Gardens Blog
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
It stands to reason that people who work at Selby Gardens would be inordinately attached to flowers and plants. In fact, some even have their favorite botanical specimens permanently etched on their bodies. Botanical tattoos allow them to carry their passion...
It's always a good time of year to visit Selby Gardens, but come spring, there is definitely an increase in the number of schools planning field trips to our grounds. School programs at Selby Gardens can be designed for all ages of students, from Kindergarten through...
A renowned orchid expert recently showed a group of Selby Gardens staff, volunteers and guests examples of how advances in genetics have expanded our understanding of orchids—their origin, their specialization and relationships between various orchid species. Dr....
Today the Friends of the Gardens-Selby Associates welcomed White House decorator and author, Coleen Christian Burke to speak at a holiday luncheon supporting Selby Gardens. Sponsored by: Twisted Twig and The Westin Sarasota The Bucks County, Pennsylvania resident...
More than 40 years ago, Marie Selby left her property in our care to preserve an oasis of green space in the midst of downtown Sarasota. Her executors created the world’s only botanical research garden specializing in epiphytes, or air plants such as orchids and...
Long time Selby Gardens supporter Ann Esworthy, 97, passed away Friday, November 3, 2017. A volunteer who contributed more than 7,000 hours over 41 years, Ann continued to mount herbarium specimens in the Botany department until just weeks prior to her passing. In...
In early November 2017, Selby Gardens’ Director of Botany, Bruce Holst, traveled to Ecuador at the invitation of a scientific and technical institute in the nation’s capital city, Quito. Instituto Superior Tecnológico Yavirac, known at Institute Yavirac in English,...
Selby Gardens has spent more than four decades amassing the best scientifically documented collection of wild orchids in the world. The bulk of these orchids have been wild-collected, with excellent representation of the rare, the gorgeous, and the unusual. In fact,...
Orchids were central to the founding goals of Selby Gardens. The three senior scientists tasked with establishing the Gardens as a research institution were orchid botanists (Drs. Calaway Dodson, Carlyle Luer, Kiat Tan). Since Selby Gardens volunteers and staff began...
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, it is our sincerest hope that all our members, volunteers and friends are safe and out of harm's way. The aftermath of this type of storm can no doubt be extremely difficult, and our thoughts are with every family affected. Above all...