Sunday, March 22 the Reason family will commemorate almost 150 years of local horticultural legacy of during Reasoner Heritage Day, a part of Manatee Heritage Day festivities. The event is 2-6 p.m. at Palma Sola Botanical Gardens (9800 17th Ave. NW, Bradenton).
Manatee Heritage Days unite historical organizations and sites in Manatee County. Through exhibits, lectures, tours, and family activities, residents and visitors can discover the community's rich heritage.
Reasoner Heritage Day features a historical talk by Andy Reasoner on the Reasoner family's legacy, the Royal Palm Nursery, and their horticultural contributions worldwide. Attendees can enjoy a tram tour highlighting historical plants at Robinson Preserve South, along with Reasoner antiques, author signings, food/drink options, a Mixon Swirl food truck, and hibiscus plant sales.
The Reasoner brothers, Pliny Ward Reasoner (1863-1888) and Eqbert Norman Reasoner (1869-1926) were pioneer Florida nurserymen, according to a Manatee County historical marker. Together, they founded Florida’s oldest continually operated nursery, originally named Royal Palm Nursery after one of the plants they introduced to the state.
Pliny came from Chicago to Manatee County in 1881, first settling at present-day Desoto National Memorial. He kept a journal providing detailed accounts of his daily life in Florida. At only 18 years old, Pliny was already a prolific writer, authoring an official bulletin for the U.S. Department of Agriculture entitled “Condition of Tropical Fruit in the U.S.”
He documented his entire journey from Chicago to Florida, including various train stops in Jacksonville, Palatka, San Mateo, St. Augustine, Cedar Key, and Bradenton. He also drew a map of the Gulf Coast, depicting places he visited during his steamship voyage from Cedar Key to Bradenton. Pliny settled near Bradenton, purchasing 40 acres of pineland for $250, where he initiated his nursery business.
Pliny’s journey, as well as his establishment of Royal Palm Nursery in Oneco, is documented in the journal along with correspondence letters to his family, which are now in the Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida. Pliny's extensive correspondence with his family reveals his engaging writing style, detailing various aspects of his life including living conditions, business establishment, early challenges, and his passion for horticulture. In an 1882 letter, he vividly describes being terrorized by plagues of mosquitoes. Other letters written from Florida include one by his mother, during a family visit, and several by his brother Egbert after he moved to Florida in 1885.
Throughout his life, he held significant roles, including serving as Superintendent of the Florida Subtropical Expo in Jacksonville, attended by President Grover Cleveland and First Lady Frances Cleveland. Named Commissioner to the Florida exhibit at the Cotton States Centennial in Cincinnati, he displayed dedication by returning home during a Yellow Fever outbreak to aid patients and caught the fever himself. Despite passing away at the age of 25, merely six years after arriving in Florida, his legacy endured. He had already fostered exchanges with renowned botanical gardens and nurseries globally, earning him international fame, respect, and affection.
Arriving in 1885 at the age of 16, Egbert joined his brother in their shared passion for horticulture, exotic plants, and nursery work. Pliny renamed the nursery upon his arrival at Reasoner Brother's Royal Palm Nursery. He also had a penchant for writing and gained national recognition for publishing an annual catalog. In 1918, he established Reasoner Brothers Landscape Architects, a tribute to the career path he and his brother envisioned together before his untimely passing.
He introduced hundreds of significant plant species to Florida that we know and love today including the world’s first pink grapefruit, avocados, hibiscus, crotons, guava, mango, asparagus, bamboo, and many more. The nursery changed its name over the years, becoming Reasoner Tropical Nurseries in the 1950s.
Reason Heritage Day serves as a poignant celebration of the Reason family's profound impact on local horticultural heritage. Their dedication to introducing diverse plant species to Florida has left an indelible mark, shaping the region's landscape and botanical identity. As residents and visitors come together to commemorate this milestone, they not only honor the past but also reaffirm the ongoing legacy of innovation and passion for horticulture in Manatee County and beyond.
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