The Friends of the Tree Zoo

The Friends of the Tree Zoo is a dedicated group of master gardeners and garden enthusiasts who provide direction and care for the Landis Nursery and the Tree Zoo, located in Constitution Park. Continuing the work of the late Zeke Landis, the Friends are committed to maintaining the outstanding array of trees and palms living in the park as well as to new projects to enhance the park’s enjoyability.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Friends of the Deerfield Beach Arboretum is to support and protect the environment through the maintenance and ongoing enhancement of the trees, plants and gardens in the Arboretum and to educate our visitors and volunteers about the health and care of our native and exotic flora.

Please help us in our quest to preserve tree specimens from around the world and to maintain this wonderful urban oasis.

The Tree Zoo

We have in our hometown, our own peaceful corner known as the Tree Zoo. Some people know it as The Tree Zoo. In any case, I invite you to discover, or rediscover, this beautiful gem of a park.

Tree Zoo literally means, “place for trees”, and our local place is a great example. There are approximately 1500 different trees representing hundreds of different species from all corners of the world. The Arboretum is divided up into several different gardens. There is the the Palm Garden, the Flowering Tree Garden, the Fruit Tree Garden, the Florida Native Wetland Garden, the Caribbean Garden, the Japanese Garden, Butterfly Garden, and finally the Rain Forest Garden which is now in a preconstruction phase. A stroll through the Arboretum is an enjoyable and educational way to spend a few hours or just a lunch break. There are several ways to get more out of your Arboretum experience and to get more involved if you are so inclined. Guided tours can be arranged, for a modest fee, at other times. There is also a program at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday of each month on various horticultural topics. To be a part of growing the Arboretum, consider joining The Friends of the Deerfield Beach Arboretum. You can get your hands dirty in the nursery or maybe you have a construction or engineering background and want to contribute to new projects. Organizational skills are needed for membership, librarian/historian, and publicity committees. There are sponsorship opportunities also, for trees and gardens. If you want to help out, email me at friendsofdfbtreezoo@gmail.com

Gardener’s Corner

Please enjoy the following articles written by Jerry Behan, President of the Friends of the Tree Zoo and master gardener.

These articles appear on this site with permission from the Observer Newspaper.