Marie Selby Botanical Gardens officially kicks off its 50th anniversary with a year-long schedule of special exhibitions, programs, celebrations, and the unveiling of a commemorative book, Orchid. As Selby Gardens continues its mission to provide bayfront sanctuaries that connect people with air plants of the world, native nature, and regional history, it invites visitors to engage in the exploration of the Gardens today and into the next 50 years.

“Starting with Marie Selby’s selfless gift to our community and enhanced by so many dedicated individuals over the past half century, Selby Gardens has become a botanical garden like no other,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “We are excited to present a season-long celebration of our world-class botanical science, unique horticultural beauty, and visionary leaders of yesterday and today as we mark this wonderful milestone.”

50th ANNIVERSARY HIGHLIGHTS:

The Orchid Show 2023: A 50th Anniversary Celebration | On view October 7 through November 26, 2023
Downtown Sarasota campus

Since its establishment in 1973, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has formed the best scientifically documented collection of living orchids in the world. The Orchid Show 2023, presented by Better-Gro, will celebrate Selby Gardens’ 50th anniversary and highlight spectacular orchids from the living plant collection for which it is known across the globe.

The Orchid Show 2023 will include a horticultural display in the Tropical Conservatory and an exhibition in the Museum of Botany & the Arts. Orchids of various shapes, colors, and patterns will abound in the Conservatory, illustrating the beauty and diversity of one of the largest and most beloved families of flowering plants. The Museum exhibition will present a selection of rare artifacts and historical images to help tell the rich story of Selby Gardens’ first 50 years, with emphasis on the plants and people who have made it such a special place.

Orchid | The Book

Published to celebrate Selby Gardens’ 50th anniversary, Orchid is a stunning coffee-table book featuring 150 photos of vibrant, elegant, sometimes other-worldly orchids in the Gardens’ unmatched collection. The 240-page volume pairs text by Selby Gardens botany and horticulture staff with intimate photographs of fine-art quality captured by talented Selby Gardens volunteers.

Orchid was produced in partnership with arts and heritage publishing house Scala Arts Publishers, with support from Selby Gardens friends Carol Miller and Virginia Miller. The book is an accessible introduction to orchids for a general audience and an essential resource for afficionados and experts. Set for release in conjunction with the upcoming Orchid Show, Orchid will be available for purchase in the Garden Shop at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus and through online and other retail outlets.

Clyde Butcher: Nature Through the Lens | On view November 11, 2023 through August 31, 2024
Historic Spanish Point campus

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Big Cypress Gallery

Selby Gardens is excited to present the extraordinary imagery of photographer and conservationist Clyde Butcher throughout the grounds of the Historic Spanish Point campus. Large-scale prints on aluminum of Butcher’s beautiful photographs of plants, animals, and habitats of Florida will be exhibited amid the natural landscape of the 30-acre waterfront preserve, enabling the public to engage with the artist’s work like never before.

In the tradition of earlier landscape photographers like Ansel Adams, Butcher captures the beauty and majesty of America’s natural treasures in dramatic black and white. The unique environments of Florida have been subjects of particular interest to Butcher since the 1980s, when he was first introduced to the magic and mystery of sites such as Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. Nature Through the Lens will include Butcher’s photographs of regional locales such as Myakka River State Park and Casey Key. This exhibition is presented in partnership with the Clyde Butcher Gallery & Studio in Venice, Florida.

The Return of Patti Smith | November 15, 2023

In the first event affiliated with the 2024 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Selby Gardens Artist-in-Residence Patti Smith will return for a special evening performance. Smith’s program will be tied to the soon-to-be-announced theme of next year’s Goldstein Exhibition, which opens in February. More details and tickets for the performance will be released in October.

Master Plan Phase One Nears Completion

From its beginnings in 1973, Selby Gardens has matured in tandem with the growth and cultural prosperity of Sarasota and the Tampa Bay region. As theinstitution celebrates its past, it also looks toward the future, with a focus on the Master Plan for the Downtown Sarasota campus. Completion of Phase One, expected by the end of 2023, will create the world’s first net-positive energy botanical garden complex. Features will include a new Welcome Center with Welcome Gallery and orientation theater, a cutting-edge Plant Research Center to house the Gardens’ priceless research collections, a new plant and gift shop, a net-positive energy garden-to-plate restaurant, and a nearly 50,000-square-foot solar array to power the complex.

“With Phase One of the Master Plan near completion, we are thrilled to begin to realize the full potential of our beloved gardens, while also preserving our important history for the generations to come,” said Rominiecki. “We look forward to welcoming visitors from diverse communities across the United States and around the world to join us as we embark on another 50 years of plant exploration, discovery, and celebration.”

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Through the Family Togetherness program, which is funded by the Community Foundation, we welcomed students and families who otherwise might not have been able to attend the award-winning light show. This marked the sixth year that area families could enjoy exclusive access to Lights in Bloom thanks to underwriting by the Community Foundation.

“We are proud to partner with Selby Gardens and especially delighted to continue this tradition of inviting families and teachers from Sarasota County Schools to enjoy the magic of Lights in Bloom free of charge,” said Kirsten Russell, Vice President of Community Impact at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. “Witnessing the natural world, lit up in this imaginative and whimsical way, plants a seed of wonder for these children and their families. It’s an evening filled with cheer, hope, and togetherness that I’m optimistic will continue to grow long after the holidays.”

Selby Gardens hosted Lights in Bloom Family Togetherness Nights on December 9—the day before the show opened to the general public—and January 2. In addition to the immersive light displays and holiday decorations on view throughout our 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus, guests enjoyed complimentary food and drinks as well as child-friendly activities like face painting and balloon twisting. Families also could participate in a free holiday photo opportunity, and Santa was on hand the first night to sit for photos and hear children’s wishes.

Generous vendors that donated all food and refreshments for both nights included Michael’s on East, Brewed Monday Coffee, Five-O Donut Co., The Purple Belle Ice Cream Truck, and Uncle Dave’s Kettle Korn. Balloon Art Entertainment and Pixie Painting donated their services for both evenings as well.

“Family Togetherness Nights are among our favorite nights of the year,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens. “Many of our team members volunteer to staff these evenings, and it’s wonderful to share Lights in Bloom with so many happy families. Selby Gardens is deeply grateful to the Community Foundation for its generous investment in strengthening families and bridging generations through access to cultural attractions and special events like Lights in Bloom.”

Through the Family Togetherness program, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County also sponsors access to the annual Enchanted Garden Family Festival at our Historic Spanish Point campus and Fourth of July All-American Cookout at our Downtown Sarasota campus.

Click here to view photos from the event on December 9. Photos from our second Family Togetherness Night on January 2 can be viewed here.

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Lights in Bloom® is a repeat winner in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice contest for Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights.

USA TODAY announced that Selby Gardens’ annual holiday light show earned sixth place this year out of the 20 botanical garden light displays across the country that were nominated. The national nominations were selected by an expert editorial panel in November, and the public then voted to produce the top 10 list of winners.

This is the second year in a row and the third time in four years that Lights in Bloom has received this recognition. Last year, it earned the number eight spot on the list.

“Lights in Bloom is a beloved holiday tradition in Sarasota that just gets better each year,” said Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “Our incredible partner Affairs in the Air never stops looking for new ways to illuminate the Gardens and delight visitors with their creativity. And our Selby Gardens staff—particularly our Events team—works so hard to make this event wonderful. We appreciate everyone who voted for us in this competition and who visit Lights in Bloom during the holidays each year.”

During Lights in Bloom, the gardens and walkways at Selby Gardens’ 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus are set aglow by more than two million lights and adorned with other holiday and tropical decorations. Highlights of this year’s show include an array of colorful string-light trees along the Great Lawn, the gingerbread house-themed display on the façade of the historic Selby House, and a pair of illuminated butterfly wings ideal for photo ops in the Butterfly Garden. Returning favorites include the “Wishing Tree” on which visitors tie colored ribbons representing their personal hopes for 2023 and the Gardens’ signature bromeliad tree (constructed of nearly 800 live bromeliad plants) and “Florida reindeer” (larger-than-life pink flamingos with whimsical lighted antlers).

In addition to the colorful lights, guests may enjoy a range of family-friendly activities plus food and beverages available for purchase, all in Selby Gardens’ world-class bayfront setting.

Tickets for this year’s Lights in Bloom show are selling quickly, so anyone interested in seeing the award-winning display should purchase tickets soon. The event continues on select nights through January 5, though some upcoming nights are sold out. Tickets start at $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers for general admission, with added-value options available. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended and can be made online here.

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It’s hard to miss the holiday Bromeliad Tree near Payne Mansion on our Downtown Sarasota campus! Rising over 20 feet tall, this beloved annual tradition has become a special part of our Lights in Bloom® light show, as well as a festive attraction for daytime visitors to the Gardens.

Have you ever wondered how our Bromeliad Tree is created each year?

The initial design begins as a digital rendering. Along with creating the year’s signature pattern, Selby Gardens’ senior director of gardens horticulture, Christopher Elenstar, uses a software program called SketchUp to create a digital model of the design to scale.

After the rendering has been finalized, the Selby Gardens Horticulture team orders the plants needed for assembly — nearly 800 bromeliads!

The team incorporates different types of bromeliads, so the tree has a diverse array of colors and textures. This year’s tree includes seven different types of bromeliads:

• • Neoregelia ‘Fireball’
  • Neo. ‘Super Fireball’
  • Neo. ‘Casablanca’
  • Neo. ‘Lambert’s Pride’
  • Neo. ‘Tossed Salad’
  • Neo. ‘Avalon’
  • Neo. ‘Hawaii’

Once December nears, it’s all hands on deck for the installation! Our talented team and a group of their dedicated volunteers begin the assembly process:

The Bromeliad Tree frame is divided into three segments, so each piece is accessible from the ground (for now!). Once the design pattern is marked out on the frames, the team begins to place potted bromeliads into their appropriate spots. The pattern for the tree changes every year, so each plant’s placement is always unique!

By the end of Day 1, all three segments of the tree frame are filled with beautiful, colorful bromeliads. The vision begins to come to life!

Installation Day 2 means it’s time to break out the heavy-duty equipment to stack the tree frames on top of one another. Christopher operates the tractor forklift while the team takes care to bolt each segment together.

Check out this video of the Bromeliad Tree going vertical:

The Horticulture team fills in any final gaps between each segment with more bromeliads so the tree looks picture-perfect. And, for the finishing touch, our friends at Affairs in the Air install twinkling holiday lights amid the nearly 800 bromeliads to illuminate our beautiful tree for the holiday season!

Bravo to Christopher and our very talented Horticulture team for an amazing job well done (again)! And, from all of us at Selby Gardens, happy holidays!

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Kick off the holiday season at our second annual “Wintergreen Weekend!” Taking place December 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at our Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey, this seasonal event features time-honored traditions and holiday fun for the whole family.

Dickens carolers from The Classical Academy of Sarasota will be singing throughout the campus during the weekend, providing a lively holiday soundtrack as visitors stroll the 30-acre site. Handbell performances by the Ring Sarasota ensemble will take place at the Sunken Garden two times each day. For younger attendees, “reindeer” rides (think festively outfitted ponies) will be available on Lychee Field, storytelling sessions will be offered inside historic Mary’s Chapel, and arts and crafts activities will take place on the White Cottage lawn.

“Wintergreen Weekend is a wonderful way to usher in the holiday season,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens. “The combination of classic traditions and our historic setting helps bring a bit of the past into the present, and it’s sure to create magical moments for attendees of all ages.”

Wintergreen Weekend is free for Selby Gardens members and included with general admission to the Historic Spanish Point campus for other visitors. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. Learn more here.

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“Lights at Spooky Point,” running nightly from October 14 to 31, will feature an array of fantastic creatures and cute creations designed with lights along an eerily lit path through the woods at the preserve and outdoor museum. Visitors also will see familiar historic sites like Mary’s Chapel and the Pioneer Graveyard in a mysterious (but not too scary) new light during this event for all ages. Tickets for Lights at Spooky Point are now on sale online and at our Historic Spanish Point and Downtown Sarasota campuses.

“We believe ‘Lights at Spooky Point’ will become a new Halloween tradition in the Sarasota area, the same way Lights in Bloom® is now a must-do for the year-end holidays,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, President and CEO of Selby Gardens. “Historic Spanish Point is such a wonderful, Old Florida location for a family-friendly, Halloween-themed event like this. And our creative lighting partners at Affairs in the Air have outdone themselves yet again with their botanical-inspired creations!”

Lights at Spooky Point will offer visitors a one-way path from the Welcome Center Gazebo through several popular areas on the Historic Spanish Point campus bathed in the glow of orange, purple, and red lights. Along the way, guests will encounter flying “ghost orchids,” webs with “spider orchids,” giant “bat orchids,” vine-twisted skeletons, plenty of pumpkins, and other surprises. This nighttime walk through the woods will finish at a hay maze before guests return to the gazebo to exit.

Food, snacks, and beverages will be available for purchase near the Cottage, about the halfway point of the light-show path. In addition to grilled burgers, hot dogs, and other hearty fare from the Michael’s on East food truck, there will be fall favorites like candy apples, fresh popcorn, and hot chocolate for sale.

Selby Gardens will offer two entry times each evening for Lights at Spooky Point: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. A limited number of tickets will be available for each entry time and must be purchased in advance, either through the Selby Gardens website or at the Welcome Center on either campus. Ticket prices are $20 for Selby Gardens members, $25 for non-members, $15 for ages 5 to 17, and free for children 4 and under. Food, beverages, and other items will be sold separately on site.

To learn more and purchase tickets, click here.

SPONSORS:

Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation

Community Foundation of Sarsota County

MEDIA SPONSOR:

Sarasota Scene Magazine

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Playwright Terry Guest

Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens produced in collaboration with the Hermitage Artist Retreat continues into its third year at our Downtown Sarasota campus! The outdoor series features performances and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni. The first Hermitage Sunset @ Selby Gardens program will feature Hermitage Fellow and playwright Terry Guest. “The Latest from Terry Guest” A Play Reading and Conversation will take place during the evening of Friday, August 19 at our Downtown Sarasota campus in partnership with the Urbanite Theatre.

Confirmed event dates for the third season of Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens include:

• Friday, Aug 19; 6:30 p.m. “The Latest from Terry Guest”
• Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023; 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, March 16, 2023; 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 18, 2023; 6:30 p.m.
• Additional dates may be added.

Each program will feature a celebrated Hermitage artist (or artists) to be announced. Last year’s Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens featured the works of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Michael R. Jackson, Kleban Prize winner César Alvarez, world-renowned violinist and member of Beyonce’s band Lady Jess, interdisciplinary performance artist Ni’Ja Whitson, opera singer Thea Lobo, as well as celebrated mime and storyteller Bill Bowers. In the 2021-2022 season, we also hosted hte launch of the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series with celebrated harpist Ashley Jackson. The first season of Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens took place in 2020-2021 and featured MacArthur ‘Genius’ and Avery Fisher Prize winner Claire Chase, composer and santur player Amir El-Saffar, musical theater composer Rona Siddiqui, and distinguished cellist Dorothy Lawson of ETHEL.

Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens programs are free to the members of the community with a $5/person registration fee. Click Here to register for the upcoming Hermitage Sunset @ Selby Gardens performance featuring Terry Guest!

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International bromeliad experts (l to r) Greg Brown (U.S.), Eric Gouda (Netherlands), Ivón Ramírez (Mexico), and Julian Aguirre-Santoro (Colombia) with Selby Gardens’ Bruce Holst in the Tropical Conservatory

Attendees of the 2022 World Bromeliad Conference got a bonus with this June’s event: access to one of the best scientifically documented collections of bromeliads in the world, right here at Selby Gardens!

The biannual show, put on by the Bromeliad Society International, was hosted for the first time ever in Sarasota, June 8-12. Conference goers had to wait two years for the opportunity. Originally scheduled for 2020, the Sarasota show was postponed by the pandemic. But the wait was worth it, according to Selby Gardens Vice President for Botany Bruce Holst.

“We got to share our collection with 120 bromeliad fanatics, and they loved it,” he said. The program included a morning-long visit to the Downtown Sarasota campus, where our President & CEO Jennifer Rominiecki welcomed attendees before they broke into small groups for a behind-the-scenes tour of our world-renowned living plant collection. Conference registrants also could visit the Gardens on their own throughout the week.

Four of the world’s leading bromeliad researchers spent several days on site working with the collection alongside Holst and his team. “Having experts visit our living and preserved collections to update names, identify previously unidentified plants in their specialties, and discover species not yet described for science helps us to improve the accuracy of the names we use,” said Holst. “Hosting Greg, Eric, Ivón, and Julian visit—two of whom were interns here during the early stages of their careers—was especially gratifying for me, as I have known them all for decades.”

See photos of Conference guests during their visit Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota Campus here.

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Selby Gardens’ 2022 Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith: Flowers, Poetry, and Light, features the work of these two vanguard artists together for the first time ever in a botanical garden setting. Mapplethorpe’s iconic flower photography and Smith’s haunting lyrics and prose about flowers and nature are put in dialogue with stunning horticultural vignettes inspired by their work throughout the 15-acre Gardens.

The full video of the event is available for viewing online for a limited time.

The exhibition runs through June 26 at our Downtown Sarasota campus.

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Follow the links below to enjoy two photo albums of this special evening!

Photos of the entire event were captured by Cliff Roles. Go here to view Cliff’s full album >>

Guests also stopped for portraits beside our iconic Koi Pond as they arrived. View an album of portraits by Cat Pennenga here >>

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