The town’s southern entryway has a brand new look.
The Garden Club of Palm Beach teamed with Palm Beach-based SMI Landscape Architecture to renovate the roundabout on the eastern end of the Southern Boulevard bridge.
Work began on the project in August and was completed in October, said Ginny Parker, a club member and co-chairwoman of the project.
Related: ‘Fresher, and better’: Chinese Garden restored at Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach
Work included moving some of the existing agave plants and capstone, installing native groundcovers and shrubs, and adding new irrigation, sod and mulch.
“It was important to make this a beautiful entryway into our town,” Parker told the Daily News.
The Southern Boulevard Circle was last renovated in 2009, and Garden Club members decided another restoration was necessary, Parker said.
The group worked closely with the town on the project, and teamed with Jorge Sanchez of SMI Landscape on design and installation.
With input from club members, Sanchez added two white Geiger trees; three orange Geiger trees; and numerous coontie, sunshine mimosa, tropical sage and euphorbia plants to the roundabout, which is on South Ocean Boulevard between Mar-a-Lago and the Bath & Tennis Club.
“The plants we used were chosen for their form and performance,” Parker said. “They are hardy and beautiful, and once fully established, they will require low maintenance.”
The ponytail palms in the roundabout were moved to Ibis Park, Parker said, and new lighting has been added so the area would be illuminated at night.
The Garden Club funded the project, Parker said, and the town performed the installation.
The Southern Boulevard roundabout restoration is among recent beautification projects that have been completed by the Garden Club.
The others include the Tidal Garden in Bradley Park, which was completed in March 2021 and included the installation of mostly native plants and a new drainage system; and the Chinese Garden at The Society of the Four Arts, which was finished in October and included the restoration of the garden’s architectural features, artwork, wood elements and landscaping.
The Garden Club also worked with SMI Landscape Architecture on those projects.
The Garden Club’s next project is a tree planting for Arbor Day, Parker said.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Southern Boulevard bridge roundabout in Palm Beach gets new look
