Grow Fort Myers & Orchid Symposium with Rare & Historic Plant Sale

This year, the Grow Fort Myers event is going to be extra special, as it will be combined with the Orchid Symposium! The plant sale will feature a new twist with specimens that have historical significance to the Edisons, along with plants that are rare and hard-to-find. Plus, we will have several guest speakers conducting free presentations.

Discriminating collectors will not want to miss this unrivaled plant sale, which will include specimens that have been propagated from Edison’s historic collection. The horticultural staff will share a large assortment of houseplants, shrubs, trees and palms that Thomas Edison collected from six different continents and grew on his property here in Fort Myers.

Enhancing our own offerings will be several curated growers known for their commitment to responsible collecting and cultivation of rare species. These experts will have rare plants available for sale and some will give 30-minute presentations and share insights on the cultivation of rare plants including orchids, hoyas, jungle cacti, palms, tillandsias and more.

Entry to the event and presentations is free (does not include admission to the museum, lab, or riverside of the property). Seating under the tent for the presentations is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The following vendors will be selling orchids and other rare species of plants: A J Foliage, Blue Pagoda, Calusa Palms, Cassani’s Nursery, Florida Greenery, Florida Orchid House, Jim-N-I Orchids, Pelican Orchids, Premier Palms, Rachel’s Plant Paradise, Red Hawk Nursery, Sierra Madre Orchids, So Orchids, Sunland Orchids, Southwest Florida Orchid Society, Tropiflora, Yellow Green Exotics, and Jungle House Nursery.

Presentation Topics:

Saturday
My Favorite Orchids – John Hampton, SWFOS & AOS
Unusual Staghorn Ferns – John Cassani, Owner, Cassani Nursery
Growing Vandas – Mickey Parnell, Owner, Blue Pagoda Orchids
Native Cacti – Reed Gilmore
Care of Epiphyllums (Jungle Cactus) – Graciana Parker, Owner, Florida Greenery

Sunday
Conversations with My Orchids – Jim Davison, Owner, Jim-N-I Orchids
Fun with Orchids – Gary Sims, SWFOS & AOS
Growing Hoyas – Graciana Parker, Owner Florida Greenery
Caring for Tillandsias & Cryptanthus – Andrew Warfield, Grower, Tropiflora
Amazing Aspidistras – Karen Maxwell, Horticulturist, EFWE