Please note: parking on site is VERY limited so we are encouraging everyone to carpool (4-5 people/car) to both the event and to a meeting place in Coconut Grove. If you are up for riding a bicycle, that would be wonderful.
If we need to carpool because there too many cars for the site, we will need to meet at the to be named site at 9:30 am!
Please remember that there is a $17 per person registration fee. We prefer that you pay in advance. If this is not possible, please bring cash to the event.
Description:
This beautiful and lush private estate was a home of the famous botanist, Dr. David Fairchild., and his wife Marian Bell Fairchild.
On our guided tour, we will:
* Explore the historic house, which features original elements, coral rock, and photos of the Fairchilds.
* Visit the museum with historical items and photos
* Walk through the gardens with unique tropical collections, including plants collected globally by Dr. David Fairchild.
See here for a short video and more information. (Be aware that the website covers all locations of the
National Tropical Botanical Garden, a network of botanical gardens, preserves, and research centers in Hawaiʻi and Florida. It’s easy to find yourself in the wrong state on the website!)
If you have time (or later if not sooner), read The World Was My Garden: Travels of a Plant Explorer “the 1938 autobiography of David Fairchild, a U.S. Department of Agriculture botanist who introduced over 200,000 new plant species to America, including soybeans, pistachios, and mangoes. The book chronicles his extensive world travels, documenting his expeditions to collect plants, his work with the USDA, and his observations of indigenous cultures, all illustrated with his own photographs.” - Amazon
From a yelp review:
At his home in Florida, Fairchild created a garden that contained many of the plants that he obtained throughout his trips. … Fairchild and his wife made the Kampong their permanent home from 1928 until their deaths in 1954 and 1962 respectively.
A year after David Fairchild's wife's death, the land was purchased by Catherine Hauberg Sweeney, a botanist and preservationist. Sweeney maintained Fairchild's garden and was vital in its preservation for future use and study, securing its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1984 Sweeney donated the property to the then Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden (now National Tropical Botanical Garden), and remained its principal sponsor until her death in 1995.
The Fairchild-Sweeney House - designed by architect Edward Clarence Dean, constructed in 1928, has a combination of Spanish and Southeast Asian influences. A later renovation to the home incorporated more modern features and added a second floor over a portion of the home, resulting in an unusual blend of styles.
