Harry P Leu Gardens

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: Weekend Notes | February 14, 2023

If you love green space in a metropolitan city, you’re going to love Orlando’s Harry P Leu Botanical Gardens, listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, located on the banks of Lake Rowena. It’s a lovely place to get away for a picnic or a stroll and if you’re a botanist, there’s plenty to see in this 50-acre garden with the historic home left to the city by Harry and Mary Jane Leu in 1961 to prevent urban development of their property. It’s highly recommended by Skipper Tom Smith of the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour as one of the great things to do in the area.

Thank you to the Harry P Leu Botanical Gardens for hosting our visit through the Visit Orlando VIP Media Passport. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Famous for his love of the genus Camellia, aka “winter rose,” Harry P. Leu has Camellias, azaleas, and roses strategically placed in his gardens. He and his wife, Mary Jane, purchased the historic home, once homesteaded by David Mizell (1858) and then after his murder in 1868 (the only sheriff in Orange County killed in the line of duty), the standing home was built by his son, John Thomas Mizell, in 1888. Expanded by Duncan Clarkston Pell (a prominent New York family) and his bride, Helen Louise Gardner, they utilized this haven to entertain during the winter social season. Their separation in 1906 allowed Joseph H. Woodward and his wife to purchase it to escape from Ohio’s winter cold and they enjoyed it until their deaths. From 1928 to 1936, the house had a variety of tenants until it was purchased by Orlando native Harry P. Leu, an industrial supply business tycoon.

Harry and Mary Jane also purchased the original Mizell Homestead (cotton, corn, and sugarcane) and expanded a variety of garden areas with plants brought from their world travels, that traverse several ecosystems of “Old Florida.” Their acquisition of land was continued by the City of Orlando which added two bridges, a gazebo, and a greenhouse. Their horticultural passion transformed the estate into a bountiful botanical oasis. Today, more than 40 different plant collections form the basis of the botanical gardens whose mission is to “provide a cultural venue that promotes the awareness and understanding of plants, the environment and gardens history.”

When you enter the property, you’ll park and start your visit at The Garden House Welcome Center which provides a unique venue with gorgeous panelling and artwork indoors. The outdoor patio and lawn space are perfect for weddings, receptions, meetings, and retreats.

Guests and locals alike enjoy the art gallery, garden, classes, gift shop, and research in the botanic library.

After paying your entrance fee or providing your membership card, you’ll take a map or wander along the trails of the various gardens.

Central Florida’s climate and soils allow for such a diverse collection of plants that you’re aided by the Botanical Gardens’ interpretive signs and QR codes and labels scattered throughout the gardens. Better still, staff members and volunteers are available to answer questions which provides a deeper understanding of the vastness of the collection.

It’s so idyllic a garden space, it’s almost a shock to the senses when you reach the point of Lake Rowena shores that overlooks the Orlando skyline. You’re brought back quickly to the 21st century. But you can return quickly to “any time period you choose” as you follow the path to The Tropical Stream Garden.