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Harry P. Leu Gardens

Field	Value
name	Mizell-Leu House Historic District
nrhp_type	hd
nocat	yes
image	Orlando Mizell-Leu House Hist Dist01.jpg
location	1920 North Forest Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32803
coordinates
area	15 acre
locmapin	Florida#USA
built	1858
architect	John T. Mizell
website
added	December 29, 1994
refnum	94001495
mapframe	yes
mapframe-wikidata	yes
mapframe-stroke-width	1

| mapframe-wikidata = yes | mapframe-stroke-width = 1

The Harry P. Leu Gardens are semi-tropical and tropical gardens at 1920 North Forest Avenue in Orlando, Florida, United States. The gardens contain nearly 50 acre of landscaped grounds and lakes, with trails shaded by 200-year-old oaks and forests of camellias. They are open to the public.

A 15 acre section of the park, known as the Mizell-Leu House Historic District (or Leu Botanical Gardens and Leu House Museum), was designated a historic district on December 29, 1994. According to the National Register of Historic Places, it contains 3 historic buildings.

History

The Leu Gardens were started by Mr. and Mrs. Harry P. Leu, who in 1936 purchased Leu House and 40 acre of land. The Leus traveled all over the world and brought back many exotic plants and many varieties (240) of camellias for their gardens.

In 1961, the Leus deeded the house and the gardens to the City of Orlando. Mr. Leu died in 1977.

Site

The land on which the gardens were built is primarily severely drained, quickly to very quickly permeable sand with several inches of dark gray topsoil over about 5 feet of yellow subsoil (Candler soil series). Human soil modification has resulted in 40% of the Gardens being categorized as Urban Land, with no official soil series assigned. On rare occasions, naturally damp soils are discovered.

At the heart of the gardens is Harry and Mary Jane Leu's home, known as the Leu House Museum, which has been restored and is on the National Historical Register. Guided tours of the Leu House, illustrating turn-of-the century Florida living, are available on the hour and the half-hour (times subject to change).

Flora

Leu Gardens is located in USDA climate zone 9b. The mild subtropical climate allows for a mix of temperate and tropical plants. The gardens are known for their extensive collections of aroids, azaleas, bamboo, bananas, bromeliads, camellias, citrus, conifers, crepe myrtles, cycads, ferns, flowering shrubs, flowering trees, gingers, heliconias, hibiscus and mallows, magnolias, ornamental grasses, palms, perennials, roses, trees, and vines.

Gallery

PDRM0038.JPG|The Harry Leu House in Leu Gardens. Orlando Mizell-Leu House Hist Dist plaque02.jpg|Plaque from the City of Orlando. Shaving Brush Tree.jpg|Pseudobombax ellipticum. Epitheca princeps1.jpg|Epitheca princeps on a plant in the garden. Harry P Leu Gardens (9059614612).jpg|A part of the gardens.

References

(2007-06-18). "Harry P. Leu Gardens". Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs.
(2007-06-18). "National Register of Historical Places - Florida (FL), Orange County". National Park Service.
Kim P. (July 17, 2020). "Interview With Harry P. Leu". Orange County Library System.
"Soil Data Explorer | California Soil Resource Lab".
"SoilWeb: An Online Soil Survey Browser | California Soil Resource Lab".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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