Being raised in the area I am guilty of taking these gardens for granted, but I popped in for a quick hour and snapped some pics to share. The Selby Foundation was established decades back to collect and conserve tropical plants from all over the globe, and in addition they have quite a research department.
I adore the way the acerage is laid out. You wander through a lush jungle environment that is always the perfect humidity for all the epiphytes (orchids, bromeliads, etc.) that grow there because the land sits right on Sarasota (Fl.) Bay.
This will take several pages of posting, so be patient with me?
One of my favorite palms.
A close up of it's bloom.
One of the many waterfalls. Darned overcast day!
They have imported statuary incorporated here and there.
A close up of the detail. (This one's in a grotto)
Vanilla planifola (The orchid flower vanilla beans come from)
A pretty little bromeliad growing in a bunch.
Dendrobium lindleyi orchid (species- non hybrid)
Cont...