by Lisa D. Mickey
Marine Discovery Center has received the Florida Native Plant Society’s (FNPS) 2025 Landscape Award of Excellence. It is an annual honor determined by a jury of professionals, practitioners and native plant advocates recognizing projects that advance the FNPS’s mission and establish benchmarks in native landscaping.
MDC’s on-campus native wildflower demonstration garden was recognized under the category of Pollinator and Wildlife Demonstration/Community Gardens. Projects are recognized for their ability to restore or enhance habitat while serving as inspiring models for others.
“Marine Discovery Center’s project stood out for its remarkable integration of ecological restoration, public engagement and design,” said Natalia Manrique, chair of the FNPS Landscape Committee.
“By combining habitat creation with community education, the project demonstrates how native landscapes can both support Florida’s unique biodiversity and inspire people to connect with nature,” Manrique added. “Marine Discovery Center’s project is an exemplary model of what the FNPS’s Landscape Award seeks to honor.”
Marine Discovery Center Executive Director Chad Truxall credited MDC gardening volunteer Karen Walter for her perpetual attention to the campus wildflower and native plant gardens, as well as Lindley’s Garden Center in New Smyrna Beach for plants and guidance in shaping MDC’s landscape.
“We’ve had the awesome responsibility and opportunity to convert a 22-acre spoil site that was once the former home of New Smyrna Beach High School into a lush, productive coastal habitat,” said Truxall. “The real stars of our campus are the native wildflower gardens and the community members who tend to them.”
“This award showcases how volunteers can transform barren landscapes into beautiful spaces for the betterment of wildlife and the community,” Truxall added. “We are honored to be recognized.”
The Florida Native Plant Society is a statewide nonprofit founded in 1980. Its mission is to promote the preservation, conservation and restoration of native plants and the native plant communities of Florida. FNPS works with homeowners, professionals and policy makers to encourage sustainable landscaping practices that benefit both people and wildlife.
FNPS evaluates residential, commercial, institutional, restoration and community landscape categories each year for Awards of Excellence.
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