We purchased a double lot across from Boulevard Gardens Park in 2016. It was an empty field except for 3 large Scotch Pine Trees. Over the course of a year, we cleared a ton of garbage and debris from the garden and laid out a clover design, very carefully measuring to have an exact layout.

We called the garden “Atala” because we wanted to make it a host site for the Atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala), a once-endangered species of butterfly native to Florida. We planted a dozen coontie plants (Zamia integrifolia) which the Atala butterfly caterpillars feed on, and nectar sources, such as Sweet Almond (Aloysia virgata).

The garden has gone through a few revisions over the past 8 years and has been recently restructured with more elevations to create different planting areas. One of the large slash pines died and was removed, but the other two remain for now. The garden is host to a number of birds and butterflies.