Garden Tour (Registration Required)
Horticulturalists lead behind-the-scenes garden tours which include 20 acres of historic gardens, crop gardens, propagating nursery, and Garden
Shoppe full of exotic, heritage and edible plants for gardens and containers.
The garden tour is offered the second Wednesday of the month, and tickets go on sale online the first of each month for that month’s tour. Registration is limited – click here for online ticketing.
Members: $30, non-members: $35
Breakfast with the Birds (Registration Closed)
Join the Estates’ plant curator and an experienced Audubon birding guide on an easy walk through the grounds. Afterward, enjoy a complimentary beverage and bite to eat from the on-site Banyan Café while you chat with fellow birders and the guides. It is recommended that participants bring binoculars and drinking water, and wear closed-toe shoes.
Cost: members: $15; non-members: $20
Registration has closed for this event.
Gardening Class: The Fragrant Garden
Spring in the South Florida Garden means enjoying a multitude of scents, from jasmine to gardenia to magnolia and citrus. Whether you desire evening or day fragrance, for the lanai or the garden, this is the class for you. After the classroom presentation, participants will create their own unique linen spray from essential oils. All materials are included.
Bring water, walking shoes and sun protection. Held in the comfortable air-conditioned Garden Council classroom just off the Larchmont Ave. parking lot. Look for the red “Torry Gate.” Advance registration is required (registration opens October 1 and closes April 15).
Members: $45; Non-members: $65
Gardening Class: Palm Reading
Florida’s iconic palms are among the most valuable additions to any Florida garden. At Edison Ford, we grow more than 100 species of palms, so this is the place to learn about them. While commonly called trees, they are very different and have unique growth characteristics and cultivation needs. To “read” the palm means you’ll have the tools to recognize when your palm is in distress and what it needs from you. We cover a large variety of palms to help you make the best choice for your garden. A tour of the Estates’ Palmetum immediately follows the classroom presentation.
Bring water, walking shoes and sun protection. Held in the comfortable air-conditioned Garden Council classroom just off the Larchmont Ave. parking lot. Look for the red “Torry Gate.” Advance registration is required (registration opens October 1 and closes March 17).
Cost: Members: $45; Non-members: $65
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.
In addition, the Garden Shoppe will be open and stocked with trees, fruit and vegetable plants, herbs, flowers and more.
O.C.T. Plant Sale and Workshops (Orchids, Cacti & Tillandsias)
This event will feature FREE workshops on orchids, cacti, and tillandsias (O.C.T.)! Vendors will also have plants available for sale, and there will be an orchid show (may end earlier than 4 p.m. on Sunday, so get here early). Plus, food trucks will be onsite. See below for more information!
Sponsored by:
The weekend program provides an opportunity for gardeners to learn how to grow and care for orchids, cacti and tillandsias, as well as find and purchase plants that are not always available at garden centers. The workshops will take place under a tent in the research gardens.
The orchid show and event are free and open to the public. Seating for the free workshops is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission to the museum, laboratory, or riverside of the property requires an admission ticket. For guests looking to purchase plants, bringing a garden cart is recommended, as only a limited number will be available.
Workshop Schedule:
Saturday, October 10
10 a.m. — Event Introduction, Max Fulkerson
11 a.m. — Orchids & Bromeliads in the Landscape, Alex Bello
Noon — Tips for Staghorn Ferns & Epiphytes, Sandy Troy-Pennington
1 p.m. — Orchid Cultivation & Care, Dominic Garrido
2 p.m. — Beginners’ Guide to Orchid Growing, Stan Grigiski
3 p.m. — Growing New Orchid Hybrids from Seed, John Finer
4 p.m. — Techniques for Repotting Orchids, Jeff Corder
Sunday, October 11
9:30 a.m. — Creating & Designing an Orchid Mount, Greg Durdak
10:30 a.m. — How to Shop an Orchid Show, Jim Davison
11:30 a.m. — Growing Unique Staghorn Ferns, John Cassani
12:30 p.m. — How to Succeed with Vandas, Mickey Carnell
1:30 p.m. — The Endangered Cactus Project, Reed Gilmore
2:30 p.m. — Growing and Caring for Hoyas, Gracie Tureck
Participating vendors:
Bello Tropicals
Blue Pagoda Orchids
Cassani Nursery
Central Florida Orchids
Florida Greenery
Florida Orchid House
Hang-A-Pot
Jim-N-I Orchids
Jungle Cactus
Krull Smith Orchids
Lots of Orchids
OFE Orchid Supply
Red Hawk Nursery
Reed Cactus
Riany Air Plants
Sierra Madre Orchids
Smiley Orchids
SW Florida Orchid Society
Sunland Orchids
Vina Planters
Yellow Green Exotic
And Food Trucks
Lee County Mosquito Control District Sign Dedication Ceremony
Edison and Ford Winter Estates and the Lee County Mosquito Control District (LCMCD) will unveil two new signs that detail how Floridians have met the challenge of living with mosquitoes in the past as well as the impact of new scientific advances.
The signs share information about one of the tools that the LCMCD uses, known as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). This method involves releasing lab-reared, sterilized male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to mate with the wild female population to reduce their presence. SIT is not a new technology and does not involve genetically modifying mosquitoes. It’s important to note that male mosquitoes do not bite, only females bite.
The signs are located at the entrance to the Bromeliad walk at the Estates. During the event, a representative from LCMCD will welcome the attendees, a National Honor Society student from the Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School will read a poem, there will be a ribbon cutting for the signs, and then sterilized male mosquitoes will be released into the Bromeliad garden. The sign ceremony is free and open to the public (does not include tours or admission to the museum, lab or riverside of the property).
Autumn Garden Festival
Our annual Autumn Garden Festival will feature garden vendors with exotic 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. 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. Parking and admission to the festival is free (tours, museum and lab are not included).
Sponsored by:
Grow Fort Myers & Orchid Symposium
Come learn, buy and enjoy! Several FREE workshops will be offered and vendors will have orchids available for sale.
Workshops will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some topics include:
* Cattleya Culture
* Phalaenopsis Culture
* Choosing the Correct Light
* Introduction to Brazilian and Venezuelan Orchids
* Designing with Orchids
Participating Vendors and Guest Speakers:
Aunt Jenny’s Garden, Bello Tropicals, Blue Pagoda, Florida Orchid House, Jim-N-I Orchids, Alexandra Kravchenko Orchids, Red Hawk Nursery, So Orchids, Southwest Florida Orchid Society, Sunland Orchids and more! Food vendors include Panini Genie, Nickle City, Kamy’s Kettle Korn and the Banyan Café.
Seating for the workshops is available on a first-come, first-served basis, standing room is available for overflow. Admission to the event is free; admission to the museum, lab, or riverside of the property is not included. Free parking. See you there!
Sponsored by: 
