|
As of October 2006,
the highlighted portions of this Wikipedia article appear to be plagiarized from: dhr.dos.state.fl.us Wikipedia Watch |
Henry Nehrling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Henry Nehrling (May 9, 1853 - November 22, 1929) was an American horticulturist. He developed a graden in Gotha, Florida in 1884 where he grew, hybridized, and popularised may exotic plants including caladiums, palms, bamboo, and amaryllis.
Biographical Information
Henry Nehrling, famed ornithologist and horticulturist, was born on 9 May 1853 in Herman, Wisconsin. His early education was in a parochial school several miles from his home. He developed a passionate interest in nature – especially birds and flowers- during his hikes to and from school.
In 1890, he took the post of Custodian of the Public Museum in Milwaukee where he was given the opportunity to collect plant specimens for their greenhouse. Nehrling then used his knowledge to develop a garden in Gotha, Florida, where he had purchased land in 1884. Nehrling grew, hybridized, and popularized many unusual and exotic plants for the general public. Caladiums, palms, bamboo, and amaryllis were all introduced to the United States by way of his Palm Cottage Gardens. Nehrling’s garden became so well known during the 1890s that people like John Burroughs, Thomas Edison, and Theodore Roosevelt came to visit and learn gardening tips. Nehrling had resigned his post with the Public Museum of Milwaukee and permanently settled in Gotha in 1894.
His first book, Dis Nordamericanish Vogelwelt (North American Songbirds) was published in 1891. A two-volume work, Our Native Birds of Song was published in 1893; a second edition was printed in 1896. His next work, Die Amaryllis (The Amaryllis), was published in 1908. Between 1922 and 1929, Nehrling wrote columns for The American Eagle, a weekly horticultural paper published in Estero, Florida.
In 1917, Nehrling purchased land in Naples, Florida, to pursue an interest in fancy leaved Caladiums. The soil and climate of his Naples gardens encouraged Nehrling’s interest in tropical plants, and he moved his breeding program there. In 1922, Nehrling settled permanently in Naples, fondly calling his garden there “Garden Solitude” or “Tropical Gardens”.
Henry Nehrling passed away on November 22, 1929, and was laid to rest in the Gotha Cemetery. His Naples’s garden was preserved as the Jungle Larry’s Caribbean Gardens. There is also interest in preserving his “Palm Cottage Gardens” in Gotha.
