US East Coast 2018: One Enchanted Garden

The ethereal sounds of the glockenspiel permeated the entire forest. One could almost hear the sonic vibrations in the distance, as the enchanting music reverberated as far as the ear could sense....

We were right in the centre of a natural alcove in the Children's Rainforest Garden of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. And although the sun was scorching, it seemed we had found a sweet spot of tranquility and calm in the midst of an otherwise hot day.

Our two boys chiming a duet of an ethereal magnitude at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

A perfect spot spot of serenity in an otherwise urban world.

Spanning 15 acres, the Gardens was gifted to the city of Sarasota in the 1970s by Marie Selby, a gardening enthusiast and accomplished pianist. She was also the first woman to cross the country by car.

It was truly amazing to walk in the Gardens, and we enjoyed many hours savouring the various rare plants and flowers. There are apparently more than 20,000 plants here, with more than 5,500 orchids, clearly the largest collection we have ever seen! Not to mention more than 111,000 dried and pressed specimens of tropical flora.

The tropical observatory is the only greenhouse open to the public and we were amazed at the
opulence of the beauty displayed there.

The boys were particularly interested in a variation of one of their favourites - the pitcher plant.
The boys were fascinated that this plant could digest large animals like birds or frogs!

The founder of the Gardens, Marie Selby loved gardening, and she would personally design and landscape her home site.

A love of nature and gardening kept Marie Selby, and the Gardens today reflect the variety
and beauty of the numerous flora species she cultivated.

The boys were thrilled to climb the huge trees with their expansive buttress roots. They also enthusiastically embarked on a fun activity sheet, which tested their ability to attend and to observe the plants in the Garden.

This is one of the many beautiful trees in the Gardens. The boys spent many moments
getting entangled in its lovely roots.

The Children's Rainforest Garden is a lovely maze of rope bridges and treehouses.

Enjoying our time together as a family.

Sue enjoying some time on her own with the boys off climbing trees.

Noteworthy was the excellent glass exhibition by leading St Petersburg artist Duncan McClellen, who was schooled in the Murano art of making glass from the island of the same name in Italy. The art pieces added a light touch of surrealism in an already magnificent display of floral beauty and botanical opulence.

It was truly fascinating to see these glass pieces scattered around the Gardens.
The result was that of eclectic opulence, with the man-made artefacts
complementing the natural beauty of the Gardens.

It was truly wonderful to learn how each of these pieces were made. The fact that the artist went to
Murano in Italy to learn glassmaking was particularly poignant, given my personal interest in Murano glassware.

The boys learning about glass painting and enjoying a peaceful moment with their own colouring pursuits.

If all kids could learn about nature in such an experiential manner, who knows
how this would transform them to realise their fullest potential?

The Previous Page -"Making Magic" in the Flamingo Gardens in Miami. Read here.

The Next Page - Sun, Sand & the Deep Sea. Tampa Sights. Read here

From the Beginning - Start reading the record pages of our US East Coast Travel Adventure here.

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