In the orchid world, few nurseries have a reputation and history as rich as that of R.F. Orchids. Located in Homestead, Florida, about an hour south of Miami, the nursery sits on land that has been in owner Robert Fuchs’ family for nearly 100 years. Next to the nursery is the home and private garden of Fuchs and partner Michael Coronado. Aside from Sunday afternoon tours, few have a chance to experience this tropical paradise, where the scent of blooming orchids and the raucous chatter of parrots infuse magic and intrigue into the atmosphere.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Yard at a Glance Who lives here: Robert Fuchs and Michael Coronado Location: Homestead, Florida Size: 2 acres of a 10-acre parcel
The 10-acre property was given to Fuchs’ grandparents as a wedding gift in 1920 and has remained in the family since. Fuchs’ grandfather raised fruit and orchids, planting oak and mahogany trees on which to mount epiphytic orchids. A major hurricane in 1945 destroyed the house and most of the garden. Family members tied themselves to large royal palm trees to keep from being blown away. In 1992, another hurricane, Andrew, hit Homestead directly and destroyed the garden — not a single green leaf remained, Fuchs says. This hurricane even took the royal palms that had saved lives during the 1945 hurricane. The garden has been gloriously rebuilt since Andrew and flourishes today.
The garden gates feature the image of a vandaorchid, which acts as both a historical reminder and as a preface to the story that lies beyond.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The nursery, shown here, sits past the garden, which is next to the house, and is famous for producing quality orchids, primarily vandas. R.F. Orchids has received more than 1,200 American Orchid Society flower quality awards, more than any other grower in AOS history.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Vandas,as well as other orchid genera, also make their way into the private garden, next to the house, and do so with style. Hundreds of orchids, both naturalized in the trees and filling planters on the terraces, bring flashes of color and spicy fragrance to the garden.
Here, homeowner Michael Coronado stands in the front entryway. Orange ascocenda orchids frame the porch and pull hues from the roof tiles.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Large planting beds flank the motor court in front of the house. A canopy of large trees creates garden structure and provides homes for orchids. The beds themselves are filled with tropicals, including ginger and bromeliads. Seasonal plantings, such as these poinsettias, are tucked in.
Almost every large tree in the garden has been planted since Hurricane Andrew. In this area of South Florida, the soil depth is less than a foot, Fuchs says; below that lies a solid plate of coral rock. To plant trees here, a hole must be bored into the rock, under which lies water. Trees grow remarkably fast under these conditions.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Pathways that appear to be carved through a thoughtfully designed and manicured jungle wind their way off the motor court’s central axis. This one leads to a palm-thatched gathering space and an aviary.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Orchids aren’t the only things that add color and intrigue to the landscape. Large cages of parrots, such as these green-wing and blue-and-gold macaws, animate the garden. Every parrot on the property was either donated or rescued, except for one that flew in after a hurricane and stayed until it was allowed into a cage.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Several trees in the front garden provide support for vanilla orchids (Vanilla planifolia, USDAZone 11; find your zone). These vining orchids produce flowers that last only a day, Fuchs says. Since the pollinators are species-specific, he pollinates them by hand with a toothpick. After several months, the seedpod, or vanilla bean, is produced and can be dried or kept in vodka to make vanilla extract.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
A vining Trichoglottis brachiata (Zone 11) clothes another large tree next to the motor court. This Philippine orchid produces very dark flowers in spring and summer.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
While warm-hued flowers provide interest in the front garden, vibrant jewel-toned orchids and birds animate the back. This is a garden of detail, one that captivates the senses. These vandas just inside the back gate set the tone.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The back garden has two focal points. The first is this manmade lagoon. This area contains a natural hole in the coral rock and was used until 1980 as a dump for trash. They removed the trash and dug the existing hole to a depth of 12 feet. Surrounding the lagoon are ferns and orchids, such as these dendrobiums hanging from overhead branches. Two wooden decks overlook the lagoon.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The lagoon is home to a plethora of wildlife, including turtles, African cichlids, an alligator and 35-pound pacu fish, which are peaceful South American relatives of the piranha.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The swimming pool is the backyard’s second focal point. It’s on axis with the house, and its free-form shape lends an air of relaxation, pulling the eye through the space to other parts of the garden.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
This vanda mosaic in the center of the pool floor repeats the theme of the front gate and the nursery as an homage to the reason the garden exists.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
These Bismarck palms (Bismarckia nobilis, zones 8b to 11) create a backdrop for the pool. The Madagascar natives sport blue-gray fronds that mimic the pool’s hues. Beyond these trees lie avocado groves and the vanda stud house, which contains specimen orchids for breeding.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The zombie palm (Zombia antillarum,Zone 10) is another palm of interest. It originated in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The needles growing on its trunk were historically used for voodoo.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
As in the front garden, orchids fill the trees in the back garden. These angraecum orchids have horizontal inflorescences (flower clusters) that protrude into the walkway, forcing the visitor to slow down and savor the moment.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Renanthera orchids provide warm jewel tones throughout the back garden. These Southeast Asian orchids are vanda relatives that naturalize well in the hot, sunny conditions of South Florida. Renanthera flowers can last several months.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Leafless dendrophylax orchids also make their home in the back garden. These orchids photosynthesize through their roots and produce small flowers throughout the year.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Staghorn ferns, such as this Platycerium superbum, preside regally over the pool area. This fern is native to Queensland, Australia, and can sport fertile fronds up to 6 feet in length.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
As outstanding as the plant collection is, it is rivaled by the collection of Asian sculptures, which are strategically placed throughout the back garden. A collection of both Thai and Chinese Buddhas resulted from numerous orchid expeditions to Southeast Asia. This piece creates a focal point on the walk to the lagoon.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
This giant tortoise sculpture peeks through an opening in the canopy above the lagoon. Fuchs and Coronado have painstakingly sited each piece so that it is seen singly and prominently.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
This Chinese goddess presides over the lawn in another area of the back garden. She gets fresh flowers on a regular basis. Her role is to provide peace, mercy and compassion to the garden and its visitors.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
This is a garden of focal points and perfected details. Smaller sculptural pieces brought back from Asia create secondary vignettes while reinforcing the overall theme. Two of these elephant candleholders decorate columns near a thatch-covered loggia.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Attention to detail even extends to the gate hardware. These imported Asian handles provide access from the lagoon to the nursery service area.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Robert Fuchs, shown here, leads Sunday tours of the garden when he is in town. His knowledge of orchids, history and Asian art, along with the beauty he and Coronado have created, make this garden an unforgettable experience.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Yard at a Glance
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The nursery, shown here, sits past the garden, which is next to the house, and is famous for producing quality orchids, primarily vandas. R.F. Orchids has received more than 1,200 American Orchid Society flower quality awards, more than any other grower in AOS history.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Vandas, as well as other orchid genera, also make their way into the private garden, next to the house, and do so with style. Hundreds of orchids, both naturalized in the trees and filling planters on the terraces, bring flashes of color and spicy fragrance to the garden.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Large planting beds flank the motor court in front of the house. A canopy of large trees creates garden structure and provides homes for orchids. The beds themselves are filled with tropicals, including ginger and bromeliads. Seasonal plantings, such as these poinsettias, are tucked in.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Pathways that appear to be carved through a thoughtfully designed and manicured jungle wind their way off the motor court’s central axis. This one leads to a palm-thatched gathering space and an aviary.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Orchids aren’t the only things that add color and intrigue to the landscape. Large cages of parrots, such as these green-wing and blue-and-gold macaws, animate the garden. Every parrot on the property was either donated or rescued, except for one that flew in after a hurricane and stayed until it was allowed into a cage.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Several trees in the front garden provide support for vanilla orchids (Vanilla planifolia, USDA Zone 11; find your zone). These vining orchids produce flowers that last only a day, Fuchs says. Since the pollinators are species-specific, he pollinates them by hand with a toothpick. After several months, the seedpod, or vanilla bean, is produced and can be dried or kept in vodka to make vanilla extract.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
A vining Trichoglottis brachiata (Zone 11) clothes another large tree next to the motor court. This Philippine orchid produces very dark flowers in spring and summer.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
While warm-hued flowers provide interest in the front garden, vibrant jewel-toned orchids and birds animate the back. This is a garden of detail, one that captivates the senses. These vandas just inside the back gate set the tone.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The back garden has two focal points. The first is this manmade lagoon. This area contains a natural hole in the coral rock and was used until 1980 as a dump for trash. They removed the trash and dug the existing hole to a depth of 12 feet. Surrounding the lagoon are ferns and orchids, such as these dendrobiums hanging from overhead branches. Two wooden decks overlook the lagoon.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The lagoon is home to a plethora of wildlife, including turtles, African cichlids, an alligator and 35-pound pacu fish, which are peaceful South American relatives of the piranha.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The swimming pool is the backyard’s second focal point. It’s on axis with the house, and its free-form shape lends an air of relaxation, pulling the eye through the space to other parts of the garden.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
This vanda mosaic in the center of the pool floor repeats the theme of the front gate and the nursery as an homage to the reason the garden exists.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
These Bismarck palms (Bismarckia nobilis, zones 8b to 11) create a backdrop for the pool. The Madagascar natives sport blue-gray fronds that mimic the pool’s hues. Beyond these trees lie avocado groves and the vanda stud house, which contains specimen orchids for breeding.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
The zombie palm (Zombia antillarum, Zone 10) is another palm of interest. It originated in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The needles growing on its trunk were historically used for voodoo.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
As in the front garden, orchids fill the trees in the back garden. These angraecum orchids have horizontal inflorescences (flower clusters) that protrude into the walkway, forcing the visitor to slow down and savor the moment.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Renanthera orchids provide warm jewel tones throughout the back garden. These Southeast Asian orchids are vanda relatives that naturalize well in the hot, sunny conditions of South Florida. Renanthera flowers can last several months.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Leafless dendrophylax orchids also make their home in the back garden. These orchids photosynthesize through their roots and produce small flowers throughout the year.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Staghorn ferns, such as this Platycerium superbum, preside regally over the pool area. This fern is native to Queensland, Australia, and can sport fertile fronds up to 6 feet in length.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
As outstanding as the plant collection is, it is rivaled by the collection of Asian sculptures, which are strategically placed throughout the back garden. A collection of both Thai and Chinese Buddhas resulted from numerous orchid expeditions to Southeast Asia. This piece creates a focal point on the walk to the lagoon.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
This giant tortoise sculpture peeks through an opening in the canopy above the lagoon. Fuchs and Coronado have painstakingly sited each piece so that it is seen singly and prominently.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
This Chinese goddess presides over the lawn in another area of the back garden. She gets fresh flowers on a regular basis. Her role is to provide peace, mercy and compassion to the garden and its visitors.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
This is a garden of focal points and perfected details. Smaller sculptural pieces brought back from Asia create secondary vignettes while reinforcing the overall theme. Two of these elephant candleholders decorate columns near a thatch-covered loggia.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Attention to detail even extends to the gate hardware. These imported Asian handles provide access from the lagoon to the nursery service area.
Jay Sifford Garden Design
Robert Fuchs, shown here, leads Sunday tours of the garden when he is in town. His knowledge of orchids, history and Asian art, along with the beauty he and Coronado have created, make this garden an unforgettable experience.