Lake Lorna Doone Park is a 12 acre park located in the between the neighborhoods of Westfield and Parramore in Orlando, Florida. The physical address is 1519 West Church Street, just to the north of Camping World Stadium. I had a fun assignment to add landscaping improvements to the park. Improvements had already been made, thanks to a donation from the Arnold Palmer Foundation. The $8 million dollar renovation including a new walking loop, fitness stations, a pavilion, inclusive playground, basketball courts, covered seating, and a splash pad and even a putting green. Walking around the lake I was quite impressed, but what really stands out is the wildlife. Water birds off all types can be seen exploring the shores.
What I was tasked with was to show less grass and more butterfly garden plantings. Other proposed additions include an outdoor classroom under a huge live oak tree, a natural log climbing play area and a small floating platform for water birds to rest on. For all the money that had been invested in the park, the planners didn’t consider the brutal Florida sun in their plans. Most outdoor benches have no shade from the sun making them unusable. Outdoor chess tables suffer the same fate.