Not everyone is ready for a day in the swamp; happily, David Fairchild, botanist and early Miami resident, joined Col. Robert Montgomery, Everglades champion Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and landscape architect William Phillips to build an unusual treasure in southern Coral Gables, 34 hectares of tropical and subtropical gardens built with plants brought in from all over the world. It sits on one of the tallest peaks in South Florida, peering over Biscayne Bay from its colossal height of 17 feet above sea level.
