“On our recent trip to Japan, I discovered that bonsai are so much more than tiny trees in pots. They’re living sculptures, scarred and shaped to tell stories of endurance, patience, and beauty. Standing before a bonsai over 1,000 years old, I realized these small trees carry big truths. Here’s what I learned…”

While the interiors were undeniably fascinating, I was itching to get outside. After all, the gardens were really what I came for. From the back of the main house, we made our way into the formal gardens, allee's lined with white marble statues pointing the way.

In the distance we could hear music and realized that they had turned on a fountain nearby...The sheer scale of Versailles’ gardens is impossible to overstate. This isn’t just a backyard—it’s an entire kingdom of hedges, pathways, and water features designed with precision that only 17th-century royalty could demand.

Selby Gardens in downtown Sarasota was an exceptional experience. A gem of a botanical garden. Highly recommend a visit