The poppies are coming.
Credit: Reese Meighan, Perfect Look Photos
Five- and 6-foot poppies are about to bloom inside Galleria Fort Lauderdale, bringing a colorful photo opportunity, military tribute and veteran mental-health fundraiser to the mall.
The Poppy Project Pop-Up Living Garden officially opens Thursday, Sept. 10, with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. City of Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, community leaders and singer Zachary Kopelman are scheduled to attend the launch.
Presented by Galleria Fort Lauderdale and designed by South Florida-based Ingham Landscaping, the indoor garden will pair handcrafted fiberglass poppies with tropical ornamental plants and shrubs. The installation follows the flowers’ May debut at Tunnel Top Plaza in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Visitors will also see “Soldier Stories,” an exclusive exhibition from award-winning artist Marilyn Johansen. The series honors U.S. military members and draws from Johansen’s extensive family connection to service. Her father was an Air Force fighter pilot who flew during World War II, Korea, the Cold War and Vietnam and spent time as a prisoner of war. Her husband is a former Marine who now volunteers with Honor Flight South Florida.
The USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD28) Support Committee will offer free postcards for guests to write personal messages to current service members. Visitors can also add tributes to Henderson Behavioral Health’s virtual Legacy Wall and donate online.
The poppy’s connection to military remembrance stretches to the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields.” Here, that symbolism supports Henderson’s VICTORY program, which provides free counseling, workshops, outreach and education for veterans, active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members and their families. Henderson served more than 250 veterans in 2025.
Supporters include the Leo Goodwin Foundation, FPL, Community Foundation of Broward, Disabled American Veterans-Gold Coast Chapter 133 and Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale.
The garden and exhibition remain on view through Nov. 10.
