Mrs. Louise P. Young was a talented gardener who designed the ornamental gardens and planned the fruit orchards at Washington Oaks. Her favorite plants were azaleas, camellias, orchids, and citrus, all of which remain in the gardens today. After the death of Owen D. Young in 1962, Mrs. Young donated the land to the Florida Park Service and specified that the gardens be maintained for the enjoyment of the public. Washington Oaks Garden officially opened as a State Park on July 1, 1964.