Tropical Treasures

Displaying unique vegetation from all around the world, the Kampong Botanical Garden is a tropical paradise nestled in Coconut Grove

By Camila Aitken, staff writer

The Fairchild-Sweeney house on the Kampong Grounds botanical garden is an excellent place to enjoy a picnic surrounded by a variety of plants and trees. The Kampong’s lush gardens are bursting with rich and vibrant vegetation. The property welcomes guests and is unsurprisingly one of Coconut Grove’s popular destinations. The Kampong is very culturally significant in Miami because of its prominent incorporation of South East Asian culture in a mostly American and Hispanic setting of Miami.

The impressive Banyan tree in the center of the Kampong marks the entrance to the property. A long driveway leads to a lily pond and then a gorgeously styled home which is very uniquely Asian-inspired. The Kampong has a stunning pool filled with glistening water with a slight green hue. At the edge of the property there is a yard lined with numerous plants along a view of the coast of Biscayne Bay.

The Kampong offers guided tours throughout the botanical garden, from which an appointment must be made. Self-driven tours are also available and picnics are welcome in the estate’s spacious gardens. Tours are given from November through the month of June. The tropical garden is a treasure in the heart of Coconut Grove thanks to the efforts of the original owner, David Fairchild, and those who have preserved its cultural integrity since 1984.

“It was amazing to see so much color and nature in my city and I was happy to be able to wander the garden at my own pace to appreciate its history,” said junior Angela Alonso.

The self-guided tour is perfect if you wish to walk around the property at your leisure; however to hear about all of the Kampong’s history, it may be best to schedule a guided tour.

The Kampong was created by David Fairchild, a renowned botanical researcher who traveled to places such as Southeast Asia to admire and study its flora. The botanical garden is located in a beautiful part of Coconut Grove at 4013 Douglas Rd. Aside from the Kampong’s beautiful assortment of plants, it also serves as a mainland campus for the National Tropical Botanical Garden Association’s (NTBG) educational courses, providing a living classroom for universities. The house itself is a combination of Spanish as well as Southeast Asian influences because of the impression that Fairchild’s travels gave him.

David Fairchild played a very important role in Miami and brought exotic Asian plants to South Florida. For the most part, Fairchild and William J. Matheson brought exotic species such as fruiting trees from their extensive travels. Their plant expertise allowed them to predict what plants would work best in South Florida. By bringing these new plant species, people like Fairchild and Matheson helped to develop South Florida’s economy by producing new fruits that had never been sold at such a big capacity before.

When open, The Kampong offers tours Tuesday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additionally, seniors and students (who have a school ID) only have to pay $15, while adults pay $20 and children pay $5. Currently, due to the COVID-19 closures, the gardens are not open however, daily updates are provided on their website. The Kampong serves as a crucial center for tropical botany, partnering with Florida International University (FIU) . The new facility which FIU is creating alongside the Kampong will be a place for researchers to investigate the preservation of tree canopies, improving pollination, discovering new types of species, reducing the amount of toxic algal blooms and much more. Aside from the Kampong’s beautiful scenery, it is also a home for researchers and a piece of South Florida’s economic history.