About Us
 A Garden Collection in the Redland
Preston B. Bird and Mary Heinlein Fruit & Spice Park
Historic Preservation at the Park
The Harvest Grows
The Park Today
Park Manager Chris Rollins
A Garden Collection in the Redland
The creation of the Fruit & Spice Park was the realization of one woman’s dream to create a showcase for the rich agricultural bounty and heritage of the area known as the Redland. Mary Calkins Heinlein came from a family of pioneer homesteaders in the Redland which got its name from the reddish color of its soil. The Redland became one of the first lasting settlements of South Dade County and its sub-tropical climate created a unique agricultural environment able to produce a wide variety of exotic fruit. An 1896 newspaper stated that farmers in South Dade were producing “avocado pears, mangos, sapodillas, paw paw (papaya), lemons, limes, etc.” These were just some of the sub-tropical fruits and plants Mrs. Heinlein felt would provide a unique garden display.
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| George W. Kosel's ''Jungle Grove'' booth at 1935 Redland Fruit Festival. |
At Mrs. Heinlein’s urging, in 1935 county commissioners and pioneer Parks Director A.D. Barnes began a series of transactions to purchase an 18-acre parcel of land site on the Southeast corner of Coconut Palm Drive and Redland Road in the Redland. County Commissioner Preston B. Bird was instrumental in securing funds and the land was finally acquired in 1943 after a series of court procedures to resolve problems with title and justification for park use. With the backing of Parks Director A.D. Barnes, Mary Heinlein could finally begin realizing the creation of a garden collection of semi-tropical fruits.
The County’s Parks Department contracted William Lyman Phillips, landscape architect and designer of the world-famous Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, to develop landscape plans for the newly purchased land. Plans for what was to become the new garden park were completed in 1944 and construction began that same year. Parks Director Barnes recognized Mary Heinlein as the driving force that inspired the creation of the park, and appointed her its first Superintendent.
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Preston B. Bird and Mary Heinlein Fruit & Spice Park
Mary Calkins Heinlein (1903 – 1975) served as Superintendent of what she named the Redland Fruit & Spice Park until her retirement in 1959. The daughter of pioneer sub-tropical farmers, Mrs. Heinlein was fascinated with the exotic fruits and flora of South Florida. She was an active garden club member and she and her husband Herman, who was also surveyor, owned a small nursery in the Redland. Following William Lyman Phillips’ landscape plans, Mrs. Heinlein and her husband led a team of laborers and park workers in laying out the plots and started collecting specimens to plant in the Park. The collection grew and soon a variety of rare fruits, nuts and spices flourished.
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| Mary Calkins Heinlein |
In 1980, as a tribute to Preston B. Bird and Mary Heinlein, the Miami-Dade County Park & Recreation Department changed the Parks’ name from the Redland Fruit & Spice Park to the Preston B. Bird & Mary Heinlein Fruit & Spice Park. Although this is the official Park name, for convenience it is known as the Fruit & Spice Park.
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Historic Preservation at the Park
In addition to the gardens, the Park also maintained and showcased two original historic structures on the property. An original one-room Redland Schoolhouse built in 1906 and a coral rock building built around 1913 as a laboratory for citrus canker research. In 1982, Redland resident Fran Mitchell donated another historic home to the Park. Due in large part to the efforts of Redland resident Robert Jensen, the 1902 historic structure was moved to Fruit & Spice Park from its original location 8 miles away. The structure was named the Bauer-Neill-Mitchell House. It was preserved as an example of a typical Redland Pioneer home and landscaped with archetypical plants and fruit varieties.
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| Original Redland Schoolhouse built in 1906. |
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused extensive damage to the Park garden and the historic buildings. The storm destroyed tree canopy, planting beds, irrigation, fencing, the nursery and two of the historic buildings. Only the coral rock building survived the storm despite broken windows and roof damage. The Redland Schoolhouse and the Bauer-Neill-Mitchell House were completely destroyed.
Using funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, facsimile reconstruction of both buildings was completed in 2002. The new Park store and Welcome Center moved into the schoolhouse and the Bauer-Neill-Mitchell House now serves as a meeting center.
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| Facsimile of Redland Schoolhouse became the Park Store and Welcome Center. |
The Redland area’s significance as a South Dade pioneer settlement was officially recognized in 1981 and the Park, the Redland Community United Methodist Church, and several surrounding homes were designated as the Redland Historic District.
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The Harvest Grows
In the early 1980's under the direction of the Park’s current manager, Chris Rollins, the Park implemented an ambitious development program. An exotic plant enthusiast who had previously served as president of the Rare Fruit Council International, Mr. Rollins brought a wealth of botanical knowledge and expertise to the Park. He made various collecting trips throughout Asia and Latin America and his first planting added over 100 new specimens to the Park’s collection. The collection now includes plants and trees from Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Burma, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
A comprehensive new Master Plan was developed by the Miami-Dade Park and Recreation in 1989 to incorporate expanded Park acreage, address future needs and allow for more cultural interesting interpretation. Park Manager Chris Rollins’ travels gave rise to the use of an ethno-botanical approach in the plans with areas laid out by tropical, geographical regions. Bond Referendums approved in 1997 and 2004 secured funds for the completion of the Master Plan ensuring that The Fruit & Spice Park continue to be an integral part of the Redland’s rich agricultural and historic heritage.
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The Park Today
Today, the Fruit & Spice Park is a 37-acre subtropical botanical paradise nestled in the heart of the historic Redland community just 35 miles south of Miami. Surrounded by thousands of acres of tropical agriculture, the Park is a jewel in South Florida’s agricultural community attracting over 27,000 visitors a year to its gardens and festivals. More than 500 varieties of exotic fruits, herbs, spices and nuts from around the world including 80 varieties of bananas; 70 varieties of bamboo; 40 varieties of grapes; 150 varieties of mangoes; 15 varieties of jackfruit trees and numerous other exotic edibles are grown and maintained here.
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| Sampling table at the Park's Store and Welcome Center. |
The only public garden of its kind in the United States, the Park continues to be operated by Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department. Visitors can sample fallen fruit (no above-ground harvesting is permitted) and arrangements may be made with the management for collecting seeds and cuttings suitable for planting. Park Manager Chris Rollins and a staff of experts conduct classes, workshops, and botanical tours on a year-round basis with topics that include; Vegetables and Edible Oddities, Plant Propagation, Farm Tours of South Florida, and Cooking with Tropical Fruits & Vegetables.
Fruit & Spice Park also plays host to some long-standing annual festivals. Each January, the Redland Festival celebrates the rich agricultural heritage of the area with music, arts and crafts, food, strolling entertainment and exotic plant sales. The Park’s wide variety of Asian produce makes it the perfect setting for the annual Asian Culture Festival held in the spring. Other events held at the Park include the Festival Summer Fruit Festival and an orchid festival.
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Park Manager Chris Rollins
Rollins is responsible for Fruit and Spice's garden and botanical policy, design and all aspects of maintaining the park. He is also the founder of the South Florida Tropical Fruit Growers.
As the Fruit and Spice Park Manager for more than 20 years, Chris Rollins has played a key role in introducing growers and the public to new tropical plants to the United States. The park’s active exchange program has brought in plants from Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia, and provides germ plasm for nurseries, farms and backyard growers.
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| Park Manager Chris Rollins |
Special garden and ethno-botanical tours and fruit safaris for botanists, students, growers, and restaurateurs from all over the country are organized and led by Rollins to collect fruit, plant specimens, and enjoy cultural exchange. Past tours have included England, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Bali, Java and Borneo.
The Fruit and Spice Park has exciting plans for the future, we hope you come and enjoy it!
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