St. Pete Beach's Secret Garden reborn after Hurricane Helene's devastation

Axios

01-04-2025

Residents of Envoy Point Condominiums in St. Pete Beach returned home after Hurricane Helene to utter chaos: sand everywhere, a washed-up mattress blocking the entrance, flooded cars in the parking lot.
And then there was the sliver of beach behind the complex, a lush, tropical paradise known as the Secret Garden.
Helene's monstrous storm surge had wiped it out, flattening the site of weddings, engagements and quiet moments with loved ones into a sandy, debris-laden mess.
Why it matters: Six months later, the sliver of Upham Beach is teeming with life again, thanks to the hard work of the Envoy residents who are putting it back together.
"It's a labor of love," said Laurie Swiger, whose late father, J. Luther Cook, started the garden in the 1990s.
The big picture: It may be called the Secret Garden, but the secret has long been out. It's accessible from the beach, nestled on the northern tip of Upham, where a jetty marks the mouth of Blind Pass.
Locals know it as a perfect setting for photos, hangouts and dates. Snowbirds and tourists seek it out during their stays. It even has a moniker on Google Maps.
State of play: Taking in the devastation was brutal, residents said. Statues, trellises and mementos added over the years for loved ones who had frequented the garden were either washed away or buried in four to five feet of sand.
"We lost everything, even our tools," Swiger told Axios. She cried for a week, she said.
Then she got to work, creating a GoFundMe to collect donations and a Facebook group to share updates. Money and memories poured in — more than Swiger ever expected.
Out at the garden, she and a core group of Envoy residents who had helped maintain it over the years began the long process of digging out what was left of the pots, plants and memories.
Zoom out: About 80 miles away in Winter Haven, Jillian Manns was fretting over what had become of the mosaic bench she'd made in honor of her son, Timmy. In 2022, the 29-year-old was murdered in Illinois.
Flashback: He'd discovered the Secret Garden while living in St. Petersburg, and it was one of his favorite spots to relax, his mom said.
She put her hobby of making mosaic garden and pool accessories to use for her son, creating a bench depicting the Gulf at sunset, Timmy's favorite time of day.
She drove it to the Secret Garden, where it sat among the greenery — until Helene. Manns heard from a volunteer that it had vanished in the storm.
Yes, but: Soon, she got another call: They'd found the bench. Manns headed to the beach to help dig it out of the sand and was amazed to discover it had virtually no damage.
"Timmy wrapped his wings around it," she said.
The latest: These days, the garden is growing tall with new palm trees, bordered by new storage sheds and trellises built by one of the volunteers, and dotted with color from bromeliads, hibiscus plants and, of course, Timmy's bench.
Stories like Manns' are "why we do this," said volunteer Joe Borgia.
"It's still beautiful. It's still the Secret Garden," he said. "It's just different."
👋 Kathryn here. I asked members of Swiger's Secret Garden Facebook group to share their favorite memories.
Here's what they said:
Eileen Frank, whose husband is Swiger's nephew: "We were blessed enough to get married in the garden. It was a breathtaking backdrop for a wedding."
Oanh Loi-Powell:"Our family's favorite morning hangout space … 25 years [vacationing] here."
Michelle Levy Ferretti:"My hubby and I watching the sunset waiting to light my yahrzeit memorial candle to honor my mother."
Ashley Ketner, Swiger's niece: "My husband and I got married in the garden in 2020."
Judy Cook Frank, Swiger's sister: Swiger "has poured her heart and determination into bringing back the garden to what it once was …. Our Dad would be so proud of her. I know I am!"