Visiting Fairchild

[Alicehunter2000]

I will be taking vacation at Disney for 9 days and Coral Gables (Biltmore Hotel) for a liquor convention for a week. I wil then be traveling up to Melborne, Fl. to visit a friend for a day.

I would like to know how close Fairchild Gardens are to the Biltmore? Also, I only have 1 day to view the gardens, any suggestions? Is the food ok at Fairchilds? Any info. to make the tour interesting would be appreciated. (Note: I have my wife and 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old baby with me).

I would also like to buy some 1 to 5 gallon seedlings of the following palms:

Arenga Engleri

Saw Palmetto (Blue Form)

Dypsis Deciphens

C. Microspadix

C. radicalis

C. metallica

Is there any nurseries that anyone would recommend in the Coral Gables, Melborne or Orlando area that might carry these palms? Do the box stores down there carry any of these palms?

Thanks for any help,

David

[Jeff Searle]

Iam not positive, but your probably looking at a 20-30min. drive, depending on when you leave and the traffic. It opens at 9:30am. I would bring a stroller for your children. Their food is mainly sandwiches, salads, and light snacks. Don't forget the camera.

[Dave-Vero]

Easy to get from Biltmore to Fairchild, maybe just 15 minutes.  The University of Miami has a nice palm arboretum on campus.  

Blue saw palmettos may be a hard to find--they grow slowly, so they're expensive, and most people don't like landscaping with them.  Check the Association of Florida Native Nurseries http://www.afnn.org/search_afnn.asp?n=22.  David Drylie/Green Images at Christmas (east of Orlando) raises nice ones.  Maple Street Natives, a grower and nursery in West Melbourne, might have them.  http://www.maplestreetnatives.com/

[Neofolis]

Make sure you take plenty of photo's and get them posted.  From what I've seen in previous pictures, we can never have too many Fairchild snaps.

[Kev Spence]

Hi David

you will have  a fantastic time at Fairchild as did we in March it is just palm heaven.

They have a little train you can go round on when the kids get tired but nothing beats walking round.

We went for 3 days and still probably missed some good stuff.

About 15 mins is the drive to Fairchild and the run down to it is brilliant with the Banyans over hanging the road.

There were quite long queues for food and drink at times especially hot food. We took sandwiches which is a good idea but then we are English and picnicking is our thing.

I will look out for your pics when you come back and am a little envious just now have a good one.

Here is the link to my website with a few pics to whet your appetite.

Kev

Just one more pic then Corypha umbraculifera

[SubTropicRay]

It will be sensory overload.  Have fun!

[Alicehunter2000]

Thanks everyone,

I will try and check out those websites and nurseries and will also try and snap some good pictures.

David

[Jeff Searle]

David,

  I notice the Palm Sale sign in your photo.  How was the sale that day? Did you find anything to buy?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

David,

While at the Biltmore, watch out for the ghosties.  They say it is haunted.

Have fun at Fairchilds, but take some skeeter repellent this time of year.  My favorite place is the Rainforest Grden.  It has a few palms but not that many, but what is interesting is how they created a completely different habitat there.  The Carpoxylons are right outside the Rainforest not too far from the cafe.

Jerry

[Dave-Vero]

I'm told the Rain Forest suffered in Wilma.  Its winds came from the "wrong" direction--from inland rather than off the bay.  This brought down trees that fared well in previous storms, including Andrew.  

The fruit conservatory has received a lot of attention, and the garden's been building Bahamas habitats and displays of Caribbean flora to show off their collections.  They were able to collect extensively after Andrew, and have kept up the Caribbean emphasis.

[SubTropicRay]

Dave,

The fruit conservatory is fantastic.  I believe Durian is represented quite well.

Much of the overhead canopy in the rainforest area was devastated but is making a comeback.

ray

[Kev Spence]

The rain forest was hit quite bad apparently and I for one was glad I was'nt sitting here.

The power of hurricanes is here to see when you see the palms just plucked out of the ground.

John and Faith pointed out to me a Copernicia macroglossa with the centre sucked out of it by a mini hurricane inside the main hurricane.........amazing power.

This palm still growing  at an unusual angle though.

Jeff

It was myself who was at the Palm sale at FTG and a wonderful couple of days it turned out to be.

We met John and Faith and Mike Harris really nice guys and acquired some Nannorrhops and Trithrinax biflabellata seedlings but more to the point and many thanks to the South Florida palm society for a few seeds wow!!!!!!

kev

[tropical1]

David-

You will have a great time. Much of the city of Coral Gables is like a botanical garden as well. Especially the area around the Biltmore. Private yards are full of rare palms. As for purchasing palms most of the nurseries are in Homestead area which is probably about 30-40 minutes south on the Florida turnpike. Also, if you are into tropical fruit the fruit and spice park is worth a stop. Finally, if you make arrangements while you are in Miami you can tour the Kampong (David Fairchilds house on Biscayne Bay) and I believe you can arrange for a tour of the montgomery foundation estate (huge palm collection). But others on the board may be able to comment more on that. I am headed down over labor day.