Ever wondered about the trees and nature you encounter in our magnificent Bayfront Gardens? Take a guided tour with a trained guide and learn fun facts about our flora and fauna as well as our property’s history in Sarasota. Back in the day, the gardens created an oasis for John and Mable Ringling, and today they have been designated as a Level II Arboretum by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program.

Now through April, take advantage of the cooler weather and experience our Bayfront Gardens Tour! Marvel at the banyan trees, discover Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden, experience the Secret Garden and the Dwarf Garden, and take in the splendor of Ca’ d’Zan. Along the way, look for eye-catching trees like the rainbow eucalyptus and the royal poinciana. You might even glimpse water birds and turtles sunning themselves by one of our ponds. Here are some can’t miss highlights of our Bayfront Gardens.

To purchase tickets for the Bayfront Gardens Tour, click here.

Banyan Trees
Our Bayfront Gardens are home to groves of majestic banyan trees. Banyans start their lives as epiphytes, which, according to Merriam-Webster, means a plant that “derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and usually grows on another plant.” Unlike many trees, banyans, which are a type of fig, don’t need soil to grow, and are pollinated by wasps. So, the next time you encounter a wasp, give it a wide berth, and remember that it’s responsible for helping the banyans grow their enchanting canopies. You might not know that banyans are native to Southeast Asia, but legend has it that Harvey Firestone—of Firestone Tire fame—brought them to Florida. Banyans grow horizontal roots called aerial roots that eventually shoot down into the ground and are known as “walking trunks.”

Individual banyan trunks pull nutrients from the ground, giving the tree an advantage in hurricanes. Because they have so many trunks, banyans can bounce back quickly after losing some in a storm. Just as we humans hunker down in our homes, animals, like squirrels, raccoons, and lizards hide among the banyans during storms, making banyans a keystone species, or one that has a tremendous positive impact on an ecosystem’s health. While our banyans lost many trunks in last fall’s hurricanes, we expect these resilient trees to fully recover within the next five to ten years. As you wander through the banyans, keep an eye out for “Banyan Boy,” a statue “hugged” by a banyan trunk that has grown around him, a testament to the tree’s incredible strength. Who knows, the banyans might captivate you so much that you’ll wish you could stay among their roots forever, just like “Banyan Boy.”

Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden

An avid gardener, Mable Ringling left a legacy in her Rose Garden, one of her happy places in Sarasota. Inspiration from her travels through Europe helped her and a landscape architect envision the garden’s Italian wagon wheel design. The garden was completed in 1913, making it the first landscaping project on the Ringlings’ property. Mable would’ve reimagined her garden often, swapping out different varieties of plants, like we do nowadays to start fresh for a new season. In fact, historically, rose bushes were not the only type of plant in the garden. Mable planted sprawling jasmine and had fences installed to keep pesky critters from munching on her roses.

Because last year’s hurricanes uprooted the entire garden, we are now taking advantage of this opportunity to reimagine it, much like Mable would’ve done, with roses and other flowers, so that it will bloom for years to come. When you walk by the Rose Garden, close your eyes and channel your inner Mable by imagining new leaves sprouting from the ground, vines curling around the gazebo, and a kaleidoscope of flowers all around you.

Secret Garden
Leveling up from those of us who try desperately to keep the orchid or bamboo we received as a gift alive, Mable grew plants and clippings from friends and neighbors during her winters at Ca’ d’Zan in the Secret Garden. She nicknamed these plants “onesies-twosies” and referred to the space as her “onesie-twosie garden.” A statue of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, watches over the Secret Garden, the final resting place for John and Mable Ringling and John’s sister, Ida Ringling North.

The Secret Garden is a pollinator garden, meaning that it contains plants that attract pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, bats, lizards, birds, flies, and even moths, which pollinate the many night-blooming plants in the Bayfront Gardens. It’s like a giant, all-you-can-eat buffet for these creatures. Florida annuals like dill, verbena, and Mexican sage abound and might inspire you to create your own pollinator garden. Among the flowers, you’ll spot bamboo, which is actually a type of fast-growing grass that can be found in the Dwarf Garden as well. Luckily, as a visitor, you can enjoy the bamboo just by looking at it, no watering or fertilizer required.

Ca’ d’Zan
Where the Bayfront Gardens meet Sarasota Bay, you’ll find Ca’ d’Zan, John and Mable Ringling’s stunning Mediterranean Revival mansion. Completed in late 1926 and designed by architect Dwight James Baum, this winter retreat embodies the couple’s love for all things Italian. As you admire its facade, look for custom-made terracotta, regal arches, stucco walls, and colored glass windows. To book a self-guided tour of Ca’ d’Zan’s first floor, click here.