Congratulations to the Edison Ford robotics team, “Assembly Required!”
The team recently participated in this season’s qualifying tournament and received the Innovative Project Award and a bid to the Regional Championship, which will be held on March 5. The current team has won an award in every category in the past three years: robotic design, project, and core values.
Assembly Required (4th-8th graders) participates in First LEGO League, a division of FIRST Robotics. The Estates have been involved in First LEGO League since 2011. The team’s robot is named “EdiBot Jr,” after the beloved “Edison Bot,” a 5’ tall robot built by an earlier team to serve as an outreach ambassador of the Estates and the robotic community of Southwest Florida. Over the years Edison and Ford staff have volunteered with FIRST robotics as tournament judges and have actively mentored local teams.
The team is starting a new project and would like your help. They will be working on creating sustainable package deliveries. The team is currently interested in creating a re-usable delivery box. To encourage adoption, the box will be purchased with a deposit fee that will be returned to the customer once the box has been returned to the delivery vehicle for re-use. They would like to get the public’s feedback on current sustainable practices (just to gather information before starting the project). For example, do you re-use packaging/boxes? If you would like to help the team, click here and complete the survey by March 1.
The King of the Tropics: Cordyline Fruticosa, the Ti Plant
By Karen Maxwell, Horticultural Specialist
You know the plant … those mostly reddish foliage plants with skinny legs that are so often used in landscapes as a color break from predominantly green palettes. Botanically, Cordyline fruticosa or its synonym Cordyline terminalis, is also called the “King of Tropical Foliage” and for good reason. It just might be time to take a second look at our collection of cordylines and consider if they’re not worthy of a new focal point in your garden.
Commonly referred to as Ti Plants, let’s get right to that question of pronunciation. According to the world’s foremost authority on cordylines, the late B. Frank Brown, Ed.D. and seconded by the National Tropical Botanical Garden, headquartered in Hawaii and owner of The Kampong, former estate of Dr. David Fairchild, it is said just like a cup of tea. Ti = tea
Today, we’d like to show you that there is so much more to this collection of foliage plants, beyond the popular red varieties. Historical garden records indicate the Edisons grew a plant listed as a cordyline, and inventoried in the records as Dracaena indivisa, which according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) of England is incorrect—it is Cordyline indivisa, a native of New Zealand where it is called Mountain Cabbage Tree and grows to the size of a small tree in good conditions. Container designers here in the States commonly refer to it as Spike and surprisingly, it is a frost-hardy cordyline. This cordyline easily hybridizes with Cordyline australis, a less hardy burgundy version of Spike, known as Red Sensation. In Europe, where Spike is frequently grown, the leaves are tied up in a bunch when there is a call for frost to protect the center bud.
Today, the landscape of the Edison estate is surely not the same as it was for Thomas and Mina, as the passage of time has brought destructive hurricanes, changes in growing conditions, and the natural attrition of trees and plants. We take great pride in preserving the Edison garden legacy by continuing to grow the plants they introduced wherever practicable, as well as by adding new collections and plants they most likely would have been keen to grow, whether for science or pleasure. Cordyline fruticosa which grow so well in South Florida is one of the newer additions with upwards of two dozen varieties now on site.
In 1994, Dr. Brown published the first (and only) encyclopedia of cordylines due to the absence of reference materials for this wide collection of tropical foliage plants, native to the Pacific rim countries of Southeast Asia, where he travelled extensively, collecting many specimens. In 1988, Dr. Brown opened Valkaria Tropical Gardens just outside of Melbourne, Florida and the nursery is still open today. Perusing through my many botanical garden guides and tropical plant books, Dr. Brown was on to something. For the most part, the cordyline is never featured, but is usually observed in photographs alongside other tropical plants almost as an incidental plant.
It’s time to move Ti plants from the back of the garden to the front so that we can enjoy their foliage and flowers. What sets cordylines apart from other interesting foliage plants? It is the wide range of colors, intensity of color and number of colors available on a single plant – one cordyline can have as many as seven different colors. Available as a dwarf, Fairchild Red* or as a magnificent 10-foot-tall Black Magic,* to the unique flattened leaf pattern seen in Singapore Twist,* cordylines are often confused with the closely related dracaenas. Ti Plants are also members of the Asparagus family and in their native Southeast Asia, the plants were grown for food benefits – the starchy rhizomes (roots) were cooked to make a beer. The leaves of the Ti plants historically were used to wrap food, make a roof thatch and before grass, Ti leaves made the original Hula skirts of Polynesians and Hawaiians. In fact, Hawaii is credited with hybridizing many varieties of Cordyline fruticosa and popularizing the plant.
Distinguishing a cordyline or Ti plant from a dracaena is quite easy. Notice in the photos, Ti leaves always have a stem, called a petiole, connecting them to the cane or branch of the plant, while dracaena leaves are connected directly to the main trunk of the plant.
Most cordylines top out at fifteen feet tall but will be smaller in our climate where the plants don’t get adequate year-round rainfall like in their native environments. During our drier, cooler months between November and April, you may need to supplement your garden with water to keep them happy, it is during this time that their colors will be most vibrant. There is some confusion as to how much sun the Cordyline terminalis needs to look its best. The lighter colors, such as lime green, Cordyline fruticosa Iris Bannochie* and other gold hued cordylines need to be protected from the hot afternoon sun or they will scorch and develop sun blisters. All cordylines growing in Southwest Florida need some degree of shade, but morning sun will develop the widest range of colors to be enjoyed. Keep in mind, when the plant gets more sun, they will also need more water.
With inadequate sun, only the margins will color up, leaving the rest of the leaves closer to green, and you will certainly observe more green on the lower leaves where the sun doesn’t reach. Red Sister,* probably the most common of the landscape cordylines has leaves that will nearly glow hot pink with adequate sun. Aunty Lou* and other red varieties, including the dwarf variety Fairchild Red* which only grows to about 18” tall and can be found in our Contra Garden as well as the Moonlight Garden, will maintain a deep, rich burgundy red color.
We’re all too familiar with old, straggly burgundy colored cordylines, but they don’t have to look like that. This easycare tropical plant can be pinched or cut aggressively to encourage a fuller growth. It is best to do this in the Spring or anytime between May and September; well past any chance for frost or cold temperatures to damage young shoots. By early Fall, one to four new shoots will emerge at the cut point. But wait! Don’t throw away that trimmed top! Simply trim it shorter if you like, and plant it in a pot of peat moss or in your garden, and it too will grow into a full plant. To create a full Ti effect, the cuttings can also simply be planted around the mother plant to enhance its appearance. Any 3-4” cut piece, when placed in a damp medium, will eventually set roots and sprout leaves; something Hawaiian souvenir shops often peddle. This propagation method is so easy, Hawaiian growers and Thailand hybridizers are at odds with each other because Hawaii doesn’t want to pay the premium involved in international shipping costs for the beautiful, hybridized foliage created by Thai growers.
In 2020, we created our Contra Garden which can be found in the former Edison Research Garden area. Highlighting the vision value of foliage and variegation, this garden has few flowers, though mature cordylines do produce sweetly scented pink flower spikes in the summer and it is here one can see many of our beautiful cordylines. As this plant does well in the afternoon shade, appreciates rich soil and good, regular watering, be on the lookout for it in unexpected corners of the gardens.
Cordyline leaves are very useful in floral arrangements, and anyone interested in creating one should add a number of cordylines to their garden because once you see how versatile they are, you’ll need plenty of extra plants to fill in the spaces where leaves have been cut and used. The larger, leathery leaves can be rolled around the inside of clear glass as a beautifully colored liner to disguise the stems of other flowers in a glass bouquet and they can be curled and tied like the cast iron plant leaf (aspidistra) as a filler in a more formal arrangement.
*Indicates plants in the Edison and Ford Winter Estates gardens.
Berne Barfield Davis
By Alexandria Edwards, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
Berne Davis (Barfield) was an influential philanthropist with deep roots in the City of Fort Myers who developed a very close friendship with Mina Edison throughout her time in Southwest Florida. She was born in West Lake (Hamilton County), Florida and moved to Fort Myers in 1928. She graduated from Fort Myers High School in 1933 and later attended the Fort Myers Business College. After college, she got a job working as a secretary with William Reynolds Real Estate.
On July 26, 1938, she married Sidney Davis, a local businessman who started his career in banking and was the owner of Sidney Davis Men’s shop in Downtown, Fort Myers. Sidney valued giving back to the community, which inspired Berne to dedicate her life to charity, and she encouraged others to do so as well. She developed a passion for gardening and dedicated a lot time to beautifying the areas around her, just as Mina did. She was asked to join the Periwinkle Garden Club, one of Fort Myers’ oldest garden clubs, formed as a subset of the Women’s Community Club.
During this time, Mrs. Thomas Edison also was a member of the club and helped produce several flower shows for Fort Myers residents. The group urged City officials to form a Park Board that kept the streets clean, added landscape to the Downtown Library, designed a Friendship Garden at Lee Memorial Hospital, and completed a children’s playground at Rutenberg Park in 1995. Through her efforts, Berne was later selected President of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs from 1973 to 1975. Not only did she help improve gardens around the city, but she tended to her own garden at home as well. Some of her favorite plants included orange jasmine trees, bromeliads, and orchids. According to the Fort Myers News-Press, Berne stated in an interview that “I take a cup of coffee and walk out here every day, you never know what you’re going to find. It’s always a surprise.”
The avid gardener bonded with Mina Edison over their love of flowers and gardening. Mrs. Edison initially met Berne’s husband, Sidney, when he invited her to be a guest speaker at his Sunday school class at the First Methodist Church of Fort Myers. They became good friends, and she often invited him to lunch. When he married Berne, Mina immediately included her in her social circle. The local press shared that Mrs. Davis was very nervous when she met Mrs. Edison for the first time at a dinner in 1938. When Berne walked in, Mina held out her arms and stated, “I am so glad to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you,” which warmed Berne’s heart, and she expressed to others around her how wonderful Mina was.
Sidney and Berne Davis lived at the Seville Apartments, one block north of Seminole Lodge – the Edison’s winter home. According to Mrs. Davis, shortly after she married Sidney, she prepared and hosted a dinner party for Mrs. Edison, her sister Grace Hitchcock, her brother John Miller, Jettie Burroughs, and her sister Mona Fisher. Each guest brought her flowers and climbed up to the third floor of the apartment, eager to see the wedding gifts the couple received. She also enjoyed dinners at Seminole Lodge, where they were greeted by the Edison’s chauffeur, Sidney Scarth, who escorted them to the guest house where everyone dined. Reportedly, Sidney would leave the party after everyone arrived to greet Mrs. Edison and would take her to the guest house from their main house living quarters. If there were any musicians in the group, they were asked to perform after dinner. Mina Edison and the community looked for ways to honor Thomas Edison’s legacy after he passed away in 1931. In 1938, Ronald Halgrim, a personal friend of the inventor, proposed that the City organize an elaborate tribute to celebrate Thomas Edison’s birthday on February 11. The Fort Myers Women’s Community Club joined the Junior Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a three-day pageant dedicated to the famous inventor. As a part of the festivities, many events were held, including a parade and Coronation Ball, still enjoyed by community members today. At the dance, a King and Queen were selected to serve as the reigning monarchs of the Edison Pageant mythical kingdom for one year. Berne was crowned the second queen of Edisonia in 1939, beginning her long-time association with the Edison Pagent of Light. Each King and Queen were crowned by Mrs. Edison in the first year and most consecutive years from 1938 until 1947, when she passed away.
Pageant events were put on hold during World War II, resuming after a five-year hiatus. When Berne was chosen as queen, Mina hugged her warmly and invited her to dinner. Her future husband, Sidney, served as Lord Chamberlin of the Court and had the honor of placing the crown on her head. In 1989, a new non-profit organization, the Edison Pageant of Light, Inc., was created to organize these programs. This year, the Coronation Ball will be held on February 5. For more information about the Edison Pageant of Light, Inc., visit edisonfestival.org.
After Sidney passed away in 1989, Berne continued to dedicate countless hours to serving her community. She provided an endowment for landscape design and horticulture at Florida Gulf Coast University to support students in this program. In addition, in 2007, she pledged $1 million to Florida Arts, Inc. to restore the 1933 United States post office designed by architect Nat Gailard Walker, who also helped design some of the structures on Edison’s property. In honor of her contribution, the building was renamed the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center. For more information, visit sbdac.com.
The gardener and community volunteer was also very passionate about preserving the Edison and Ford Winter Estates and helping the organization fulfill its mission to educate the public by preserving the innovations, legacies, artifacts, gardens, homes, and other structures of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. One of the beloved spots on the property that she enjoyed was the Moonlight Garden. This beautiful garden features night-blooming plants and a pond that reflects the moonlight.
Enjoyed by many of the local garden clubs that Mina Edison invited to Seminole Lodge In the early 2000s, efforts were made to add more plants to the garden that were present in 1929, the period of interpretation at Edison Ford, with the help of Naples landscape architect Ellin Goetz. Berne provided an initial grant to help support the project and rallied local garden clubs to come together for this special cause, including the Jasmine Garden Club that also donated. Not only did she help restore the gardens; however, she assisted with the restoration of the Edison’s family living area and Caretaker’s Lodge, stating “This belongs to all of us. This was a great part of my husband’s life, and I fall into his footsteps.” Due to her selflessness, she was presented with the Alliance of the Arts “Angel of the Arts Award,” Gulfshore Life’s “Philanthropist of the Year Award,” and the “Woman of the Year Award.”
Today, we still rely on donations, sponsorships, and the support of our members to preserve the homes and gardens, and develop new educational programs and exhibits. The Edison Ford Preservation Fund helps enable us to fulfill our mission. We also have a fund dedicated to the gardens, so we can continue to carry on Mina Edison’s legacy of protecting plants and natural resources to benefit the community. To donate to any of these funds, please click here.
