Who knows what would have become of the lovely rolling hill overlooking Lake Wales, FL, if it weren't for Edward Bok. Like so many other natural spots in our state, it probably would've become a hilltop of condos. As luck would have it, though, Dutch immigrant and Philadelphia resident, Edward Bok, spent the winter of 1921 in Florida, and fell in love with the landscape - specifically, with that rolling hill overlooking Lake Wales. Bok had a vision for saving that land, a peaceful sanctuary for both humans and birds, and Bok Tower Gardens was born.
I love geniuses who come up with simple ideas. Even more, I love geniuses who follow through, especially when they're nature-minded, like Edward Bok. I grew up hearing hearing about the tower and gardens, and they'd been on my "must see" list for years. So I was excited The Way Eye See It was spending the 4th of July with plants, flowers, and birds. And, of course, the famous Singing Tower.
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| Singing Tower |
Bok's Singing Tower was the first carillon built in Florida, and contains, I read recently, the Andrew Brees Carillon Library, the largest library of its kind in the world. Who knew? Tower construction began in 1927, and was dedicated in 1929 as a gift from Edward Bok. It's an impressive structure: 205 feet of Georgia marble and Florida coquina, colored pink, fitting for Florida. The carillion consists of 60 bells, ranging in size from 16 pounds to a whopping 12 tons. Art Deco in style, it's decorated with lots of birds and plants, and, on one side, there's a cool snake sundial, each hour represented by a zodiac sign. Coincidentally, we saw a snake slither out from the bushes on the sundial side of the tower. It went zooming after a skink, which managed to get away.
From the reflecting pool, you get an amazing view of the Tower, even though we didn't see swans floating around, like on postcards in the gift shop. However, we did see huge, freaky lily pads, which I thought at first were trays, or a display of some kind. After staring at them closely, I noticed veins, and one lily in the center of the pool was in bloom, but it still took me awhile to believe they were real. They have a name (which should include the word "freaky"): Victorian Water Lily. They can grow up to 5 feet in diameter!
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| Victorian Water Lily |
As impressive as the Singing Tower is, is wouldn't have nearly the impact were it not surrounded by the Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr, designed gardens. There are almost 50 acres of gardens, with a gorgeous variety of plants and flowers, ranging from prehistoric-looking silver queens to major wow-factor firecracker roses bursting with color. I'm fairly flower-ignorant, but it doesn't take an expert to appreciate the beauty. Besides, at the entrance to the gardens, Bok staff set up a table with cuttings of what's currently in bloom.
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| Firecracker Rose |
Because it was July 4, there was a patiotic concert on the carillon, and what could be better than listening to "This Land is Your Land" while strolling through gardens?
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| Hollyhocks |
Edward Bok died in 1930, and is buried at the base of the Singing Tower. By the end of his life, he was a Pulitzer Prize winner and world peace advocate, but he never really left his beloved gardens on the lovely rolling hill overlooking Lake Wales, Florida.
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| Bok's vision for a better world |
