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Thomas Edison planted frangipani and more at his Fort Myers home.

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An Inventor's Garden

By: Gwen Perry

Standard tours of the Edison-Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers lead visitors past some of the unusual specimens Thomas Edison planted, but people generally train their cameras on the inventor's house, lab and the museum that chronicles his life and accomplishments. A special weekly botanical tour, however, acquaints visitors fond of flora with many of the 400-plus species found on the estate. Some are common in this subtropical region-crimson poinciana, coconut palms, fragrant lilies and various forms of citrus. But there are also many extraordinary specimens that played parts in some of Edison's experiments.

The prodigious inventor, who purchased the property that borders both sides of McGregor Boulevard in 1885, gardened the way he experimented: by trial and error. While searching for just the right material to use for light-bulb filaments, for instance, he tested bamboo fibers. In trying to create a substitute for much-sought-after rubber, he planted lots of things that had white sap.

Included in the lush mix are aromatic species, such as frangipani and ylang-ylang. There are rare cycads and palms as well as oddities such as a calabash tree bearing fruits that resemble gourds and sprout from the tree's trunk, and a milk-and-wine lily that has an enchanting aroma and a toxic bulb.

In Historic Landscapes of Florida (University of Miami, 2002), authors Rocco J. Ceo and Joanna Lombard describe the grounds as "one of the oldest and most significant experimental industrial botanical gardens" in the country. But even visitors without a scientific bent are likely to come away with a deeper understanding of the man who created it and his vast contributions to society.

-- Botanical tours of the Edison-Ford Winter Estates are conducted at 9 a.m. Thursdays. The cost is $19 for adults, $8.50 for children ages 6 through 12; younger children admitted free. The estates are at 2350 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Reservations are required. Call 334-7419.