Orlando businessman and exotic-plant collector Harry P. Leu donated his house and 50-acre botanical reserve to the city in 1961. Situated along the southern shore of Lake Rowena, the gardens also contain the largest formal rose garden in the state (in bloom Mar-Jan), consisting of 1,000 roses representing 250 varieties. Built as a farmhouse in 1888, the two-story white frame Leu House Museum was enlarged by subsequent owners-including the Leu family, who lived here from 1936 to 1961