Nestled along the sun-drenched shores of Sarasota Bay, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens stands as a testament to the transformative power of visionary philanthropy and botanical passion. What began with the generous bequest of Marie Selby in 1975 has blossomed into one of the world’s most unique botanical institutions—the only garden dedicated specifically to the display and study of epiphytic plants, those remarkable species that grow on other plants without harming them.
A Living Museum Like No Other
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens opened to the public on July 7, 1975, fulfilling its founder’s final wish to create a public sanctuary of botanical beauty. Today, the institution operates two stunning bayfront campuses: the 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus and the 30-acre Historic Spanish Point campus in nearby Osprey. Together, they welcome over 200,000 visitors annually to experience what the institution calls its innovative “Living Museum” model—a seamless integration of world-class horticulture, scientific research, and contemporary art.
In January 2024, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens unveiled a multi-million-dollar expansion, transforming it into the world’s first net-positive energy botanical garden complex. This groundbreaking achievement means the gardens now produce more energy than they consume, setting a global standard for environmental sustainability. The accomplishment hasn’t gone unnoticed: Selby Gardens was recognized as the sixth-best botanical garden in the United States in USA Today’s 10 Best readers’ choice list, and landed on TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list in 2024.
The World’s Premier Orchid Collection
At the heart of Selby Gardens’ identity lies its extraordinary orchid collection. As a leader in the study and conservation of orchids and other epiphytes, Selby Gardens is home to the best scientifically documented collection of living orchids in the world. Since the early 1970s, when the gardens’ collection was first established, volunteers and staff have assembled over 12,500 documented samples of live plants, building a resource that serves both scientific research and public education.
The institution’s commitment to orchid research runs deep. The three senior scientists tasked with establishing the Gardens as a research institution were orchid botanists, and their legacy continues through the gardens’ comprehensive Research Library, Spirit Collection, and ongoing botanical expeditions to tropical regions around the world.
Visitors can experience this remarkable diversity firsthand in the Tropical Conservatory, one of eight greenhouses on campus. The conservatory recreates the atmosphere of a tropical rainforest, showcasing orchids and bromeliads collected by Selby scientists during research expeditions. The displays change constantly as different plants come into bloom, ensuring that each visit offers something new to discover.
Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement
This year marks a particularly special moment for Selby Gardens as it celebrates the tenth anniversary of its Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series with a stunning showcase: “Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement,” on view February 8 through May 31, 2026.
Alexander Calder emerged as a natural choice for the anniversary exhibition, as he is one of the most innovative artists of the 20th century. Best known as the inventor of the mobile— those gracefully suspended sculptures that move with air currents—Calder revolutionized how we think about art through his exploration of motion, balance, and abstraction.
What makes this exhibition particularly compelling at Selby Gardens is the fascinating dialogue between Calder’s artistic vision and the natural world. The exhibition highlights the artist’s use of abstract forms rooted in nature and emphasizes his interest in science and engineering. Throughout the 15-acre downtown campus, original artworks by Calder are displayed in the Richard and Ellen Sandor Museum of Botany & the Arts, while specially designed horticultural vignettes inspired by the artist’s work appear throughout the Display Conservatory and outdoor gardens.
These carefully curated plant arrangements make use of Selby Gardens’ outstanding living collections and spectacular bayfront setting, creating moments where sculpture, botanical artistry, and natural movement intersect. Installations like the “Calder Cascade” stabiles incorporate water and can be found in the lily pond garden, demonstrating how art and nature can enhance each other.
A Sarasota Story
The Calder exhibition holds special significance for Sarasota beyond the artist’s international renown. The exhibition explores Calder’s enchantment with the circus, stemming from his studies of performers and animals at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1925. This connection resonates deeply in Sarasota, which became the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1927, cementing the city’s cultural identity as a circus town.
Jennifer Rominiecki, President and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, captured the significance of this convergence, describing the exhibition as offering an exploration of Calder’s engagement with both natural sciences and the performing arts, particularly his circus fascination, which holds special meaning in Sarasota’s cultural narrative.
A Decade of Artistic Excellence
The Goldstein Exhibition Series has become a cornerstone of Selby Gardens’ mission to explore the intersection of art and nature. Since its inception, the series has presented works by major artists within the unique context of a botanical garden. The inaugural featured Marc Chagall, establishing an ambitious vision from the start. In 2025, “George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life” drew approximately 125,000 visitors, telling the story of the Beatle who spent much of his post-music life immersed in gardening and landscape restoration.
Each exhibition in the series combines museum-quality artwork with living horticultural installations, creating immersive experiences that illuminate how deeply plants and nature have inspired artists throughout history.
Planning Your Visit
Both of Selby Gardens’ campuses are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the Museum of Botany & the Arts closing at 4:30 p.m. The Downtown Sarasota campus, located at 1534 Mound Street, offers visitors the chance to explore not only the Calder exhibition but also the Children’s Rainforest Garden, multiple themed gardens, and The Green Orchid, billed as the world’s first net-positive energy restaurant featuring seasonal menus with locally sourced ingredients.
The Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey provides a different but equally compelling experience, showcasing native Florida plants representing more than half of the species found in Sarasota County, along with archaeological sites spanning 5,000 years of Florida prehistory.
More Than a Garden
What sets Marie Selby Botanical Gardens apart is its seamless integration of multiple missions: cutting-edge botanical research, environmental education, historical preservation, artistic excellence, and sustainability leadership. From the ancient banyan trees planted in1939 by Marie Selby’s beloved employee Grover Yancy to the state-of-the-art sustainable infrastructure producing surplus energy, every element of these gardens tells a story of innovation, beauty, and stewardship.
The current Calder exhibition exemplifies this holistic vision. By bringing together one of the 20th century’s most influential artists with the gardens’ world-renowned botanical collections, Selby Gardens creates something greater than the sum of its parts—a living, breathing meditation on movement, growth, balance, and the endless creativity of both nature and human imagination.
Whether you’re an orchid enthusiast, an art lover, a sustainability advocate, or simply someone seeking beauty and tranquility along Florida’s Gulf Coast, Marie Selby Botanical Garden’s offers an experience that will move you—quite literally, if you spend time watching Calder’s mobiles dance in the bay breeze.
“Alexander Calder: The Nature of Movement” is on view at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus through May 31, 2026. For more information, visit selby.org.
