Donation Received to Restore Lily Pond at Estates

Donation Received to Restore Lily Pond at Edison and Ford Winter Estates

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 1, 2022) — The Edison and Ford Winter Estates received a $10,000 donation from a member to restore the historic lily pond. The Edisons added the pond in 1929 as a means to collect excess water from the swimming pool. It sits between the pool and the Caloosahatchee River. Historic documents indicate that Mina Edison had planted iris, water lilies and papyrus around the pond.

The restoration plan includes draining the pond, cleaning the cement bottom of plant debris, creating a littoral zone and planting Florida native wetland species, and repairing the rock edge. The coral rock waterfall behind the papyrus, which hasn’t worked in many years will also be repaired.

“I mentioned to one of our members that we needed about $10,000 to restore the lily pond,” said Debbie Hughes, Horticulture Director at Edison and Ford Winter Estates. “After walking around the site, the member came back and pledged to donate the money to restore the pond.”

The pond is in an area of high visibility, as it’s near the river pavilion, which is available to rent for private events, and visitors pass the pond when walking to Pinchers restaurant. Work is slated to begin this summer and will not impact daily tours. For additional information about the site, or to purchase tickets online, visit EdisonFord.org.