LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Keep Lake Beautiful (KLB), in partnership with the Lake & Hills Garden Club, hosted a community planting event Saturday at Chautauqua Park in Mount Dora, bringing volunteers together to enhance native landscaping around the park’s Blue Star Memorial.
The memorial honors men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces, and organizers said the effort was designed to surround the site with Florida native plants in celebration of America’s upcoming 250th birthday.
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Volunteers helped plant a variety of native species sourced from local gardens, including Cherry Lake and Green Isle Garden, along with additional flowers grown by community members to add seasonal color to the memorial area.
“This is all Florida natives,” said event organizer Gina Doherty, who helped design the garden around the memorial. “We got a grant from the National Garden Club and Keep America Beautiful to plant red, white and blue around the Blue Star Memorial for our 250th America birthday. It’s really exciting having all these plants to put out.”
Doherty said the project was made possible through grant funding and community partnerships, with plants placed in red, white and blue patterns surrounding the memorial.
Keep Lake Beautiful said all tools, materials and guidance were provided on-site for volunteers, who assisted with planting and general landscaping improvements throughout the park.
Organizers said the effort is part of a broader beautification initiative led by the Lake & Hills Garden Club, which maintains several parks across Mount Dora and continues expanding its volunteer programs through grant funding.
The garden club also noted additional planting projects are planned at other park locations in the coming weeks as part of ongoing environmental stewardship efforts across Lake County.
Keep Lake Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, focuses on promoting environmental responsibility and community beautification initiatives throughout the county.