Edison and Ford Winter Estates Selected for Washington D.C. "Gardens Across America" Exhibit

July 8, 2019

Edison and Ford Winter Estates Selected for Washington D.C. “Gardens Across America” Exhibit

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 8, 2019) — Edison and Ford Winter Estates (EFWE) was selected as one of 20 gardens to be represented in the United States Botanic Gardens’ “Gardens Across America” exhibit in Washington, D.C. The display includes a model of the Edison Botanic Research Laboratory and rubber research gardens and will be on display near the U.S. Capitol Building until October 1.

Garden specialist, Eric Frankovitch, stands in front of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates display in the United States Botanic Gardens’ “Gardens Across America” exhibit in Washington, D.C.

EFWE garden specialist, Eric Frankovitch, and the curatorial team constructed the lab replica, an eight-foot-wide wooden structure with a life-size cutout of Thomas Edison working at a chemical table. The team also created garden plot markers, plant identification plaques and educational signage about the history of Edison and the rubber research he, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone conducted in Fort Myers. The display includes approximately 150 plants.

Frankovitch drove from Fort Myers, Florida to D.C. with the plants and display parts and constructed the replica lab upon his arrival. He filled the 275-square-foot garden bed with six species of rubber research plants that represent the 17,000 plants Edison and his team tested in their search for an American source of natural rubber.

EFWE members and guests that visit the D.C. display can share their photos on Facebook @EdisonFordFL and use the hashtag #EdisoninDC to enter a contest. The follower with the best photo will win a plant from the Edison Ford Garden Shoppe. The winning photo will be announced in early October. Plants will not be shipped; winners must be able to pick up the plant or have someone pick it up for them.

The Gardens Across America exhibit in D.C. is free for all visitors, as is admission to the U.S. Botanic Garden. EFWE in Fort Myers is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For tour times or ticket rates, visit the website at www.edisonford.org.