Discover how Palm Cottage became a pioneering center for plant research, cultivation, and horticultural innovation.
A Living Laboratory of Discovery
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.
Botanical Collection
Plants listed in Nehrling’s writings as having been grown at Palm Cottage:
Nehrling’s writings document an extraordinary collection of native, tropical, and subtropical species cultivated and studied here.
