Tropical Fourth of July Celebration

Live Zydeco music will highlight the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ popular Tropical Fourth of July Celebration, Wednesday evening, July 4th on the Gardens’ beautiful bayfront grounds.

Festivities start at 6:00 p.m. Children’s games will take place on the south lawn along with face painting. Prizes will be awarded for the best patriotic attire. The evening will culminate at nightfall in a spectacular community fireworks display along the bayfront.

All-American cookout fare will be available for purchase. Beer, wine, soda and water will also be available for purchase. No food, beverages or coolers are allowed into the Gardens for this special holiday event. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Budweiser is a sponsor for this event.

Buy your tickets in advance to avoid waiting in line the night of the event. Tickets are $15 for Selby Gardens’ members, $18.00 for non-members and children 12 and under are admitted free. Purchase tickets online at www.selby.org or visit the Selby Gardens’ Welcome Center at 900 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, Florida from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For further information contact 366.5731, extension 241.

Selby Offers

Visit the Historic Selby House for refreshments.

Open Daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Local Coffee and Tea offer the following options:

Salads and Sandwich Wraps

Espresso and Coffee Drinks, Hot or Cold

Large Selection of Teas and Tisanes, Hot or Cold

Baked Goods and our Signature Tropical Rainforest Cookie

Ice Cream and other Treats

Water, Juice, Soda, Beer and Wine Available

Great Fun - Join the Volunteer Team

Announcing: The Presidents’ Volunteer Service Awards

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is now a certifying organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Awards. Volunteers who work at least 100 hours annually (children 14 and under must work only 50 hours to earn the award) are eligible to receive an official President’s Award pin, certificate of achievement, congratulatory letters from the President of the United States and from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. Visit www.presidentialserviceawards.gov for more details, or call Emily Chalker Lane, manager of volunteer services at the Gardens, to learn more about how you may qualify! You may contact Emily by calling (941) 366-5731 ext. 267 or emailing to elane@selby.org.

Volunteer Orientation

Monday, July 23, 9:00 a.m. to Noon, in the Mansion

Get an insider’s view of this magnificent institution! Attendees will be treated to a behind-the-scenes tour and an overview of Selby’s Center for Tropical Plant Science & Conservation, the Center for Environmental Education, Horticulture, Membership, and more. You will learn about interesting volunteer opportunities as well as the fabulous benefits you will enjoy as a Selby Gardens volunteer. Brown bag lunches welcome; we’ll provide drinks and snacks. Dress comfortably: the tour includes much time outdoors. New and current volunteers are welcome, but please pre-register by calling Emily Lane at (941) 366-5731 x 267 or e-mailing elane@selby.org.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are always volunteer opportunities in the Gardens! To learn more about the positions below or to find out about other possibilities, please contact Emily Lane at (941) 366-5731 x 267 or email elane@selby.org.

Special Volunteer Requests

We have an urgent need for volunteers in several key areas during the coming months:

The Museum of Botany and the Arts

Share your love of the arts with visitors to the Gardens as a docent. Mansion Docents are needed for shifts throughout the week, especially in July.

Grounds and Greenhouse Volunteers

Our horticulture staff seeks serious gardening buffs and plant lovers for greenhouse and grounds assistance. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from some of Sarasota’s most knowledgeable horticulturists!

A “gear head” for Horticulture

The Horticulture Department uses many machines, from leaf blowers and chain saws to golf carts. They seek someone who enjoys (and is good at!) tinkering and repairing machinery to help keep things running smoothly.

Membership Department

The Membership Department wishes all of our members safe and pleasant travels as many of you head north, east or west for a few months. Please email Lori Dann at ldann@selby.org in the Membership department if you wish to receive renewal notices or other membership news at a different address while you are away and the dates you will be gone.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions at membership@selby.org.

Bricks, benches and trees are always a wonderful way to pay tribute to our friends and family. Call the Membership office at 366-5731, extension 229 for more information.

Horticulture Spotlight - Gorgeous

Aechmea sphaerocephala

Aechmea sphaerocephala, a giant bromeliad from coastal Rio de Janeiro in Brazil has recently been classified as Vulnerable by conservation authorities due to habitat developement for seaside vacation homes. You can view a specimen of this species at the far south end of Selby Gardens, across from #15 on the Selby Gardens' map.

Center for Tropical Plant Science & Conservation

Spectacular New Species of Bromeliad Discovered

Selby Gardens botanists and their Venezuelan colleagues discovered a spectacular new species of bromeliad in southern Venezuela, in a region known as the Lost World. The find, which was made in April 2007 during a three-week expedition, was first reported in the Summer 2007 Gardens Tropical Dispatch newsletter, but as only a "possible" new species. Possible, since the plant was in young bud and fully open flowers are needed to determine whether or not a species is new for science. Fortunately, Venezuelan botanist, and former Selby intern Yuribia Vivas was able to make the 5-day trip to revisit the site several weeks later and found the plant in full bloom.

Upon return to Caracas, Yuribia dispatched notes and photographs to Selby botanist Bruce Holst who also participated in the April trip, and is the world's authority on Lost World bromeliads. He was able to determine it was definitely an undescribed species.

The new species has deep purple flower stalks almost 6-feet long and rose-colored flowers. It belongs to the genus Lindmania, of which there are more than 40 species. The entire genus is only known from the high mountains of the Lost World and no where else in the world. The botanists have not yet given the species a name, but plan to do so in the coming months and publish it in an international journal. The term "Lost World" was coined by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as the title of his famous book after hearing of the strange, nearly inacessible mountain plateaus in southern Venezuela where the lindmanias grow. Selby Gardens is working with the several government agencies in Venezuela to document plants of the Lost World.

 

The Garden Shop and Banyan Treasures

Plan a Selby Gardens day along with a great shopping experience. The Garden Shop has numerous unique, gorgeous orchids and bromeliads that would delight any plant lover. Banyan Treasures offers great gift selections from jewelry to home decor.

You can enter The Garden Shop from Palm Avenue without going through the Welcome Center. Bring your friends for a fun shopping experience.

Visit Banyan Treasures and The Garden Shop online.

Exhibit

In the Museum of Botany & the Arts

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Selby Instructor's Summer Showcase

Thru August 27

This is a great opportunity to see examples of upcoming classes. View the artwork of our talented instructors and become inspired to sign up for one of their classes.