fascinating. You would find places like this to visit while you are stuck somewhere. Good for you! Muriel
Thank you. It was a real gem!
Fascinating…..There is a Sculpture Garden very similar near Princeton NJ also. I hope you are not having torrid weather, hot spell headed here but weekend supposed to be nice.
I love the combination of nature and art! Yeah, we are back home now and expecting high temperatures tomorrow, but no floods or forest fires, knock on wood…