May 28 | Florida Native Plant Society Miami-Dade Lecture
topic: Transforming Lives through the Transformation of Urban Landscapes
location: Pinecrest Gardens 11000 Southwest 57th Avenue | Miami, FL 33156
time: 7:30pm – 9:30pm
web: www.dade.fnpschapters.org

James Jiler will speak about his experience helping prisoners and at-risk youth re-direct their lives through horticulture and gardening.  In programs at prisons, drug rehabilitation centers and inner-city high schools, James teaches and works with at-risk groups planting urban food forests and native gardens in an effort to return Miami’s exotic landscapes back to native habitat.

James holds a master’s degree in Forestry and Social Ecology from Yale University and is the former director of The Horticultural Society of New York’s GreenHouse Program, a jail-to-street horticulture program at New York City’s jail complex on Rikers Island.  As a landscape designer, he has created gardens in Miami and other US cities and in India.  He also directs the Miami-based Urban GreenWorks, a non-profit providing environmental programs and green job training to at-risk youth and others.  James is author of Doing Time in the Garden (New Village Press, 2006) and appeared in two recent documentaries, the "Healing Gardens" and "Dirt: The Movie." In September 2012 he gave a TED talk at the Coconut Grove TEDx conference where he was a recipient of the first annual HOPE Prize. He spent 6-years living in Kathmandu, Nepal, working with ecological farming systems in the Himalayas and teaching at the University of Kathmandu.

May 29 | Redland Tropical Fruit & Vegetable Society
topic: New topic and speaker each  month
location: Fruit and Spice Park | 24801 SW 187 Avenue |  Homestead, FL 33031
date: Last Wednesday of each  month
time: 7:30 pm
web: Facebook

May 31 - June 2 | Native Plant Sale & Food Truck Migration
location:  Tropical Audobon Society
address: 5530 Sunset Dr  Miami, FL 33143
web: www.tropicalaudubon.org/‎

The weather is perfect for planting a South Florida butterfly and bird friendly garden!  Kick-start conservation at home by purchasing native plants at this yearly Tropical Audubon Society Native Plant Sale.  Nursery operators and fellow native plan enthusiasts designers  will be  on  hand to offer advice and answer questions on how to incoporate native plants into your landscape designs and home gardens.  Buy a native plant, save  water, and create habitat for  wildlife!   All proceeds support TAS.

Members-only Pre-Sale Friday, May 31: 4-7 p.m.
Saturday,  June 1: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday, June 2: 9 a.m.-3 p.m

June 2 from 4pm to 8pm: Tropical Audubon Society's Winter Food TRuck Migration will hatch beneath the shady canopy that comprises the Steinberg Nature Center, a 3-acre native oasis
in the heart of South Miami.  Forage for your supper among 12 unique food  vendors; dine alfresco at communal picnic tables or tuck in under the Chickee;  slake your thirst at the Bird Bard, wander Nature Trails; tour the historic Doc  Thomas House; and listen to a chorus of birds  sing the sun to bed.

June 1 | Put Some Zen in Your Yard
speaker: Min Lum Mossman, FIU Professor Asian Studies Program, Architecture, & Landscape Design
location: Miami Beach Botanic Garden
location: 2000 Convention Center Drive | Miami Beach, FL 33139
time: 10AM-12PM      
web: Miami Beach Botanical Garden  

Asia has one of the richest horticultural histories in the world, and gardens have played an important role in the shaping of different cultures. Learn the symbolism and secrets of the Far East landscapes with Min Lum Mossman, a Professor at Miami's Florida International University with a focus on the Asian Studies Program, Architecture, and Landscape Design. Mrs. Mossman is a published author on Asian garden symbolism and philosophy. Mrs. Mossman will cover the history, typology, and symbolism in the Japanese Garden, essential Chinese/Japanese garden concepts such as walking and centering meditation, and religious and philosophical concepts of the garden such as Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, and Shinto.

June 1-3 | Tropical Flowering Tree Society 76th Annual Royal Poinciana Fiesta
Join the South Florida Tropical Flowering Tree Society as it celebrate one of South Florida's most iconic trees. the Royal Poiciana.  This is the 76th year of the festival.

SATURDAY,  JUNE 1
8:30am | Tree Planting
Meet at SW  24th Ave. on the west side of US 1 in Coconut  Grove.  Park on the street on SW 27th Ave. Bring  hat, gloves, and a shovel if you have one.  We will plant flowering  trees and
shrubs along the Metrorail right-of-way.  Volunteers must be 18 or  over.  Sponsored by Tropical Flowering Tree Society and TREEmendous Miami.  For more information, contact Steve Pearson at 305-259-8006.

SUNDAY,  JUNE 2
11:30am | Gates Open | Bring a picnic lunch and explore the Kampong, former home of David  Fairchild,  located at 4013 Douglas Road, Coconut Grove.  

1:00 pm | Tour of Flowering Royal Poincianas | Boarding for a narrated, air-conditioned bus tour of the  area’s most dazzling royal  poincianas and other exceptional trees. Reservations are required--limited seating!For  reservations call Carol Vannoorbeeck at 305-258-1086. Tickets are $25 per  person.

Tours will be narrated by Larry Schokman, Director  Emeritus of the Kampong; and Steve
Pearson, Director of the Gifford Arboretum at  UM.  Both men are founders and former presidents of the Tropical  Flowering Tree Society. Refreshments will be served after the tour at the  Kampong.

MONDAY,  JUNE 3
6:30pm Fiesta | Reception in the garden house at Fairchild Tropical  Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables.  Use the south  entrance.

7:00 pm | First of two tram tours of the Garden.  Inside, enjoy  the jazz music of Joe Donato,
and take the opportunity to purchase works from  our talented artists.  The 76th Poinciana Queen and her Court will be  announced and awarded college scholarships.  Learn the winner of the Larry  Schokman book award, presented to a community member exemplifying the Tropical  Flowering Tree Society’s goal to “Color the Horizon.”  Join us for wine and  cheese, the famous
royal poinciana punch, and cake.

ADMISSION: This evening is free for TFTS memmbers.  A $5 fee will be charged for non members. 

May 21 | South Florida Bromeliad Society Lecture
location: Fairchild Tropical Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Miami, FL 33156
time: 7:30 PM
web: http://www.bssf-miami.org/

The New World plant family Bromeliaceae is represented in Florida by 16 species distributed among three genea: Tillandsia (12), Catopsis (3) and Guzmania (1). These range from such common species as the familiar Spanish Moss (Tillandsia Usneoides) to such seldom-seen species as the comically named Fuzzy-Wuzzy Air Plant (Tillandsia pruinosa) and NoddingCatopsis (catopsis nutans), which are rare in Florida. In addition, two named natural hybrids in Tillandsia have been recorded for the state. These native bromeliads will be the subject of an old-fashioned slide program by native plant enthusiast Chuck McCartney.

May 22 | Miami Beach Convention Center Master Plan Public Meeting
agenda/Committee: Finance & Citywide Projects Committee
address: 1755 Meridian Avenue | Miami Beach, Florida
room: Third floor, Training room
time: 3:00 p.m. 

The City of Miami Beach is in the process of developing the 52-acre Miami Beach Convention Center District. Two top qualified teams have been short-listed to continue on to phase II.  This is the first of two meetings open to the public.  The second meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, at11:00 a.m held at the Commission Chambers, third floor, Miami Beach City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive.  The second meeting is a Special Planning Board meeting.

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) Architecture has collaborated with West 8 Landscape Architects, Fentress, JPA and developers Portman CMC to challenge an OMA- and South Beach ACE-lead team in the 52-acre Miami Beach Convention Center overhaul. With a mission to “bring Miami Beach back to the Convention Center,” BIG’s newly unveiled proposal aims to transform the “dead black hole of asphalt in the heart of one of the most beautiful and lively cities in America” into an archipelago of urban oases made up of paths, plazas, parks and gardens, which will all lead to the heart of the plan: the Miami Beach Square. This tropical centerpiece will become the front door to the convention center and the convention hotel, as well as the front lawn to a revitalized Jackie Gleason Theatre, a town square for the city hall, an outdoor arena for the Latin American Cultural Museum, and the red carpet for the big botanical ball room. <read more at ArchDaily.com>

The South Beach ACE-lead team is comprised of national developer Tishman, international architecture firm OMA, and Miami Beach developer UIA Management.  Landscape architects for the group include Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and the Miami landscape architecture firm of Raymond Jungles.  ACE's vision involves bringing to life one of Miami Beach’s most underutilized public sites with a fully-revamped convention center capable of luring major events from around the world, an iconic hotel, inviting green spaces, low-density retail uses, and cultural venues. <read more at ArchDaily.com>

May 24-26| South Florida Cactus and Succulent Show and Sale
location: Fairchild Tropical Garden | 10901 Old Cutler Road | Miami, FL 33156
time: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
web: http://www.sfloridacactus.org

The South Florida Cactus and Succulent Society invites everyone from plant enthusiasts to the merely curious to its 29th Annual Show and Sale for the opportunity to acquire collectible cacti and succulents in a variety of colors and forms. Wander through our air-conditioned exhibit of superior specimens entered for judged competition.  Hundreds of different species of flowering cacti and succulent plants will be offered for sale. Also, Society members will be available at the show to answer questions and provide advice on plant cultivation and propagation techniques for incorporating succulents in your landscape designs and collector gardens. Volunteers will assist visitors carrying their purchases to their vehicles.

May 15 | Lecture: Protecting Viscaya from Rising Sea Levels
location: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
address: 3251 South Miami Avenue | Miami, FL  33129
time:  6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
tickets: $15; $10 for Members, Students and Seniors; available onsite only from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on the evening of the program.
web: Viscaya Website

Tidal Surge: An Inside Look at Efforts to Protect Vizcaya from Rising Sea Levels
Led by Chief Horticulturist Ian Simpkins and the CLEO Project on Climate

Do you have questions about our strategies for protecting Vizcaya’s living collections from sea level rise? Meet us on the scenic patio of our Café and Shop for Science Café where you can connect with Ian Simpkins and leaders of the CLEO Project on Climate to learn about sea level rise, its impact, what Vizcaya is doing and your role. This is a chance to meet and greet like-minded people over a glass of wine, in the unique, historic and environmentally relevant setting of Vizcaya.

Tickets $15; available onsite only beginning at 6:00 p.m. on the evening of the program.

May 17 - 19 | Redland International Orchid Show
location: Fruit and Spice Park
address: 24801 S.W. 187th Avenue | Miami, Florida
time: 9 am to 5 pm 
admission $10:00 

The largest annual orchid show in the U.S. featuring featuring over 50 booths of educational exhibits and orchid vendors takes place at Miami's Fruit and Spice Park. Join other orchid enthusiasts at this American Orchid Society judged event showcasing various types of orchids and subtropical plants for your gardens.  Supplies will also be for sale.  Both days will feature lectures on by experts, raffles and international food.