WAYS TO GO GREEN IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
Learn about Naples history with a walk in these splendid gardens
The Third Street South shopping district is known for its cascading blooms of purple, pink and magenta bougainvillea and European- style fountains. The tradition of such colorful landscaping in this part of Old Naples can be traced back to developer Ed Crayton, who left his imprint on the city in the quarter- century following his arrival in 1912. It is Crayton’s 102- year legacy that serves as the historical backdrop for The Norris Gardens at Palm Cottage.
The oldest house in Naples, the Palm Cottage was purchased by the Naples Historical Society ( NHS) in 1978. “We were motivated by the fact that the land on which it sits was scheduled to become a parking lot,” NHS president and CEO Elaine L. Reed recalls.
Similar concerns prompted acquisition of the adjoining lot in 2004. “The board agreed to purchase the lot [ to avert] the construction of a large house, which would have upset the scale of historic Palm Cottage and undermined the significance and historical representation within the Old Naples neighborhood,” Reed explains.
At that point, the society partnered with the family of Naples benefactors, Mr. and Mrs. Lester J. Norris, to create an integrated garden area that chronicles a century of Naples’ landscape and vegetation history. Through the use of
ALTHOUGH ONLY THE SABAL, OR CABBAGE PALM, IS NATIVE TO NAPLES, EVERYONE FROM ED CRAYTON TO THOMAS EDISON, WHO HAD A WINTER HOME IN THE AREA, BROUGHT NON- NATIVE SPECIES TO SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY.
five integrated sections or discovery zones, The Norris Gardens focuses on early community development, including the plants utilized for food, shelter and beauty. Strategically sited around the property’s perimeter, these garden areas are separated from an oval lawn of hardy, self- heating zoysia grass by a concrete path known as the Patron’s Walk.
The Edible Garden
“Back in the days of wood- burning stoves and iceboxes, Naples residents rarely cooked at home,” recounts volunteer docent Jim Yoder. “So just about everyone ate at the old 1888 Naples Hotel.” Robert Fohl was the hotel’s longtime gardener, and he provided the kitchen staff with an ample assortment of fruit and vegetables to supplement the wild game and fresh fish served daily by the hotel. The Edible Garden contains many of these same vegetables and fruit trees, including star fruit, citrus, pineapples, bananas, papaya and corn.
The Palm Collector’s Garden
Although only the sabal, or cabbage palm, is native to Naples, everyone from Ed Crayton
to Thomas Edison, who had a winter home in the area, brought non- native species to Southwest Florida in the early part of the 20th century. These palms provided fronds for thatched roofs and a host of other building materials. The Palm Collector’s Garden pays homage to this legacy by providing an assortment of congenial additions brought in from other places.
The Garden of Senses
Before air- conditioning, families and guests would congregate on their porches to socialize and enjoy the evening breezes. “So, historically, that’s where people planted flowering trees, bushes and ground cover,” notes docent Dottie Giles. But the wax jasmine, frangipani, gardenia, roses, ginger and society garlic found in The Garden of Senses did more than just perfume the late afternoon and night air. They provided an explosion of color and texture for the eyes, filled the air with the buzz of honey bees and hummingbirds, and even helped ward off mosquitoes and no- see- ums.
The Pioneer Garden
Early Naples settlers like Crayton, Fohl and Walter Haldeman, who built the Palm Cottage in 1895, were greeted by giant yucca and saw palmetto. These tough, drought- resistant plants grow in The Pioneer Garden.
The Shade Garden
Located on the cottage’s east side, The Shade Garden combines a thoughtfully-chosen combination of tropical shade plants and Everglades species with two handsome pergolas to provide a respite from the intense Florida sun and a place for quiet reflection and tranquility.
A special water feature in The Norris Gardens serves to inform visitors that properly- maintained water gardens go
through life cycles that include the presence of nitrogen- producing algae. It features a bronze sculpture of two herons similar to those in the nearby Third Street Plaza that were cast by famed British metal sculptor Lorne McKean.
Docent- guided tours of the gardens are available from 10 to 11 a. m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month throughout the year ( reservations are required), and the oval lawn and Norris Gardens regularly play host to weddings, birthdays and other functions.
The Norris Gardens and Palm Cottage are maintained and operated by the Naples Historical Society. Both are located at 137 12th Avenue South in Naples.