What's Blooming in February
Heritage Plants Available in the Garden Shoppe
Several of the plants that grew on the property during Thomas Edison's time are available for sale in the Edison Ford Garden Shoppe. We select plants that are seasonally appropriate and are happy to provide horticultural tips. We also carry many organic products for the vegetable garden. This month's available plants are as follows:
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | PRICE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allamanda Vine "Brown Bud" | Allamanda cathartica | $12 | |
| Assorted Flowering Annuals | (Many varieties) | $1.50-5 | |
| Bamboo | Various varieities (clumping only) | $30-$150 | |
| Banyan Tree | Ficus benghalensis | $25-35 | |
| Tropical Begonia Shrub | Begonia odorata alba | $6-$12 | |
| Bo Tree | Ficus religiosa | $20-35 | |
| Bougainvillea (Several Varieties) | Bougainvillea spp. | $10-75 | |
| Bromeliads | Tillandsias (air plants) | $3-10 | |
| Cactus and Succulents | Various | $5-15 | |
| Citrus Various Sizes (we can order) | Ctrus sp. | $20-$120 | |
| Copperleaf Shrub | Acalypha spp. various | $6-12 | |
| Crotons | Croton sp. | $6-10 | |
| Desert Rose | Adenium sp. | $15-30 | |
| Dwarf Poinciana | Caesealapinia pulcherrima | $10-$25 | |
| Grafted Gardenias | Gardenia jasminoides varieties grafted on rootstock | $25 | |
| Herbs & Heirloom Vegetables | (Many varieties) | $2-5 | |
| Hibiscus "James hendry" | Hibiscus rosa-sinesis | $13.00 | |
| Kings Mantle | Thunbergia erecta | $10.00 | |
| Mango-several cultivars | Mangifera indica | $35 - $50 | |
| Mexican Honeysuckle | Justica spicigera | $15.00 | |
| Orchids and Supplies | Various varieties | $5-$40 | |
| Palms | Foxtail, Royal, and Puerto Rican Palm | $10-20 | |
| Pink Ball | Dombeya wallachii x seminole | $15 | |
| Queen’s Wreath | Petrea volubilis | $10 | |
| Roses (Old Garden Roses) | Louis phillipe, Belindas dream and others | $20 | |
| Royal Poinciana | Delonix regia | $15 - $20 | |
| Staghorn Ferns | Platycerium bifurcatum | $10-20 | |
| Strawberry Pots | With or without plants | 160 | |
| Sweet Almond Bush | Alyosia virgata | $10 | |
| Various Butterfly/Native Plants | Pentas, blue plumbago, duranta, saliva, lantana, and more | $1.50-20 | |
| Various Container Additions | Sedum, sweet potato vine, vinca vine, Persian shield, variegate ivy, licorice plant, lysmachia (goldilocks) | $2-$8 |
Plants Currently Blooming with Fruit or Seedpods
Nursery
(Behind the Edison Botanic Research Lab)
Organic VICTORY GARDEN contains a variety of seasonal produce grown by Edison Ford horticultural staff. Many items such as plants, seeds, compost, fertilizers, and other soil amendments are sold in the Edison Ford Garden Shoppe.
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| False Rubberwood | Mascarenhasis arborescens | Tiny white flowers some say smell like buttered popcorn | Tropical Africa |
| Carob | Ceratonia siliqua | Red spike flowers | Mediterrean |
| Red Powderpuff | Calliandra haematocephala | Red powderpuff flowers | Tropical America |
| Golden Dewdrop | Duranta erecta ‘alba’ | White flowers | Tropical America |
Edison Research Gardens
(Parking lot side of property)
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| African Tulip Tree | Spathodea campanulata | Orange flowers | Tropical Africa |
| Bead Tree | Adenanthera pavonina | Seed pods curl exposing bright red seeds | Asia and South-western Pacific |
| Indian Jujube | Ziziphus mauritana | Green fruit | Africa, Asia |
| Pink Ball | Dombeya x cayeuxii | Pink pendulous balls | Africa |
| Tropical White Ball | Dombey x cayeuxii | White pendulous flowers | Africa |
| Yellow Ixora | Ixora coccinea ‘maui yellow’ | Yellow flowers | SE Asia |
Banyan Tree Area
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banyan Tree (Edison signature tree) | Ficus benghalensis | Many auxiliary trunks, figs ripening | India |
| East Palatka Holly | Ilex x attenuata 'East Palatka' | Red berries | Native to FL |
| Golden Dewdrop | Duranta erecta ‘gold mound’ | Purple flower, yellow fruit | Tropical Americas |
Heritage Garden
(Next to ticket office)
Herb and vegetable gardens reflect the gardens the Edisons planted in this area. Extra fruits and vegetables that the Edison family and staff did not consume were sold in downtown Fort Myers.
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bahama Senna | Senna Mexicana var chapmanii | Yellow blooms, host plant for sulphur butterflies | Florida native |
| Crinum Lily | Crinum sp. | White and burgundy blooms | China |
| Firebush | Hamelia patens | Red-orange flowers-nectar plant for butterflies | Native to FL. |
| Firespike | Odontonema strictum and callistachyum | Red and purple flowers | Central America |
| Loquat | Eriobotrya japonica | Yellow fruit and flowers | SE Asia |
| Paw Paw, Papaya | Carica papaya | White blooms, round green fruit | Columbia |
| Tamarind | Tamarindus indica | Brown Bean shaped pods | India |
Edison Caretaker's Gardens
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amaryllis | Hippeastrum sp. | Large bulbs topped with trumpte shaped blooms usually in the srping | Tropical regions |
| Annato or Lipstick Plant | Bixa orellano | Red seed pods | Tropical America |
| Bougainvillea | Bougainvillea glabra | Purple bracts with small white flowers | Brazil |
| Chenille Plant | Acalypha hispida | Red velvety catkin flowers | East Indies, New Guinea |
| Chinese Hat Plant (cup and saucer) | Holmskioldia sanguinea | Ornage disc shaped flowers with a tubular center | Himalayas |
| Coral Plant | Jatropha multifda | Red flowers | Central America |
| Crinum Lily | Crinum asiaticum | White spider like blooms | India |
| Crotons | Codeaium varigatum | Colorful foliage throughout gardens | India |
| Crown of Thorns (in pots at fountain) | Euphorbia mili hybrids | Red, yellow, white, and bicolors | Madagascar |
| Dwarf Poinciana | Caesalpinia pulcherrima | There is a Red, yellow and pink flowered variety on 3 different small trees | West Indies |
| Dwarf Ylang Ylang | Desmos chinensis | Yellow finger-like flowers | Tropical Asia |
| Gamboge or False Mangosteen | Garcinia xanthochymus | White flowers | India |
| Garlic vine | Cydista aequinoctiales | Purple flowers scented like garlic when moved | Tropical America |
| Hong Kong Orchid | Bauhinia x blakeana | Purple flowers | Hong Kong |
| Lady of the Night | Brunfelsia densiflora | White tubular flowers | Jamaica |
| Lady of the Night | Brunfelsia plicata | White fragrant flowers | Jamaica |
| Mammee Sapote | Pouteria sapota | Fruit on trunk and stems | Mexico/central America |
| Mangoes | Mangifera indica | Fruit of “Haden’ and ‘Keitt’ | India/West Indies |
| Miracle Fruit | Synsepalum dulcificum | Tiny red fruit | Tropical West Africa |
| Pink Dwarf Powderpuff | Calliandra haematocephala x surinamenisis "nana" | Pink powder puff flowers | Tropical America |
| Red Button Ginger | Costus woodsonii | Yellow edible flowers emerging from red bracts | SE ASia |
| Rose Apple | Syztgium jambos | White powder puff flowers | East Indies |
| Snowflake Euphorbia Tree | Euphorabia leucocephala | Tiny star shaped flowers | Mexico/central America |
| St. Christophers Lily | Crinum jagus | White trumpet flowers | Tropical Africa |
| Starfruit | Averrhoa carambola | Pink flowers | India to China |
| White Angel Trumpet | Brugmansia x candida | White trumpet flowers | Peru |
Moonlight Garden
(Next to Edison Caretaker's House & Edison's Little Office)
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antique Rose | Rosa spp. "Mrs. B. R. Cant" | Pink rosette flowers | Worldwide |
| Angelonia | Angelonia | White flowers | South Africa |
| Blue and white plumbago | Plumbago auriculata and alba | White and blue phlox-shaped flowers | South Africa |
| Bougainvillea Shrub 'Miss Alice' | Bougainvillea cultivar | White bracts | Brazil |
| Bougainvillea, 'Barbara Karst' | Bougainvillea spectabilis | Red bracts; white flowers | Brazil |
| Golden Gardenia | Gardenia tubifera | White open faced fragrant flowers | Asia |
| Pentas | Pentas lanceolata | Clustered umbels of white star shaped flowers | East Africa |
| Sweet Almond Bush | Aloysia virgata | White fragrant flowers | Argentina |
| Tropical Begonia | Begonia odorata alba | White flowers | Tropics |
| Water Lily | Nymphaea spp. | Fragrant large lavender & pink flowers | Hybrids |
| Yesterday Today Tomorrow | Brunfelsia pauciflora 'compacta' | Purple, lavender, to white flowers | Brazil |
Edison Pool Area
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agave | Agave pachycentra | Ten-foot spike beginning to develop | Central America |
| Banana | Musa acuminata | Fruits visible | Southeast Asia and Australia |
| Firebush | Hamelia patens | Red/orange flowers | Florida native |
| Louisiana Iris | Iris giganticaerulea | Lavender blue flowers | Native to Gulf coast states including Florida |
Edison Rose Garden
(Next to Edison Ford House)
A formal garden of antique roses, representing Mina Edison’s interest in roses, has been installed on the north side of the Edison House. A long list of her roses is in the Edison archives. Roses with an *asterisk were on Mina’s 1929 list.
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Beauty (1875) | Hybrid perpetual rose | Pink | China |
| Blush Noisette (1817) | Noisette rose | Cupped double blush white flowers | China |
| Catherine Mermet (1869) * | Tea rose | On Mina Edison’s 1920 rose list; cameo-colored flowers with pink tones at edges | China |
| Celine Foresterier (1858) | Noisette climber | Pinkish-yellow | China |
| Louis Phillipe (1834) | China rose | Double deep crimson flowers with a blush center | China |
| Madame Josephine Schwartz (1880) * | Noisette rose | On Mina Edison’s 1920 rose list; white cabbage- shaped flowers | China |
| Maitland White (date unknown) | Noisette rose | White flowers | Unknown |
| Maman Cochet (1893) | Tea rose | Creamy pink flowers with yellow at center | France |
| Marie van Houtte (1871)* | Tea rose | Yellowish-pink | France |
| Mrs. Dudley Cross (1907) | Tea rose | Double yellow flowers that blush pink in sun | China |
| Mutabilis (1894) | China rose | Flower opens yellow, changes to orange to pink and then crimson | China |
| Paul Neyron (1869)* | Hybrid perpetual rose | Large pinkish red | England |
| Perle d'Or (1884) | Polyantha rose | Orange to golden pink | France |
| Perle des Jardins (1890)* | Tea rose | Orange to golden pink | France |
| Rubens (1859) | Tea rose | Tawny color flower with shades of rose | China |
| Safrano (1839) * | Tea Rose | Loose apricot pink flowers | France |
| White Pet (1879) | Polyantha rose | Small white flowers | China |
Edison Main House Gardens
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bougainvillea ‘Barbara Karst’ | Bougainvillea sp. | fushia bracts | Brazil |
| Cluster Fig | Ficus racemosa | Green fruit on trunk | Asia |
| Ground orchid | Spathoglotis plicata | Terrestrial orchid with various colored flowers | Tropical Asia |
| Kings Mantle Bush | Thunbergia erecta | Deep purple flowers | Tropical Africa |
| Roses at the Pergola | Cramoisi superieur China Rose climber 1885, Mrs. BR Cant Tea Rose 1901, Ducher China Rose 1869, Bermuda Kathleen Bermuda Mystery Rose | Various colors all antique or old garden roses for the south | Crosses originally from China to Europe |
| Yellow Allamanda | Allamanda cathartica | Yellow trumpet flowers | Tropical America |
| Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow | Brunfelsia pauciflora | Purple, lavender to white flowers (change colors) | Brazil |
Edison Guest House Gardens
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bougainvillea ‘Imperial Delight’ | Bougainvillea sp. | Variable pink-colored bracts | Brazil |
| Crown of Thorns | Euphorbia milli | Yellowish-white flowers | South Africa |
| Kings Mantle Bush | Thunbergia erecta | Deep purple flowers | Tropical Africa |
| Queen's Wreath | Petrea volubilis | Purple flowers | Mexico, Central America |
| Sausage Tree | Kiglea pinnata | Burgundy flowers held on pendulous strands | Tropical Africa |
| Tropical Begonia | Begonia odorata ‘alba’ | White flowers | South Africa |
| Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow | Brunfelsia pauciflora | Purple, lavender to white flowers (change colors) | Brazil |
Edison Gardens (Riverside)
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Mahoe | Talliparti | Burgundy blooms | Mexico to Costa Rica |
| Calabash Tree | Cresentia cujete | Gourd shaped fruit forms on trunk | Central America |
| Crinum lily | Crinum augustu | Tropical Africa | White star-shaped fragrant flowers |
| Cycad Collection | Oldest known seed-bearing plant; eaten by dinosaurs | Africa and Asia | |
| Ixora | Ixora chinesis | Clustered Red star shaped flowers | China |
| Sweet acacia | Acacia farnesiana | Fragrant yellow puff balls | Florida native |
| Vanilla orchid (in silk floss tree) | Vanilla planifolia | Yellow tubular flowers | Mexico |
Edison Gardens (Mcgregor Side)
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allamanda Vine ‘Cherries Jubilee’ | Alamanda catharica x cherries jubilee | Cherry colored flowers | Tropical America |
| Bromeliads | Aechmea | Many inflorescences blooming | South America |
| Mango | Mangifera indica cultivars | yellow panicle flowers | India |
| Pinkball Tree | Dombeya wallichii | Large pink balls of flowers with a cotton candy scent | East Africa |
| Star Apple | Chrysophyllum cainito | Tiny yellow flowers | Caribbean |
| Starfruit | Averrhoa carambola | Yello star-shaped fruit | India to China |
| Tamarind Tree | Tamarindus indica | Brown seed pods used in Worcestershire sauce | East Africa |
| White Sapote | Casiminoa edulis | Green round fruit-not ripe yet | Mexico |
| Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow | Brunfelsia pauciflora | Purple to lavender to white flowers changing daily | Brazil |
| Ylang Ylang Tree | Cananga odorata | Yellow fingerlike fragrant flowers-perfume tree essential oil in Chanel #5 | SE Asia |
Ford Gardens
| COMMON NAME | BOTANICAL NAME | DESCRIPTION | ORIGIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bleeding Heart Vine | Clerodendrum thomsonaie | White bracts with red center flowers | West Africa |
| Carib Queen | Tabebuia pallida | Maroon flowers | Caribbean |
| Green Buttonwood | Conocarpus erectus | Green seed pods | Florida Native |
| Jatropha Tree | Jatropha integerrima | Clusters of small red flowers | Cuba |
| Mangoes | Mangifera indica cultivars | Yellow panicle flowers | India |
| Marchel Neil Rose (next to Royal Poinciana) | Rosa 'Marchel Neil' | Yellow tinged with apricot flowers | Europe |
| Mexican Flame Vine | Pseudogynoxys chenopidiodes | Orange daisy like flowers on a climbing vine | Mexico |
| Oranges, Grapefruit, Lime, Lemon, Tangerine, Kumquat | Citrus sp. | White fragrant flowers followed by green fruit | China |
| Red Hibiscus | Hibiscus rosa-sinensis | Red flowers | China |
| Red Powderpuff | Calliandra haematocephala | Seedpods visible | Brazil |
| Shell Ginger | Alpinia zerumbet speciosa | White flowers | Asia |
| White Powderpuff | Calliandra haematochephal 'alba' | Seedpods visible | South America |
Note: Orchids and Bromeliads are in bloom in various locations throughout the Edison Ford gardens.
Many new citrus trees have been planted to represent the original Edison and Ford collections, including varieties of oranges, grapefruit, kumquats, limes, lemons, and calamondins. They are blooming and fruiting throughout the year.
Edison Ford Garden Shoppe open daily 9AM - 5:30PM.
Edison Ford Garden Tours offered every Tuesday at 10:30AM.
For more Edison Ford Garden information on "What's Blooming in February" contact the Edison Ford Horticulturist at 239-334-7419!