While the late George Harrison is best remembered as the lead guitarist of The Beatles and a gifted solo artist, there was another passion that deeply resonated with him—gardening. This love is at the heart of “George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life,” on display at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus through June 29.
A dynamic combination of horticultural vignettes and Harrison-related ephemera, “George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life” is an original exhibition developed by the team at Selby Gardens. As the ninth installment in the Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series, it continues the organization’s mission to examine renowned artists and their connections to nature.
“Selby Gardens created this series so that the gardens are not just a one-and-done destination,” explains Nancy Seijas-Kipnis, vice president for strategic communications and marketing. “[The series] takes major artists and tries to explore their work and tell a story throughout the gardens and our Museum of Botany and the Arts.”
Harrison’s passion for gardening was most evident at Friar Park, his home in Henley-on-Thames, England. Developed in the late 1800s by eccentric English lawyer and botanist Frank Crisp, the large estate had fallen into disrepair by the time Harrison purchased it in 1970. He restored both the property and its gardens—and immortalized them within his art. The cover of All Things Must Pass, for example, was photographed on Friar Park’s main lawn, and the album includes a song titled “Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let it Roll).”
The Selby Gardens team drew inspiration from both Friar Park and Harrison’s music when developing the horticultural vignettes. The two come to a head in places such as the hedge maze, named “Ye Maze for Losing Ye Bodies,” a reference to lyrics from “Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let it Roll)” and an homage to Crisp’s circa-1914 descriptions of the gardens. Made from clusia rosea (a Florida-friendly alternative to privet), the maze incorporates Harrison’s lyrics throughout, offering visitors an immersive experience.
The exhibition also boasts rare photographs, personal artifacts, and excerpts from Came the Lightening, a book of poems by Harrison’s widow, Olivia, that reflects upon their life together. “We were very fortunate to have been guided and supported by Olivia Harrison as well as the Harrison estate, which shared photos that have never been seen before,” notes Seijas-Kipnis.
The multisensory exhibition extends to Selby Gardens’ culinary program, with themed dishes like cottage pie, the Something Salad, and a drink called the Cloud Nine. Additionally, special exhibition evenings will include Beatles-inspired programming, such as performances by Sarasota Ballet’s Margaret Barbieri Conservatory April 16 and Jade Strings Duo May 14.
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