Tour a garden of rare wonders

Southern Living, Mar 2003 by Thomas, Les

Exotic plants from faraway corners of the world thrive in Sarasota, Florida.

Follow a winding path, and a tunnel of dense greenery accented with colors as stunning as Christmas ornaments suddenly surrounds you. All around, delicate rain forest orchids, prehistoric-looking staghorn ferns, and strange begonias sprout on tree limbs.

This luxuriant tropical garden holds some of the world's rarest plants, but you don't have to travel to a far-off wilderness to see them. They grow in the shadow of downtown Sarasota, Florida, at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

"These gardens have a real Lost World feel to them," spokesperson Ilene Denton says as she welcomes visitors to the 6,000-square-foot Tropical Display House. The garden under glass showcases many of the vibrant orchids, bromeliads, and epiphytes conservators collected during more than 150 rain forest expeditions.

The garden shelters one of the world's largest collections of epiphytes (sometimes known as air plants), which grow on host plants without harming them. The 81/2-acre garden was established in 1975 on the bayfront estate of philanthropists Marie and William Selby. "It was a small garden, so it was agreed we should deal with small plants," says Harry Luther, director of the Mulford B. Foster Bromeliad Identification Center. "No other garden in the world was specializing in epiphytes.

"We have plants here not in cultivation anywhere else," Harry adds. "Every day is different for the epiphytes in bloom. Some only last one day. Others last for months."

In addition to rain forest research, the Sarasota garden serves as a rare plant identification resource for scientists worldwide. A herbarium stores more than 85,000 dried plants. "It's a rare day when we don't get a box from somewhere in the world addressed to Harry, asking him to help identify a plant," Ilene says. "He's been called the Michael Jordan of bromeliads."

Paths outside the Tropical Display House lead visitors beneath mossdraped live oaks and massive banyon trees to other sections of the waterfront garden that feature ferns, succulents, wildflowers, palms, and tropical food plants. All are in good shape again after tropical storm Gabrielle struck on September 14, 2001. The storm left 11 boats high and dry along the garden's shore. They've since been removed. The only damage visitors may notice is the garden's beloved bo tree (Ficus religiosa), where weddings are often held. It is propped up with wooden supports while it regains its footing. The tree was saved after a marine construction barge, equipped with a crane, hoisted it upright again. Even in a garden filled with rarities, it's unusual to see a tree rescued by a boat. LES THOMAS