Title:
Horticultural Trailblazer
Accession#:
2002.01.02
Pubication Date:
April 1998
Call#:
BK—000202
Object ID:
AC—0056
Collection:
KSHS Articles and Clippings
Additional Notes & Full Text:
Scanned from "Gulf Shore Life", April 1998, p.57
-------------------------------------------------
HORTICULTURAL TRAILBLAZER
Blame Alien Andrews for the melaleuca. Yes, this
member of a turn-of-the-century cult was probably
the person most responsible for introducing the
invasive Australian tree to Southwest Florida. But
as abhorrent and short-sighted as it might seem to
be now, the man's intentions were good—born, in fact, of sci-
entific curiosity and a love for Southwest Florida.
Andrews was the editor of the American Eagle, the newspa-
per published by the Koreshans, who had come to Estero to
establish the "New Jerusalem," a heaven on earth that would
include paradaisical gardens. Alien included a great deal of
horticultural writing in his paper; one of his regular columnists
was Dr. Henry Nehrling, whose work Andrews eventually gath-
ered into the two-volume My Garden in Florida.
Quick to n ake friends and establish a network of relation-
ships. Andrews also forged a bond with Thomas Edison, and the
two supported each other's interest in horticultural experimen-
tation, trading seeds and insights back and forth. Cuttings from
Edison's trees often made their way into Koreshan soil and vice
versa. Andrews shared Edison's passion for discovery and the
cultivation of new plants, so when he learned of the melaleuca's
ability to grow in exceedingly wet places, he supposed it might
be helpful for draining the state's swamps and wetlands. It was
he who imported the first tiny melaleuca seeds.
"Though with some years of actual contact and experience
with tropical plants. I had no technical training, and my igno-
rance often far exceeded my enthusiasm," he later wrote.
But Andrews also had a great deal to to with the still-
enchanting gardens that surround the now^-extinct group's set-
tlement on the banks of the Estero River. From lush sunken
gardens to exotic fruit trees, he helped fill the tough daily life
of these pioneers with fragrance, flavor and beauty.
-------------------------------------------------
HORTICULTURAL TRAILBLAZER
Blame Alien Andrews for the melaleuca. Yes, this
member of a turn-of-the-century cult was probably
the person most responsible for introducing the
invasive Australian tree to Southwest Florida. But
as abhorrent and short-sighted as it might seem to
be now, the man's intentions were good—born, in fact, of sci-
entific curiosity and a love for Southwest Florida.
Andrews was the editor of the American Eagle, the newspa-
per published by the Koreshans, who had come to Estero to
establish the "New Jerusalem," a heaven on earth that would
include paradaisical gardens. Alien included a great deal of
horticultural writing in his paper; one of his regular columnists
was Dr. Henry Nehrling, whose work Andrews eventually gath-
ered into the two-volume My Garden in Florida.
Quick to n ake friends and establish a network of relation-
ships. Andrews also forged a bond with Thomas Edison, and the
two supported each other's interest in horticultural experimen-
tation, trading seeds and insights back and forth. Cuttings from
Edison's trees often made their way into Koreshan soil and vice
versa. Andrews shared Edison's passion for discovery and the
cultivation of new plants, so when he learned of the melaleuca's
ability to grow in exceedingly wet places, he supposed it might
be helpful for draining the state's swamps and wetlands. It was
he who imported the first tiny melaleuca seeds.
"Though with some years of actual contact and experience
with tropical plants. I had no technical training, and my igno-
rance often far exceeded my enthusiasm," he later wrote.
But Andrews also had a great deal to to with the still-
enchanting gardens that surround the now^-extinct group's set-
tlement on the banks of the Estero River. From lush sunken
gardens to exotic fruit trees, he helped fill the tough daily life
of these pioneers with fragrance, flavor and beauty.
Author:
[Gulf Shore Life]
Summary:
a short five paragraph article about Allen Andrews, from his introduction of the melaleuca to his work on the Koreshan gardens.
Phys Desc:
1 p. (photocopy) 11 x 17 in.
Publisher:
Gulfshore Life Magazine
Publication Place:
Naples, Florida
Subjects:
Andrews, Allen
Horticulture
Horticulture
PDF File Attachment: