Debbie Hughes, Horticulturist

Debbie Hughes has been planting gardens in Florida for over 10 years.  She particularly enjoys working with plants that enrich our daily lives such as tropical fruit trees and herbs that serve our culinary needs, foliage flowers for use in floral designing, as well as nectar and host plants for our Florida butterflies.

At the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Debbie has propagated many of the historic plants that are for sale in the Garden Shoppe and has established the Mina Edison Rose Garden.  She has taught and continues to teach classes on butterfly gardening, herb gardening and moonlight gardens, as well as orchid care and several other relevant topics.  Debbie has taught classes at garden clubs, extension services, public libraries, and now at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates using plants from the Estates’ landscapes.

Debbie Hughes has provided commentary on The Garden Show on Sunday Morning Radio and was a weekly garden columnist for the News -Press.

Britta Soderqvist, Plant Curator

As plant curator, Britta Soderqvist is responsible for cataloging the plant collection at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, conducting Botanical Tours, and compiling the monthly plant list, “What’s Blooming”.  She has a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Wildlife Biology and uses her scientific training to organize and maintain the “Living Museum” at the Estates.  Using archived resources like photos, invoices, and Thomas and Mina’s notes, Britta works with the garden and curatorial staff to determine the historical significance of plants currently on the grounds and replace plants that were here during Edison’s lifetime.