Good day!
This is the third of four posts about my visit to Sarasota, Florida during the Summer of 2024:
A1: Sarasota Overview & South Lido Key Beach
A2: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium and Save Our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center
A3: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (this post)
A4: The Ringling, Museum of Art, Bayfront Gardens, Ca' d'Zan, and Circus Museum
This post covers the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, including their special exhibit on Yayoi Kusama. All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the one map of the gardens.
MARIE SELBY BOTANICAL GARDENS
1534 Mound Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
This is the Downtown Sarasota campus. There is a separate Historic Spanish Point campus as well.
Website: https://selby.org/
Hours: Open Daily, 10 A.M. — 5 P.M.
Cost (as of 2024):
(For the Downtown Sarasota campus)
Members: Free
Member guests: $12
Adults: $28
Ages 5-17: $12
Ages 4 and under: Free
Parking is free at the attached parking structure.
There are certain discounts for local reciprocal visitors and members of the American Horticultural Society. Selby Gardens participates in the Bank of America Museums on Us program on the first full weekend of every month.
Estimated Time: 1 - 2 hours.
I spent 2 hours at Selby Gardens and felt like I thoroughly explored the grounds.
If the weather forecast includes rain and you prefer to wait out the rain indoors, you may want to budget additional time.
SUMMARY
I was pleasantly surprised by the Selby Gardens. Beyond seeing beautiful plants, there is breathtaking scenery and I was impressed by the artistic elements I saw, such as with the Yayoi Kusama special exhibit. Furthermore, I would describe Selby Gardens as an "experience" and not just walking around looking at flowers. The occasional gong and chimes you hear in the distance provide a calming atmosphere and it was fun exploring the treehouse.
I would give the Selby Gardens 4 stars. For a frame of reference comparison:
5 stars: Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden (New Orleans, Free)
4 stars: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Sarasota), Morton Arboretum (Chicago suburbs)
3 stars: Jardin at the Monastère de Cimiez (Nice France, Free)
2 stars: Bayfront Gardens portion of The Ringling (Sarasota, Free on Mondays), Millennium Park (Chicago, Free), Centennial Olympic Park (Atlanta, Free)
The Children's Rainforest Garden has many fun activities geared for kids. Children may also enjoy feeding the fish at the koi pond, though you have to pay money for special fish food. However, the rest of the gardens might be a bit boring for kids and/or they might get tired of all the walking.
There aren't that many informational displays. Some plants may have labels with their species but most do not so unless you are good at botany, you just know you're looking at "some pretty red flower." You will mainly be walking around, looking at the plants and flowers, and enjoying nature. That does make the Selby Gardens a good place to spend 1 - 2 hours walking and talking, such as catching up with an old friend or getting to know a new date.
Definitely check the weather forecast for rain. Most of Selby Gardens is outdoors so you have the potential of getting wet. You should either bring an umbrella (I did and several other visitors did as well) or plan to shelter in one of the buildings until the rain subsides (meaning you could wait 30 - 60 minutes or more). On the other hand, if you go on a sunny day, you should consider sunscreen or bring an umbrella as a parasol.
There were two main areas where I think Selby Gardens could improve. They really emphasize how Selby Gardens specializes in epiphytes and list some examples but it would really help if they had some visual displays that show what you should be looking for (if you're curious, look for the Epiphytes section later on in this post). And there were several cases where it kind of looks like there is a path but it is unclear if visitors are supposed to be walking in that area. The Gardens should probably clearly label areas you are allowed to walk on or alternatively, clearly label restricted areas visitors shouldn't go.
INTRODUCTION
Selby Gardens was founded by Marie Selby in 1973 when she bequeathed her former home and property “for the enjoyment of the general public." Selby Gardens acquired a second campus, at Historic Spanish Point, in 2020.
Here is a photo of Marie Selby and her dog Riggles. This photo can be found at the Selby House and Cafe:
Here is a map of the grounds. During special exhibits, there may be an alternative map that adds additional points of interest.
This is the back of the Welcome Center. It is surrounded by a Lily Pond Garden.
Since my specialty is cute animals rather than pretty plants, I'm not an expert on plant identification. In a few cases, I managed to annotate the species labels but in most cases the plants were not labeled. I did extensively use some reverse image searches, but apologies if I incorrectly identify any of these plants. I would be happy to correct any such inaccuracies if you inform me about it.
EPIPHYTES
In the botanical world, Selby Gardens is known for their specialization and leading collection of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants.
Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants in a commensal relationship. If you recall from high school biology, some of the common types of relationships between organisms are mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism. In mutualism, both organisms benefit from the relationship. In parasitism, one organism benefits while the other organism is harmed. And in commensalism, one organism benefits while the other organism is unaffected (neither benefits nor is harmed).
I think the Selby Gardens would really benefit from some graphical displays that show what orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, and ferns look like, along with some visual examples of epiphyte relationships. It is possible that there is such an exhibit in the entry building that was under construction when I visited but if not, that would be the best place to put it.
Here are some photos that I took of epiphytes:
Orchids in the Tropical Conservatory:
Yellow Bell Orchid Tree
Bauhinia tomentosa
Dendrobium orchids:
Possibly an orchid?
The host tree is
Texas Ebony / Ebano
Ebenopsis ebano
but some bromeliads (Aechmea mexicana) are growing on it:
Bromeliad (Neoregelia marmorata)
Bromeliad (Aechmea ramosa)
Bromeliad (Aechmea cephaloides)
Bromeliad (Aechmea bracteata)
Bromeliad (Aechmea blanchetiana)
Bromeliad (Aechmea blanchetiana) in the foreground
Bromeliad (Neoregelia 'Fireball') in the background
KOI POND
There is a koi pond full of koi fish, potted cacti, and some statues. You can buy special fish food (you aren't supposed to feed them normal human food) if you want to feed them. Kids might enjoy this but if you are budget conscious you can just wait until someone else buys the fish food and then you can freely watch the koi gather around for the food.
WEDDING PAVILION
There is a gorgeous wedding pavilion where hundreds of couples have gotten married. The space is rentable for special events:
https://selby.org/schimmel-wedding-pavilion/
BONSAI EXHIBIT
The Bonsai Exhibit includes 7 varieties of bonsai tree:
CHILDREN'S RAINFOREST GARDEN
This area has several activities that are oriented towards kids but there is also plenty for adults to do as well.
The highlight is probably the treehouse, which is adult sized. You can walk up some ramps to it. There are two separate treehouse sections, each connected via bridges.
The door on the right side is a lift/elevator to one of the tree houses.
Looking down at the pond from up in a treehouse:
You can see there is lift/elevator access for those with mobility challenges.
CHIMES, XYLOPHONES, AND GONGS
There are numerous chimes, xylophones, and gongs that visitors can play with. It is fun for kids to use and it is relaxing for adults to hear musical notes in the background. There is a meditative quality to hearing a distant gong sound every few minutes.
There are two sets of chimes and a xylophone in the Children's Rainforest Garden. The gong is near the Koi Pond.
BUTTERFLY GARDEN
When I visited the Butterfly Garden, it had recently rained so no butterflies were in sight. There were plenty of beautiful flowers to admire though:
Egyptian Starcluster
Pentas lanceolata
Asian Pigeonwings / Butterfly Pea
Clitoria ternatea
Flaming Glory Bower / Java Glory Bower
Clerodendrum speciosissimum
MUSEUM OF BOTANY & THE ARTS
This is located near the Butterfly Garden.
When I visited, this housed a special exhibit on Yayoi Kusama, including physical artifacts and paraphernalia of her work, and also copies of letters she wrote to Georgia O'Keeffe. There wasn't much in the building other than the special exhibit.
Visitors were not supposed to take pictures inside so I don't have any photos of that. However, here are some pictures of the exterior of the building:
YAYOI KUSAMA
Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe
Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series
On view February 11 – June 30, 2024
https://selby.org/dsc/dsc-exhibitions/yayoi-kusama-a-letter-to-georgia-okeeffe/
Yayoi Kusama was heavily influenced by Georgia O'Keeffe. You can see an homage to O'Keefe's famous cow skulls here.
Reflections on a Landscape:
The rest of the gardens were peppered with various installations which evoke Yayoi Kusama's polka dot motif
Dot Matrix:
Mirage:
Shear Repetition:
Enmeshed in Nature (these are bromeliad Neoregelia 'Fireball'):
Moments of Levity:
SUCCULENT AND CACTI GARDEN
Prickly Pear Cactus:
BANYAN GROVE
Banyans can live for hundreds of years.
You can see some epiphytes growing on this banyan.
Moreton Bay Fig / Australian Banyan
Ficus macrophylla
MANGROVE WALKWAY
Either a mangrove crab or ghost crab:
STATUARY
OTHER INTERESTING PLANTS
Giant Dioon / Gum Palm
Dioon spinulosum
Flamingo Flower / Heart Flower / Pigtail Plant
Anthurium scherzerianum
Natal Plum
Carissa macrocarpa
Garden Crotons
Codiaeum variegatum
Either
Moonlight Cactus
Selenicereus grandiflorus
or
Queen of the Night Cactus
Epiphyllum oxypetalum
Acai Palm
Euterpe oleracea
Cacao beans:
Unknown flowers:
Unknown flowers:
Puerto Rican Crested Anole
Anolis cristatellus
There were lots of these little lizards running around. They are considered an invasive species in Florida.
NEIGHBORING VIEWS
For those Zillow lovers who get pleasure from looking up other people's houses, here are some beautiful properties you can see looking out from the Selby Gardens:
GARDEN GIFT SHOP
Note that I am not compensated in any way for promoting any of these products. I just like to take note of cute things!
Do you get the pun?
Although the Yayoi Kusama special exhibit is over, you can apparently still buy this cat-themed card on Etsy.
Yayoi Catsama Cat Artist Card
$4.22
https://www.etsy.com/listing/728077422/yayoi-catsama-cat-artist-card
https://www.faire.com/product/p_c9uq45fuat
It is by Niaski, a specialist in Feline Fine Art. You can see their Etsy shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Niaski
Real Planet Koi Fish
$14.99
https://realplanettoys.com/products/real-planet%E2%84%A2-orange-koi-fish-realistic-plush-stuffed-animal
These are the only plushies I saw. Not really cute but I guess it is on theme due to the koi pond.
Honeycomb Cuff Bracelet by Catherine Weitzman
$170
https://www.catherineweitzman.com/products/honeycomb-cuff-bracelet
Bee Gemstone Necklace by Catherine Weitzman
$140
https://www.catherineweitzman.com/products/bee-gemstone-necklace
Beaufort River Glass Handmade Beaded Pins – Green Chameleon
$62
https://beaufortriverglass.com/product/handmade-beaded-pins-green-chameleon/
I like the dragonfly and butterfly brooches the most but I wasn't able to find them online.
Cute bird cards:
Cute stone turtles:
Jewelry made from real flowers:
Beautiful hummingbird ornaments:
Beautiful butterfly ornaments:
The Selby Gardens Gift Shop also sells orchids! Most of them seem to be in the range of $20 - $54.
Not sure if those stone owls are for sale but they are also cute!
