Palm Cottage Gardens is the former home of famed horticulturalist Henry Nehrling, who purchased the property in 1885 to establish a garden where he could experiment with tropical and subtropical plants year round. It is located in Gotha, Florida, a small community near Orlando that was founded by German Americans in the 1870’s. The 1880’s frame vernacular style home and semi-detached kitchen were moved by ox-cart to the site in the early 1900’s.

Palm Cottage Gardens was Florida’s first experimental botanical garden where Dr. Nehrling tested over 3,000 new and rare plants for the USDA. By the early 1900’s it was a popular destination for thousands of tourists, nature lovers, and new Florida settlers.  Many prominent people of the era, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Liberty Hyde Bailey, Theordore Mead and Dr. David Fairchild, marveled at the garden and celebrated Nehrling’s extraordinary work.

Of the 60 plus acres purchased by Henry Nehrling between 1885 and 1897, only the 6-acre homestead site remains; a portion of this extends into Lake Nally.  Remnants of the original 100-year old tree canopy and many of his plantings still exist, and the house is a charming and authentic example of pioneer Florida life.

The property is currently on the market. The owner, who purchased the property with her husband in 1981, continues to live in the home but her age and health make it necessary for her to move.  Rapid residential development in the once rural community on the outskirts of Orlando means that the property is in imminent danger of being razed for an estate home.

The Henry Nehrling Society is dedicated to preserving Dr. Nehrling’s home and legacy.  (See About the Society).

For more information on the story of the Nehrling Gardens, click on History.  A wealth of information can also be found in the Nehrling Collection at Rollins College Olin Library (click on http://aspdev2.rollins.edu/olinlibrary/archives/nehrling.htm for the online guide)