Pictured: Fallen tree at the Historic Spanish Point campus. Photo courtesy of Selby Gardens.

The following is a message from Jennifer Jennifer O. Rominiecki, President and CEO of Selby Gardens.

In the wake of Hurricane Ian, it is our sincerest hope that you and your loved ones are safe and out of harm’s way. The aftermath of this type of storm can no doubt be extremely difficult, and our thoughts are with every family affected. Above all else, I am so glad to report that all of our staff members are safe. Many have already asked how both campuses of our beloved Selby Gardens fared during the storm. At the Downtown Sarasota campus, we have a number of trees and branches down, and a lot of debris to clear away. However, we’re happy to report that many of the iconic trees that so many of us love have held up nicely, including the Moreton Bay Fig, Banyans, Bo Tree, and Wedding Oak. Our research collections are all unscathed. Unfortunately, we did lose about 40 panes of glass in our greenhouse complex. One of our behind-the-scenes greenhouses sustained significant damage and will need to be taken down. The good news is that—other than a minor leak in the Selby House—our historic buildings are in good shape. Also, the new construction that is underway for our Master Plan is unharmed. At our Historic Spanish Point campus, the tree damage is more significant. We lost numerous major trees—many of which fell blocking the access paths to the campus. There are hundreds of downed branches and a lot of debris to clear away. Regarding our historic structures on the site, the pergola will need to be repaired, and we have some minor fixes to make to the White Cottage and Guptill House. Overall, we feel extremely lucky and grateful that the damage sustained by both of our campuses is not worse. Both campuses will need to remain closed to the public in order to clear away the debris and further assess damage.

You can remain informed about the reopening through the Selby Gardens website and Facebook page. In the meantime, if it is safe for you to join us and you would like to volunteer in our clean-up efforts, please contact us here. All help (and rakes) will be welcome in these early days. In addition, many have asked about making a contribution toward our recovery efforts. If you wish, you may do so here.

Pictured: Fallen tree at the Historic Spanish Point campus. Photo courtesy of Selby Gardens.