Gardening Class: Palm Reading
November 12 (Tuesday, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM) or February 22 (Saturday, 10:00 AM to Noon):
Get the tools to guide your selection of appropriate palm species for your garden or yard; the physiology of palms, their unique care, and what you need to know to maintain them at their beautiful best! In addition to classroom time, our discussion will continue with a tour of Edison’s extensive palm collection. Participants will each receive a copy of the teaching materials covered in class, as well as a 20% discount coupon good toward plants in our Garden Shoppe.
Advance registration is required. This class always sells out quickly, so be sure to register early because class size is limited. Class will be held at the Fort Myers-Lee County Garden Council building on Larchmont Avenue (across from the Estates’ overflow parking lots).
Cost: Edison Ford members: $45; non-members: $60
Click here for registration (will be available soon).
Grow Fort Myers: Plant Sale & Workshops
Save the date for this event!
Workshops and participating vendors will be announced at a later date.
Gardening Class: Plant a White Garden
White gardens were all the rage with the arrival of the Arts & Crafts movement that redesigned homes and gardens, and Vita-Sackville West’s white garden at Sissinghurst in England set the standard. Since we can’t use the same plants, we can appropriate the concept, and this class will cover plant choices and design ideas to create a sub-tropical white sensation on your lanai, balcony or in your garden. Each participant will receive a 20% discount coupon for plant purchases in our Garden Shoppe.
Advance Registration is required, as class size is limited. Class will be held at the Garden Council building, located across the street from the Edison and Ford (Larchmont Street) parking lot.
Cost: EFWE members: $45; non-members: $60
Click here to register.
Garden Talk
Edison Ford horticultural staff instruct participants on a variety of topics relating to gardening in Southwest Florida:
November 9, 2024: Grow a Tropical Tea Garden
EFWE members: $15; non-members: $20
Explore tropical herbs and edible plants, how to pair flavors and highlight scents to create hot and cold tea brews for different seasons.
December 14, 2024: Big Belly Plants
EFWE members: $20; non-members: $30
This is a holiday talk with seasonal décor, music and light refreshments. Horticulturists will discuss plants with caudices (swollen trunks or bases) and how to add them to your garden. Specimens will be available for purchase.
January 11, 2025: Amazing Cycads
EFWE members: $20; non-members: $30
Renowned cycad collector, grower and author, Chip Jones, will share his experience in the care, identification and maintenance of these dinosaur plants.
March 8, 2025: Sanseverias
EFWE members: $15; non-members: $20
Did you know that the Estates has a Sanseveria garden? We’ll look beyond the invasive “Mother-in-Law’s tongue” plant to dozens of other species and learn what makes these easy-care plants so collectible.
May 10, 2025: Dracaenas
EFWE members: $15; non-members: $20
Let’s talk about the workhorse in Southern landscapes. We’ll demonstrate how to use colorful dracaenas as a garden focal point or as a foundation to highlight complementary flora. Consider including them as a garden staple for fresh flower arrangements. We’ll recommend some little-known varieties and how to grow them.
Garden Talk participants will receive a coupon for 20% off plant purchases in the Garden Shoppe. Guests should wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and a hat, and bring drinking water.
Purchase tickets for each talk at the ticket counter.
Gardening Class: Tropical Rose Gardening
Once upon a rose garden, the Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon, was known for having the largest rose collection in the world at her home outside of Paris. However, this royal gardener hailed from the Caribbean where growing roses can be a challenge. We’ll explore Josephine’s favorite plants and how she would have mastered a sub-tropical rose garden. Our class will also include a tour of the Estates’ rose gardens. Registration is required.
Cost: EFWE members: $45, non-members: $60
Click here to register.
Gardening Class: ABC’s of Tropical Fruits
Now is the perfect time to plant fruit trees! Learn about avocados, bananas, and citrus. This class will cover recommended varieties to grow in our challenging soils; how to plant, how to prune, and develop the healthiest and most productive trees. Gardening in SW Florida also means one must be prepared to recognize common diseases and pests and be armed with the skills to address such problems in a timely manner. Since citrus greening is an on-going challenge, it is important to understand what it is, how to recognize it and how to choose and grow citrus. Our discussion will continue in the fruit groves following the classroom presentation.
Cost: EFWE members: $45; non-members: $60
Registration will be available soon.
Annual Bromeliad Sale
In partnership with the Caloosahatchee Bromeliad Society, there will be hundreds of different specimens of Bromeliads for sale, including rare species. Experts from the society will be on hand to answer questions about Bromeliads. Parking and admission to the event is free (does not include tours or admission to the museum and laboratory). A limited number of garden carts will be available; guests are encouraged to bring their own.
The Garden Shoppe will be open and stocked with tropical and native plants and trees, including edibles and butterfly host plants.
Autumn Garden Festival
Our annual autumn Garden Festival will feature garden vendors from around the state with tropical and native plants and trees for sale, in addition to food trucks and live music.
Vendors will have many types of plants and trees, including air plants, bromeliads, butterfly plants, cacti, fruit trees, herbs, hibiscus, orchids, palms, succulents, and many hard-to-find species. Vendors will also offer garden supplies, such as fertilizer and worm castings. The Garden Shoppe will be open and have unusual tropical and Florida native plants that thrive in Southwest Florida. Ceramic flowerpots, vegetable and flower seeds, garden art, and gardening gift items will also be available for purchase.
A limited number of garden carts will be available, so guests are encouraged to bring a cart or wagon for transporting plants. A designated plant holding tent and loading spot will be offered for anyone needing assistance.
Parking and admission to the festival is free (tours of the homes, museum and lab are not included).
Spring Garden Festival
Join us for the biggest plant sale of the year! The festival will also feature food trucks and live music. Numerous garden vendors from around the state of Florida will have many types of plants and trees, including palms, fruit trees, bromeliads, hibiscus, butterfly plants, African violets, orchids, air plants, herbs, succulents, cacti and many hard-to-find species.
The Garden Shoppe will be open and have unusual tropical and Florida native plants that thrive in Southwest Florida. Ceramic flower pots, vegetable and flower seeds, garden art, and gardening gift items will also be available for purchase. A limited number of carts will be available, so guests are encouraged to bring a cart or wagon for transporting plants. A designated plant holding tent and loading spot will be offered for anyone needing assistance.
Parking and admission to the festival is free (tours of the homes, museum and lab are not included).
