South Florida’s patriarch of rare tropical plants and my horticultural hero, Jesse Durko, passed away last Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
This short film by Jacopo Fantastichini was made just a few months ago.
There are two cats on his property protecting the nursery from iguanas. A grey and white one and this little black one. Jesse prefered the black one because of his friendly disposition. The other is really skittish. This past Saturday after Jesse passed, the cat hung out with me more than ever and I swear it felt like Jesse saying hello.
Jesse left an indelible imprint on my soul in the brief time I was able to work with him. If I worked on your garden in the past year, there‘s a good chance a lot of your plants were recommended by him.
I was walking to my car the last time I saw him, poking his head out of the east side door, warning me to be careful on the path. The bricks were slick.
He called me Kiddo.
I said I'd see him next week. I figured he didn't hear me because it was raining and he didn’t wear his hearing aids. Regardless, he didn't say it back. He was scheduled to have a heart procedure in just a few days.
“Just a procedure. Not an operation,“ he assured me. Frustrated by this condition that left him winded and unable to do what he had done his whole life, he got the procedure moved up to this past week. It was originally set for late October.
He loved to teach everyone about his favorite plants from around the world. The White Candles he brought back from Africa. His favorite palm was the red torch Chambeyronia macrocarpa.
“Say it: Chamb-ey-ronia mac-ro-carpa,” he instructed. I struggled. “Chambredo macrocardia?” Chamb-ey-ronia mac-ro-carpa, he repeated.
I butchered it again. “OK then. Just say Red Torch.“
He was a soft spoken gentleman, but direct. I never had to wonder what he was thinking.
He taught me how to pot up spindle palm seedings a few weeks ago.
“Moisten the soil first. You can't transplant roots into dry soil.
One there in the center. Not too low!
You may think I’m really picky…Push the dirt down around the sides first. Then the center. And there you have it!
Now make a little assembly line.
And don’t scoop with your hands like that you’ll be here all day. Look. Like this.
Oh. And I do understand there is more than one correct way to do things.”
When I went in this past Saturday, I toured his private garden and wept. People came by all day paying their respects.
He left behind an ever-evolving classroom for all of us curious, eccentric plant and landscaping enthusiasts — his legendary gardens and nursery.
His partner and the guys at the nursery are planning a Celebration of Life towards the end of October and I’ll post more when they have the details.
In the mean time, stop in on a Saturday and I’ll give you a tour!
Jesse Durko’s is located at 5151 SW 70th Ave. in Davie, Florida. For more information, call 954-873-4563.
