In This Episode: George Turner and the history of the gardens. The gardens close and almost become a nudist resort - but are saved by the cit of St. Petersburg! Draining the swamp to create the gardens and what it was like at the turn of the century. Some interesting facts about the exotic flowers you can find there - including one related to Jeanne Baret - the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. Finally, the history of the Sanitary Market - the entrance to the gardens and on the national register of historic places.

Hey there, fellow adventurers! Welcome back to another thrilling episode of View Master Travels! Today, we're diving into reel 367, taking us back to the enchanting year of 1955, where we'll explore the captivating Sunken Gardens of Saint Petersburg, Florida.

As we ventured through the charming streets of St. Petersburg, our curiosity was piqued when we stumbled upon a sign leading us to the Sunken Gardens. With a View Master reel in hand depicting this hidden gem, we embarked on a detour into the unknown, eager to uncover the secrets of this historic place.

From the moment we entered, it was clear that the gardens had undergone significant transformations since the '50s. Despite the changes, we found ourselves immersed in a lush jungle of towering palm trees and vibrant foliage, reminiscent of a lost paradise waiting to be discovered.

But the real magic lay in the history of the gardens. Established in 1902 by George Turner, a visionary plumber turned gardener, the Sunken Gardens emerged from a muddy sinkhole into a botanical wonderland. As we traced the footsteps of generations past, we marveled at the resilience of this historic landmark, saved from the brink of closure by the unwavering dedication of the city of St. Petersburg.

All images are mine or public domain other than the following:

VIDEOS:

@TheRealWesAlbers - “Sunken Gardens 1976”
@jimtarrant1538 - “Home Movie 24 fb”

IMAGES:

1987 images of Organ Cactus: Steven Martin
Billboards / World’s larges gift shop / City improvement designs: St. Petersburg FL Youtube channel
Entrance to the Gardens: Google Street View

FLOWERS:

All images of flowers on the “collector cards” from WikiCommons - credits as follows:

Carnellia PumpkinSky
Chenille Jerzy Opioła
Corn Plant Skrissh2013
Birds Nest Firn Tu7uh, CC BY 3.0
Blue Ginger Lokal_Profil
Boug Forest & Kim Starr
Butterfly Palm Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata
Cabbage Palm Photo by David J. Stang
Calamondin Photo by David J. Stang
Cast Iron Plant Photo by David J. Stang
Creeping Fig Ixitixel
Croton Tris T7
Cuban Royal Palm
Dragon Tree Megan Hansen from Portland, OR, US
Dumb Cane Mokkie
Elephant Ear Sabina Bajracharya
Elephant Foot Palm JackGavin
Fishtail Palm Nethuzara
Gardenia Queerbubbles
Glory-bower Nativeplants garden
Grapefruit Syrio
Hibiscus Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka
Hong King Orchid Ianare
Hunters Robe Filo gèn
King Sago Klein Benjamin
Lady Palm Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
Live Oak Michael Rivera
Lobster Claw Filo gèn
Loquat Syrio
Octopus Tree Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
Orange Tree Hans Braxmeier
Organ Cactus Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
Papaya Photo- Joydeep
Peace Lily Yadhu Krishna BP
Pitcher Plant BVBurton
Plumeria Basile Morin
Powder Puff DAVID S. FERRY III
Prayer Plant Photo by David J. Stang
Princess Flower muffinn from Worcester
Queen Palm Forest & Kim Starr
Queen Sago Vimalananth V
Sapodilla PKLSPC
Screw Pine Mokkie
Spindle Palm Photo by David J. Stang
Spiral Ginger Mokkie
Star Fruit User-Vmenkov
Swiss Cheese Plant Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA
Tapioca Mokkie
Travelers Palm Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz

AI GENERATED:

The man standing in a pond looking out, the hummingbird and bat are AI generated images.

SOUND EFFECTS:

Jardin botanico valencia - [ Ссылка ]
swarming bees up close - [ Ссылка ]
Roadside Parking Lot 1 - [ Ссылка ]
Parrots - [ Ссылка ]
Quiet Park OWI - [ Ссылка ]
Film projector - [ Ссылка ]
City Park - A conversation between two ladies - [ Ссылка ]
Wind_Chime_Monte - [ Ссылка ]

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