McKee recently learned that the Phalaenopsis McKee Botanical Garden Centenary (pictured) has been accepted for registration by the Royal Horticultural Society, the first time in more than 50 years that a McKee orchid has been registered with the Royal Horticultural Society.

As the Garden celebrates its centennial, the registration serves as a lasting tribute to McKee's venerable orchid legacy. Registered by Orchid Curator, Luis Ortiz, the orchid honors the Garden's historic reputation for orchid cultivation, which gained international acclaim in the mid-20th century under founder Arthur G. McKee and his hand-picked orchidologist from the Missouri Botanical Garden, David Fairburn.

The orchid will become part of the Garden's developing breeding program, an important step in rebuilding McKee's orchid collection to the prominence and distinction it once enjoyed.

From Classroom to Canopy

Advanced and gifted sixth grade students from Gifford Middle School just concluded a four-month program of weekly instruction which expanded their understanding of botany, ecology and environmental stewardship through McKee's Eco-Internship program. Through hands-on learning experiences both in the classroom and throughout McKee's historic landscape, students explored plant science, ecosystems and the interconnected relationship between people and the natural world. A recent educational visit to Bok Tower Gardens concluded their studies, and exposed students to another nationally significant Florida garden and deepening their appreciation for horticulture, conservation and the importance of preserving cultural landscapes for future generations.