Horticulture at Palm Cottage
Palm Cottage Garden began as the home and experimental grounds of Dr. Henry Nehrling. As Nehrling collected plant material, and developed horticultural contacts worldwide, Palm Cottage became much more than a residence. It evolved into a scientific growing and testing facility for newly discovered plant material from all over the world.
For many years, Nehrling was actually partially employed by the USDA department of Plant Introductions and Testing. On the grounds at Gotha, Henry Nehrling received, grew, and tested many thousands of species new to the US and Florida in his gardens. He watched, studied, and took many notes about his discoveries.
The result was a collection of massive proportion that contained many new and impressive species of plants that were successful in Florida. As the garden gained recognition, people visited from every place on the globe to see the magnificent displays at Palm Cottage. Nehrling, who was not interested in financial gains, would send each visitor home with souvenirs of the garden, and in this way, his plant material was diffused around the entire state and country.
Nehrling had several favorite species, which he grew and bred far more than others. Caladiums, Amaryllis, Palms, Cycads, and Bamboo were among those most grown at Palm Cottage. Nehrling describes in his writing as having planted 25000 individual Caladiums each year in his Lath Houses, as well as thousands of other species that required protection from the strong Florida sun.
Plants listed in Nehrling’s writings as having been grown at Palm Cottage:
Acer rubrum
Amaryllis belladonna
Antigonon leptopus
Araucaria angustifolia
Araucaria bidwillii
Asirnina pygrnaea
Asimina reticulata
Asplenium nidus – birds nest fern
Aster carolinianus
Azadarachta indica
Azalea indica
Bambusa glaucescens
Bambusa gracilis
Bambusa oldharnii
Befaria racemosa
Berchernia scandens
Bignonia capreolata
Bischofia javanica
Bougainvillea glabra ‘sanderiana’
Bowenia spectabilis
Brunfelsia hopeana
Brunf elsia latifolia
Bnmfelsia pauciflora ‘exima’
Bnmfelsia pauciflora var calycina ‘Macrantha’
Butia bonnetii
Butia capitata
Caladium
Callistemon citrinus
Callistemon rigidus
Callistemon salignus
Callistemon speciosus
Camellia japonica
Camellia oleifera
Camellia reticulata
Camellia sasanqua
Camellia sinensis var bohea
Camellia sinensis var viridis
Camellia thea
Campsis radicans
Campyloneurum phyllitidis
Carphephorus odoratissirna
Ceratiola ericoides
Charnaecyparis funebris
Charnaedorea Elegans
Chionanthus virginica
Cinnamomum burmannii
Cinnarnomum camphora
Cinnamomun cassia
Cinnamomun loureirii
Coreopsis
Cratozamia mexicana
Crinum americanum
Cunninghamia lanceolata
Cupressus lusitanica ‘benthamii
Cupressus lusitanica ‘knightiana’
Cupressus sempervierns
Cupressus torulosa
Cycas circinalis
Cycas media
Cycas pectinata
Cycas revolute
Cyrtopodium punctatum
Decumaria barbara
Decumaria Barbara
Dioon edule
Dioon spinulosum
Dryopteris normalis
Elaeagnus multiflora
Elaeagnus pungens
Elaeagnus pungens ‘frederici variegata
Elaeagnus pungens ‘maculata’
Elaeagnus pllllgens ‘Reflexa’
Elaeagnus pungens ‘Simonii’
Elaeagnus pungens ‘Tricolor’
Elaeagnus umbellata
Encephalartos caffer
Encyclia cochleata
Encyclia tampensis
Epidendrum anceps
Epidendrum conopseum
Epidendrum difforme
Epidendrum noctumum
Eriobotryajaponica – loquat
Garberia heterophylla
Gardenia jasminoides ‘majestica’
Gardenia jasminoides ‘major’
Gardenia jasmionoides
Gelsemium sempervirens
Gloriosa rothschildiana
Gloriosa superba
Gordonia lasianthus
Grevillea robusta
Hibiscus coccineus
Hibiscus grandiflorus
Hippeastrum pardinum
Hydrangea macrophylla
Ilex cassine
Ilex comuta
lex glabra
Ilex integra
llex latifolia
Ilex opaca
Ilex paraguariensis
Ilex rotunda
Illicium anisatum
Ipomoea alba
ltea virginica
Juniperus silicicola
Kosteletzkya virginica
Laegerstrornia speciosa
Lagerstroemia indica
Leucothoe racemosa
Ligustrum japonica
Ligustrum lucidum
Ligustrum obtusifolium
Lilium catesbaei
Liquidambar styraciflua
Lupinus diffuses
Lupin us villosus
Lyonia ferruginea
Lyonia ferruginea
Lyonia ligustrina
Lyonia lucida
Macrozarnia spralis
Magnolia campbellii
Magnolia grandiflora
Magnolia heptapeta var purpurea
Magnolia hypoleuca
Magnolia kobus
Magnolia quinquepeta
Magnolia salicifolia
Magnolia sieboldii
Magnolia stellata
Magnolia virginiana
Magnolia watsonii
Magnolia X soulangiana
Magnolia X soulangiana “Lennei”
Michelia figo
Mitchelia repens
Myrica cerifera
Myrtus communis
Myrtus communis ‘rnicrophylla
Myrtus communis var melanocarpa
Nandina domestica
Nephrolepis biseratta
Nephrolepis exaltata
Nerium oleander ‘album’
Nerium oleander ‘Atropurpureum’
Nerium oleander var Roseum
Nolina longifolia
Nyssa sylvatica
Oncidium undulatum
Osmanthus americana
Osmanthus fragrans
Osmanthus heterophyllus
Persea borbonia
Persea palustris
Petrea volubilis
Phelobodium aureum
Phlebodium aureum – golden polypody
Phoenix canariensis
Phoenix reclinata
Phoenix roebelenii
Photinia serrulata
Pinguicula lutea
Pinguicula pumila
Pinus clausa
Pinus palustris
Pittosporum tobira
Pittosporum tobira ‘variegata’
Pittosporum undulatum
Podocarpus microphylla
Podocarpus nagi
Poly gala cymosa
Polygala lutea
Polygala setacea
Polypodium polypodioides
Polypodium swartzii
Prunus caroliniana
Prunus umbellata
Quercus laurifolia
Quercus phellos
Quercus virginiana
Quisqualis indica
Radermachera sinica
Raphiolepis indica
Renanthera coccinea
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Rhapis excelsa
Rhapis humilis
Rhododendron viscosum
Sabal palmetto
Sacoila lanceolatus
Sarracenia flava
Serenoa repens
Smilax glauca
Smilax laurifolia
Smilax walteri
Solanum azureum
Solanum wendlandii
Styrax americanum
Styrax pulverulentum
Talamuma hodgsonii
Taxodium ascendens
Tax.odium distichum
Temstroernia gymnanthera
Thelypteris kunthii
Tillandsia balbisiana
Tillandsia bartramii
Tillandsia faciculata
Tillandsia flexuosa
Tillandsia recurvata
Tillandsia simulate
Tillandsia ultriculata
Tillandsia usneoides
Tillandsia variabilia
Trachelospennum jasminoides
Viburnum odoratissimum
Vitis aestivalis
Vitis vulpine
Vittaria lineata grass fem
Washingtonia filifera
Washingtonia robmta
Woodwardia areolata
Zamia floridana
Zamia fwfuracea
Zenobia pulverulenta
Zephyranthes atamasco