The Mittan Botanical Gardens were founded in 1988 to showcase perennial plants that could be grown in north Florida under a variety of extreme conditions and with a minimum of care. Eventually, the gardens are slated to become a public park.

The gardens benefit the environment by providing eight acres of water recharge areas and wildlife habitat in a landscape heavily dominated by housing subdivisions. All of the planted areas of the gardens are mulched heavily with recycled leaves that would otherwise go to area landfills.

The gardens provide habitat for a variety of wildlife including deer, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, foxes, armadillos, snakes, wild turkeys, several nesting hawks, and many other birds including bluebirds, blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, doves, goldfinches, grosbeaks, hummingbirds, ibis, mockingbirds, purple martins, quail, robins, sparrows, woodpeckers, and wrens.

The gardens are maintained in a natural state. Plants are not fertilized although soil is occasionally amended with lime or iron as needed. Watering is provided only when transplanting or as a fire prevention measure during extreme droughts or when fires are occurring nearby.