Looking at History & Upcoming Events (April 30 & May 7, 2016) of Nehrling/Palm Cottage Gardens

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Thanks to those of you who were concerned about me, inquiring about Windermere Sun’s last week’s posts. After being under our care for over a decade, my mom has decided to have a change of scenery/pace and moved to CA last October to be near my brother for the next decade (to give us a bit of breather). So I’ve been spending time this past week cleaning up our guest house (used to house my parents these past nine years), taking photos, producing pamphlet (will be shared with you all soon), and contacting realtor to prepare putting the house on  market. Now I am back and ready to continue our posts for Windermere Sun.

In the process of digging/researching about various posts for Windermere Sun, I’ve come to appreciate many influential characters behind the make-up of our Central Florida community. Many of them made a great deal of lasting contributions of historical significance, benefiting many future generations. One of these characters is Dr. Henry Nehrling (in the photo at L below), for the plant industry of Florida wouldn’t be where it is today without Nehrling.

Ever since I’ve posted about the 12th Annual Windermere Treebute, I’ve been curious about and wanting to write a post/piece on Nehrling Gardens (2267 Hempel Ave., Gotha, FL).

After much digging, I’ve become amazed by how much of Dr. Nehrling’s and my life’s journey have similar trajectory pattern: we both were educators originally not from  IL (he moved from Wisconsin to study in Teachers’ Seminary of Addison, IL , specializing in ornithology, while I moved from OH, attended University of IL at Urbana-Champaign for applied math and civil-environmntal engineering, and taught in a private university in Addison, IL  for about a decade), but we both moved from IL to Central FL, taught at several states (he in ornithology while I in mathematics), interested in hybridizing plants (hubby and I planted thousands of daffodils with hundreds of variety in IL and considered hybridizing new breeds of daffodils) and both eventually became interested in writing for the sake of sharing information with general public. He eventually was laid down to rest in Woodlawn Memorial Park of Gotha, FL (in 1929), the same place where I  interred my father (in 2010).

Of Florida, Nehrling wrote: “When I first came to Florida in April of 1886, I had the impression of being in a dreamland. The salubrity of the climate acted like a charm. The beauty of the almost untouched evergreen woodlands and the many hundreds of lakes, glittering like mirrors in the bright sunshine, impressed me deeply. The diversity of the exotic garden flora inspired me with ever increasing enthusiasm.”

Prior to his retirement, Henry Nehrling became interested in Florida, bought land in Gotha (a German-American town) in 1884, and maintained a garden there, naming it Palm Cottage Gardens.

At Palm Cottage, Nehrling experimented with over three thousand species of plants, trees, shrubs and vines. Three hundred of those became staples in the landscape of Florida. After a freeze in 1917 killed most of his plants, he relocated to Naples, Florida and started a new garden there, later named this second garden as H. Nehrling’s Tropical Garden and Arboretum.

At Naples,  Nehrling continued his pioneering work by growing, hybridizing, and popularizing many exotic plants for the general public. Caladiums,

palms, bamboo

and Hippeastrums (the latter commonly and erroneously referred to as ‘amaryllis‘)

were all introduced to the United States by way of his Palm Cottage Gardens. He established a strong friendship with Theodore Luqueer Mead of nearby Oviedo, Florida and collaborated on many plant experiments with Mead.

Below, in italics, is a short summary of history from: http://nehrlinggardens.org

In the early 1900s Palm Cottage Gardens became one of Florida’s first USDA horticultural experimental stations where Dr. Nehrling tested more than 3000 plants. Over 300 of these became essential to the state’s ornamental horticulture, including caladiums, palms, bamboos, magnolias, amaryllis, Indian Hawthorne, and crinum lilies. He had acres of lath shade houses where he grew shade-loving plants such as the caladiums for which he is renowned. His detailed descriptions and observations of tropical and subtropical plants, written for a variety of magazines and scholarly journals, established him as a highly esteemed writer on the early development of ornamental horticulture in Florida.

By the early 20th century, Palm Cottage Gardens was a popular destination for thousands of tourists, nature lovers, and new Florida settlers. It was visited by many prominent people of the era, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Liberty Hyde Bailey, Theodore Luqueer Mead, and Dr. David Fairchild.

After Nehrling’s death in 1929 the garden lay fallow until Julian Nally purchased the property in 1935. He and his wife Maggie successfully commercialized several species of bamboo and bromeliads, as well as Gloriosa lilies and orchids. They added several greenhouses to the property, which became well known as the Nally Bromeliad and Bamboo Plantation until their deaths in 1977. The property then was purchased and subdivided by developers, who preserved the original home on 6 acres in the middle of the development. The home site suffered from vandalism and many plants were taken.

In 1981 this remaining piece was rescued by Barbara and Howard Bochiardy, who worked to restore the home and gardens and added an architecturally compatible garage and workshop wing. But after Howard’s death in 1990 it became increasingly difficult for Barbara to maintain the home and garden.

In 1999, after years of disconnect with the garden’s original history, the Henry Nehrling Society was organized as a non-profit corporation with the express mission to save, restore, and operate “Palm Cottage Garden” ,  saving this important piece of Florida’s pioneer history  and the project was renamed “Nehrling Gardens.”. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 2000.

In 2001–2009 The Henry Nehrling Society pursued a variety of strategies to obtain state and local funding to purchase the property, but was stymied by bureaucratic difficulties and budget cuts. In 2003 the Society defined its mission to focus on: Historic Preservation, Horticultural Education, and Environmental Conservation.

On Nov. 30, 2009 the Henry Nehrling Society succeeded in purchasing the property (with the aid of donations, foundation grants, fundraising events, and a private loan) to preserve the home and remaining historic genome in the gardens, and to create an education center and community resource focusing on historic preservation, horticultural education and environmental conservation.

In April of 2010, The Henry Nehrling Society took possession of “Palm Cottage Gardens.”

In 2011, The Henry Nehrling Society formally applied to do business as “Nehrling Gardens.”

On May 9, 2013, the official Florida Heritage Landmark marker was installed/dedicated (May 9 is also the birth date of Henry Nehrling). The marker was sponsored by the Henry Nehrling Society, Bloom & Grow Garden Society, the Rotary Club of Windermere, Windermere Garden Club, and the Florida Department of State.Today the all-volunteer organization is working hard to rehabilitate Nehrling Gardens and raise the money needed to develop its full potential.

Please join The Henry Nehrling Society, Inc.,  in bringing new life to this remarkable site where young and old alike can walk in the footsteps of Dr. Nehrling and learn the joy of plants and the natural world.

There will be some upcoming events when you may be able to visit and learn more about this wonderful and historically meaningful place:

• On Saturday, April 30, 2016, from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm: Corks, Caladiums & Canvases, you may stroll through the Gardens at sunset while sampling a variety of food & wine from regions of the world where the plants of Nehrling Gardens originated. View artists at work and original art for purchase or auction.
• On Saturday, May 7, 2016, from 9:00 am-3:00 pm: Open Day, Palm Cottage Gardens will be open for tours of the historic home and gardens. Interested people are welcomed to join in working on projects – from weeding and mulching to maintenance on the home. Please wear comfortable closed-toe shoes as the paths are mulched!

Currently Nehrling Gardens is open twice  (every 1st and 2nd Saturday of the month) a month to the public (from 9:00 am-3:00 pm) and private tours are available by appointment (suggested $5 donation). As the restoration efforts progress and funding increases, hours of availability will continue to expand.

For more detailed information, please inquire below:

The Henry Nehrling Society, Inc.

PO BOX 884
2267 Hempel Ave
Gotha, FL 34734-0884
407.445.9977

info@nehrlinggardens.org

Private tours are available by appointment

~Let’s Help One Another~

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Photographed, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker
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