The Kampong is open by advance reservation to visitors Tuesday through Friday and is a 9-acre botanical garden in the
Coconut Grove
Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as The Grove, is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bound by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune Road to the west, S ...
neighborhood of
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is one of the five gardens of the non-profit
National Tropical Botanical Garden
The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a Hawaii-based not-for-profit institution dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. It operates a network of botanical gardens and preserves in Hawaii and Florida.
History
I ...
(NTBG). An admission fee is charged.
History
The Kampong was bought as a winter home by the famed horticulturalist Dr.
David Fairchild
David Grandison Fairchild (April 7, 1869 – August 6, 1954) was an American botanist and plant explorer. Fairchild was responsible for the introduction of more than 200,000 exotic plants and varieties of established crops into the United State ...
and his wife Marian in 1916. For many years he managed the Department of Plant Introduction program of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...
in Washington, D.C., searching the world for plants that could be useful and successfully introduced into the United States. Fairchild introduced around 30,000 plant species and varietals into the U.S.
At his home in Florida, Fairchild created a garden that contained many of the plants that he obtained throughout his trips. In 1931 Marian's sister Elsie and her husband,
Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor
Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (; October 28, 1875 – February 4, 1966), father of photojournalism, was the first full-time editing, editor of the ''National Geographic'' magazine (1899–1954). Grosvenor is credited with having built the magazine into ...
, acquired the adjoining property on the north to use as their winter home. Fairchild and his wife made the Kampong their permanent home from 1928 until their deaths in 1954 and 1962 respectively.
A year after David Fairchild's wife's death, the land was purchased by Catherine Hauberg Sweeney, a botanist and preservationist. Sweeney maintained Fairchild's garden and was vital in its preservation for future use and study, securing its listing on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. In 1984 Sweeney donated the property to the then Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden (now
National Tropical Botanical Garden
The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a Hawaii-based not-for-profit institution dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. It operates a network of botanical gardens and preserves in Hawaii and Florida.
History
I ...
), and remained its principal sponsor until her death in 1995.
Leadership
The Kampong's first director from July 1996 to February 1998, Dr. Thomas Lodge, oversaw completion of The Fairchild-Sweeney House renovations. He also was key in researching David Fairchild's role in the establishment of Everglades National Park. Larry Schokman served as Mrs. Sweeney's superintendent for 11 years, until 1984 when The Kampong became part of the
National Tropical Botanical Garden
The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a Hawaii-based not-for-profit institution dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. It operates a network of botanical gardens and preserves in Hawaii and Florida.
History
I ...
(NTBG), and Schokman became an NTBG employee. As director of horticulture and then assistant director under Dr. Lodge, Schokman maintained a close working and personal relationship with Sweeney until her death in 1995. He became director of The Kampong in 1998 and retired in August 2007. He died in October 2017.
Following Schokman, Dr. David Lee was director of The Kampong from 2007 to 2009. Dr. Lee was formerly the chair of biological sciences at Florida International University, where he worked for 26 years. Dr. Lee helped to safeguard The Kampong's southern boundary from development encroachment, and provided guidance for The Kampong's board of governors.
In 2009, Ann Parsons took on the role of director of The Kampong. Formerly the director of education at Norfolk Botanical Garden, Parsons, along with curator of living collections David T. Jones, were tasked with preserving the rich legacy of The Kampong while planning for the future. They are doing just that—in 2011, more than 5,000 guests visited the historic estate and garden through tours, educational programs and special events. Dr. Michael Maunder was Director from 2013 to 2016. Craig Morell, formerly the horticulturist at Pinecrest Gardens became the Director of The Kampong in 2017, retiring in May 2022. Appealing to a wider spectrum of visitors than ever before, The Kampong is an urban oasis with over 1200 species of fruit trees, palms, ethnobotanical plants and teaching collections for botanical study. These visitors are key in helping spread The Kampong message about the importance of protecting, preserving, and studying tropical plants.
Facilities
Today the Kampong's living collections include tropical fruits including
pomelo
The pomelo ( ), ''Citrus maxima'', is the largest citrus fruit from the family Rutaceae and the principal ancestor of the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid, citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefr ...
, 23
cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s of
avocado
The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...
, and 65 varieties of
mango, palms, flowering trees, ficus, aroids, and bamboo. This garden serves as the mainland campus for the NTBG. In addition to the diverse living collections which are the core of The Kampong, there are living quarters for researchers and scientists, as well as meeting facilities for larger groups. The site is also well configured for weddings and outdoor functions of all varieties.
* The Fairchild-Sweeney House – designed by architect
Edward Clarence Dean, constructed in 1928, as a combination of Spanish and Southeast Asian influences. A later renovation to the home incorporated more modern features and added a second floor over a portion of the home, resulting in an unusual blend of styles. Visitors included
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
and
Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that ...
.
* The Schokman Education Center – designed by architect
Max Strang
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
, completed in 2007, as an outdoor pavilion incorporating oolitic limestone and exposed concrete.
[Shulman A, ''Miami Architecture'', University Press of Florida, 2010, p. 141.]
* The Scarborough Dormitory is specifically designed to house visiting researchers and students. It was built in 2006 to accommodate an increase in Botany studies from students from around the world. It is in use frequently, and the students have the ability to study Kampong plant species day and night. The dormitory has 12 beds available with study and patio space on the ground floor.
* The Barbour Cottage- built in 1926 to house visiting dignitaries and people of influence at Dr. Fairchild's invitation, the Barbour Cottage is often used today by visiting researchers, teachers and scientists.
* The Sausage Tree Cottage was built in 1964 to house family and friends of the family, and is used today to house teachers and scientists who are in town for conferences or to do short term research projects both on site and elsewhere.
* The Explorer's Cottage (formerly the home of Curator David Jones) has been renovated and is well used by education groups, as well as multi-function space for students and business groups.
See also
*
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
*
National Tropical Botanical Garden
The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a Hawaii-based not-for-profit institution dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. It operates a network of botanical gardens and preserves in Hawaii and Florida.
History
I ...
*
McBryde Garden
McBryde Garden (approx. ) is a botanical garden located on the south shore of Kauai, Hawaii. It is one of five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG).
The garden is situated above Lāwai Bay, in a valley transecte ...
*
Allerton Garden
Allerton Garden, also known as Lāwai-kai, is a botanical garden, originally created by Robert Allerton and John Gregg Allerton, located on the south shore of Kauai, Hawaii. The garden covers an area and is situated beside the Lāwai Bay, in ...
*
Limahuli Garden and Preserve
*
Kahanu Garden
Kahanu Garden and Preserve is a botanical garden located on the Hana Highway (close to the marker) near Hana, Maui, Hawaii. It is one of five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden, the others being McBryde, Allerton, and ...
*
List of botanical gardens in the United States
References
External links
The Kampong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kampong
Botanical gardens in Florida
National Register of Historic Places in Miami
Coconut Grove (Miami)
Tourist attractions in Miami
Protected areas of Miami-Dade County, Florida
Protected areas established in 1984
1984 establishments in Florida