Ott's Exotic Plants - Schwenksville, PA
Posted by: 
Janila
N 40° 14.344 W 075° 27.374
18T E 461192 N 4454391
Although Ott's Exotic Plants functions mainly as a greenhouse, it is more of an autumn wonderland when the chrysanthemums bloom.
Waymark Code: WMZE14
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 10/27/2018
Views: 2
I drove by Ott's Exotic Plants very early on a sunny autumn morning and a blur of bright color flashed out of the corner of my eye. I turned around to investigate and found one of the most beautiful autumn displays I have ever seen. I snapped a few pictures and left because it was too early for them to be open but when I got home, the curiosity was burning in me and I had to hop in my car and make a return visit during their operational hours. What I found was a very inspiring place for more than one reason.
Ott's was founded by Godfrey Ott who came to America from Germany when he was 8 years old. Shortly after his family arrived, Godfrey contracted an unknown illness which paralyzed him from the waist down. Godfrey literally crawled through life after that as he never was fitted with braces until he was 28 years old. He never attended school and couldn't read until he was in his 40s and could only ever write his name. But despite all of these shortcomings, Godfrey worked on the greenhouse and nursery business that his family established and eventually took over running it. Godfrey married his wife when he was 32 years old and together, they ran the business and had six children in the first seven years of their marriage.
Today, the greenhouse is as much of a tourist spot during the autumn flowering season as it is a greenhouse. Around 1967, Godfrey had an idea of how to handle a pile of excavated soil which had built up behind his business where weeds were growing. He planted 10,000 chrysanthemums there, from 100 different varieties. The result is so beautiful and so many people stopped to view the Mum Mountain that Ott's was forced to double their parking area. Today, one can walk to the top of Mum Mountain, cross the ridge and walk back down the other side.
For the preservation of this locality, collection or picking is prohibited.
Species:
Chrysanthemums
Habitat Type: Cultivated
Parking Area: 00° 00.000 000° 00.000
Terrain Rating: 
Best Viewing Time: From: 10/01/2018 To: 11/20/2018
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