August 27, 2024
Orchid Sale and Symposium at Edison and Ford Winter Estates
FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 27, 2024) — On October 12 and 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Edison and Ford Winter Estates will hold its annual Orchid Sale and Symposium.
Guests attend an orchid workshop during the annual Orchid Sale and Symposium at Edison and Ford Winter Estates.
The event will take place outdoors, under the oak trees. Multiple presentations will be offered each day and vendors will have rare and unusual orchids for sale. The event is sponsored by the Southwest Florida Orchid Society.
There is no charge to attend the event or presentations (does not include tours or admission to the museum, lab or riverside of the property).
Presentation Schedule:
Saturday, October 12
10 a.m. – Stan Griski, President, SWFL Orchid Society – To Repot or Not
11 a.m. – Carly Pfalz, Jungle House Nursery – Orchids and Lighting
NOON – Jim Hopton, artist and hypertufa expert – Creating a Hypertufa Orchid Display (Jim’s creation will be raffled off at the end of his presentation)
1 p.m. – Gary Sims, SWFL Orchid Society – Have Fun with Orchids
2 p.m. – Ashley Palmer, Palmer Orchids – Growing Beautiful Vanda Orchids
Sunday, October 13
10 a.m. – Debbie Hughes, EFWE – Choosing Orchids to Mount in your Trees
11 a.m. – Micky Carnell, Blue Pagoda – Orchids 101
NOON – LUNCH BREAK
1 p.m. – Aaron Apsley, Aaron Apsley Artwork – Painting Orchids in Watercolor
2 p.m. – John Hampton, SWFL Orchid Society – The Joy of Kikis
The Lee County Master Gardeners will have an advice table, food trucks will be on site, and representatives from the Southwest Florida Orchid Society will be available to answer questions. A limited number of garden carts will be available; guests are encouraged to bring their own.
Participating vendors (to date) including Bello Tropicals, Blue Pagoda Orchids, Florida Orchid House, FTE Studios, Hang-A-Pot, Jim-N-I Orchids, Jungle House Nurseries, Kreative Gardens, Krull Smith Orchids, OFE Orchid Supplies, Palmer Orchids, Pelican Coast Orchids, Red Hawk Nursery, Sierra Madre Orchids, Smiley’s Orchids, So Orchids, Sunland Orchids, and Tropiflora will have orchids and orchid supplies for sale.
The Edison Ford Garden Shoppe will be open all day and offers a unique place for gardeners to shop for quality plants. The Shoppe will be stocked with a large selection of orchids, ornamentals, fruit trees, butterfly plants, herbs, succulents, rare exotics and Florida natives. Many of the flowering trees and shrubs in the botanical gardens are available for purchase. Wind chimes, fountains, ceramic flower pots and garden art are also available.
Orchids have a long history with the Estates. They were Mina Edison’s favorite plants and she displayed many of them in her garden, attached to trees so they could grow as she saw them in the Everglades. Today, visitors can view many orchid species throughout the 20 acres of botanical gardens. Following in Mina’s footsteps, horticulturists continue to attach orchids to trees throughout the site. Tickets are required to tour the botanical gardens and may be purchased online at EdisonFord.org.
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