Outdoor wonder
Open-air settings, like Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, are refuges for the community.
Botanical gardens put on a variety of awe-inspiring exhibits, like Selby’s purple orchid show that debuted in the fall.
Photograph By Nancy Guth
In July, TIME named Marie Selby Botanical Gardens to its list of “The World’s Greatest Places.” The Sarasota, Fla., site was one of only eight U.S. spots to visit among the 100 destinations—and the sole botanical garden included in the 2024 list. The space, which was founded in 1973, is dedicated to exhibiting and studying epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, and ferns.
At the helm is Jennifer Ozdoba Rominiecki ’95, whose curiosity and Cur Non spirit helped lead it there. “We are just so thrilled—it’s amazing recognition for us,” Rominiecki, president and CEO, says. “I think they really responded not only to the beauty you can experience on site, but also the cutting-edge sustainability measures we’ve implemented.”
An art history and English double major, Rominiecki notes that Lafayette cultivated her curiosity. “I went into the real world with a curious mind, which was important for me in learning, taking on more responsibility, and advancing in my field,” she says. She credits mentorship she received from Prof. Bob Mattison, Marshall R. Metzgar Professor of Art History Emeritus: He cultivated her interest in art history, served as her thesis adviser, and encouraged her to apply for internships at Sotheby’s and the Guggenheim. That put her on a path to focus her career on cultural institutions. She moved into roles at the Metropolitan Opera, then the New York Botanical Garden, before arriving at Selby Gardens. Says Rominiecki: “I tell everyone, ‘I started out in visual art, moved on to performing art, and moved again to living art.’”
When she arrived at Selby Gardens in 2015, she saw tremendous opportunity. “I wasn’t looking to relocate but saw the leadership potential,” Rominiecki says. “I seized the day and never looked back.”
Here are a few reasons to be inspired by botanical spaces like Selby Gardens and visit them throughout the year.
Leaders in sustainability
In June, Selby Gardens dedicated a 57,000-square-foot solar array that distinguishes it as the world’s first net-positive energy botanical garden complex, and generates more energy than the space requires. “We had the opportunity to change our infrastructure in the most ustainable way,” she says of the gardens’ three-phase master plan.
The solar array powers The Green Orchid, the world’s first net-positive energy restaurant. At the garden-to-plate restaurant, produce is sourced from a rooftop garden that is planted, designed, and maintained by veterans practicing horticulture therapy.
Modern grounds are thinking big
When she arrived, Rominiecki marveled at Selby Gardens’ vast collections and incredible location on Sarasota Bay, but identified areas of on-site improvement: parking, orientation, and dining options. “I knew we had to reckon these needs in our master plan,” she says.
During the pandemic, Selby Gardens adopted a second campus 10 miles south, tripling its acreage and offering a place to check out native plants representing more than 5,000 years of Florida history. Each offers a lush garden experience; visitors can connect between the two bayfront sanctuaries via boat.
Future growth
A new research center, lab, and library were added to study plant life. In addition, a stormwater management vault collects and treats stormwater, returning millions of gallons of clean water to Sarasota Bay annually. Future plans also include a learning pavilion, unified pathways, a historic museum renovation, and restoration of docks and seawalls. And, as Selby Gardens recently faced the wrath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, it reinforced an early need identified in the master plan to make the greenhouse complex—home to 20,000 plants—hurricane resilient.
The Living Museum
Just as art museums create new exhibits to encourage repeat visitors, so too does Selby Gardens. “Our team creates seasonal experiences and exhibits connecting major artists to nature,” Rominiecki says. “It’s the idea of operating as traditional art museums do—but, at a botanical garden, where everything is alive and changing.”
This approach, which was trademarked by Selby Gardens as “The Living Museum,” combines everything Rominiecki learned from Lafayette and previous roles, and has more than doubled attendance and membership.
For example, this year’s theme of the annual orchid show is “purple” and features a jaw-dropping display of all its shades, alongside books and photographs that explore the color through history.
They’ve also created an artist-in-residence program with rock icon Patti Smith. Photographs from her book, A Book of Days, will be printed in large format on aluminum and displayed in the landscape through August 2025.
Supporting a critical space
Not only is Selby Gardens supporting biodiversity research and conservation, but it’s giving people a place to connect with nature in their community through mind-opening experiences. Says Rominiecki: “During the pandemic we found a true appreciation for green space. I think everyone really understood how people take it for granted.”
