Ray Charles Live Oak: A garden to smell and touch.

Richard T. Bowers Historic Tree Grove at MOSI, Tampa

The Historic Tree Grove at MOSI offers a unique timeline of America's history as it was viewed by silent witnesses, trees. Our 17 trees planted in the grove in 1996 are all seedlings of trees that witnessed amazing historic events or were associated with famous historical people. Imagine the sycamore that grew from seeds that went to the moon, a pine that watched a battle of the American Civil War, the sweet gum that saw the flight of the first airplane. What wonders those trees witnessed and those same trees still live long after the events of history have passed. We can still lay our hands on their bark, sit beneath their boughs and take a few minutes out to learn and converse about great deeds and fantastic people which shaped our world.

Ray Charles

Blind since the age of six from glaucoma, Ray Charles studied composition and learned many instruments at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. His parents had died by his early teens, and he worked as a musician in Florida for a while before using his savings to move to Seattle in 1947.

He got his first Top Ten R&B hit with "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" in 1951. Charles is best known as the father of soul music, and his career is regarded as a significant landmark in the world of modern music. Ray Charles died June 10, 2004.

The Ray Charles Live Oak grows in St. Augustine, Florida , at the school where the renowned musician received his education. Our Ray Charles Live Oak is a seedling from that tree.

A garden to touch and smell:


In honor of Ray Charles, the plan for this garden was to create a planting that would appeal to senses other than sight. We collected plants with interesting aromas or flowers and foliage that would feel neat to the touch.

• White Fountain Grass (Pennisetum villosum) was planted for its soft, feathery tops and cats tongue rough blades of grass.
• Fragrant Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) was picked for the gorgeous sweet aroma of its blooms. These tiny blossoms emit such a fragrant scent that it can easily be smelled dozens of feet away.
• Sweet Almond Bush (Aloysia virgata) was chosen for the sweet almond-like scent of its white flowers.
• Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) was selected for the licorice scent given off by its foliage when touched. Even by gently brushing against the foliage of this plant, the scent of licorice is strong in the air.
• Chocolate Mint (Mentha piperita) was planted for the minty, chocolately smell given off by its foliage when handled. These leaves when crushed smell delightful.
• Peppermint (Mentha piperita) was chosen for its minty aroma.
• Lambs Tails (Ptilotus exaltatus) was selected for its feathered purple flower tops that have a dried flower stiffness.
• Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria) was planted for its powdery foliage that is so very interesting to handle. After being wet the Dusty Miller appears more green but dries to silvery white.
• Chenille plant (Acalypha hispida) was picked for its mounding foliage covered in interesting, soft red blooms that feel more like an odd yarn than a plant.
• Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) was chosen for the honey sweet scent of its white blossoms. In the early spring, the scent of this plant drifts far on warm mornings and draws people over to discover how all that scent could come from such tiny white flowers.

Thanks again to Fiskars Project Orange Thumb that has made these wonderful dreams of gardens into a reality of leaves and blooms.