Orchid Daze Returns!

Step into a warm, fragrant tropical oasis of flowers February 11 – April 9 during Orchid Daze, the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s annual orchid extravaganza.

Staged among thousands of beautiful orchids in the Fuqua Orchid Center – one of the country’s largest collections of species orchids – the popular exhibition features three paradisiacal settings that allow visitors to leave behind their urban surroundings.

In the Fuqua Conservatory lobby, guests stroll under a canopy of stately Caribbean palms while tropical orchids in mango, pineapple and coral colors burst like sparklers overhead. Below is a diverse carpet of exquisite slipper orchids of varying sizes.

Beneath its 22-foot ceiling, the Orchid Atrium features a soaring vertical tapestry woven with fragrant orchids. Visitors see up close and at eye level the astonishing variety of intricate patterns and colors that bewitch orchid pollinators.  Pansy Orchids with big bold flowers of vibrant magenta, gold and pink contrast with delicate miniature Dancing Lady Orchids.  A surrounding backdrop of Moth Orchids lends the feeling of complete immersion in an orchid paradise.

Finally, the Orchid Display House welcomes guests to an idyllic escape. Colorful hammocks billowing with Cattleya Orchids are laced between russet-colored Manzanita trees, creating the ultimate warm haven on a chilly day.

In addition, Orchid Daze includes Orchid Market Weekends Feb. 18 - 19, March 18 – 19 and  April 8 – 9, when visitors may shop for a wide variety of orchids and potting supplies as well as arts and crafts by local artisans. Also, on Saturdays of those weekends, they may take advantage of  Orchid Care Clinics for advice on caring for their plants.

Orchid Daze - Atlanta Botanical Garden

Orchid Daze, the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s indoor wintertime exhibition, explores the many ways the showy plants grow on trunks, branches, and the stems of other plants.

Set for February 13 – April 10 in the Fuqua Orchid Center, the annual orchid showcase emphasizes the contrasts between vibrantly colored orchids and naturalistic wooden elements. Displays and plantings highlight epiphytic orchids, or ones that grow not in soil but on wood, including other plants, in a harmless, non-parasitic way.

“We strive every year to showcase the beauty of orchids in unexpected ways,” said Becky Brinkman, manager of the Fuqua Orchid Center, home to the largest collection of species orchids in the United States. ”We want to stage orchids to encourage new perspectives on and appreciation for the plants.”

Orchid Daze features thousands of orchids throughout the center. Skeletal trees form a minimalist grove in the Conservatory lobby.  Bare trunks rise 12 to 18 feet toward the ceiling, while arching branches overhead form an arcade. The glossy green foliage of Moth Orchids (Phalaenopsis) clings to the branches in aerial clusters. Exuberant arching sprays dangle like jeweled ornaments in a gradation of color from purple through dark pink to blush pink to white. A large tree trunk lying across the path displays flowers of similar color but presented at and below eye level. A cut in the fallen tree invites visitors to pass through the space.

In the Orchid Atrium, orchids hover from above, while visitors become trapped in the frozen orbits of hollow grapevine spheres dripping with the flowers of Cattleyas, their hybrids, and Miltoniopsis. The design weaves warm and cool colors throughout the space in sparkling shades of red, orange, salmon, pink, and purple. The spheres range in diameter from about two to five feet and hang from the glass ceiling at varying heights.

Finally, in the Orchid Display Hall, twisting visual motion drives the aesthetics. A custom-fabricated grapevine “tornado” activates the space as it rises from ground level to overhead. Flowers festoon the intricately woven vine structure, their vitality contrasting with the dry branches.

In conjunction with Orchid Daze, the Garden offers Orchid Market Weekends for purchasing plants and planting materials, and Orchid Care Clinics at which visitors may seek expert advice on their plants. For details, visit atlantabg.org.

Atlanta Botanical Garden - Orchid Gaze Goes Pop!

Orchid Daze Goes Pop! Annual plant exhibition celebrates iconic Pop Art images The Atlanta Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Daze celebration goes bold and playful February 7 – April 12 when it highlights the Pop Art movement with equally fun and iconic orchids. Colorful, frothy Cattleya orchids have been in cultivation for more than a century – hybrids that have become associated in popular culture with extravagance and exaggerated allure. So what better flowers to take center stage during the third in a series of Orchid Daze exhibits inspired by art in the Fuqua Orchid Center, one of the largest collections of orchids in North America.  Orchid Daze: Pop! combines that floral icon with references to Pop Art images by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Keith Haring.  “It’s going to be a really fun take on our extremely popular exhibit that fills the Orchid Center with this lush fragrance every winter,” Garden President & CEO Mary Pat Matheson said. Along with being widely recognized, Cattleyas have a reputation for being difficult to grow. For orchid enthusiasts suffering from unrequited Cattleya adoration, the Garden will offer orchid classes, care clinics and markets during the event. Orchid Center Manager Becky Brinkman said that Cattleyas enjoy bright light, especially from an unobstructed south- or west-facing window, or in a bright greenhouse. The plants should be allowed to become nearly dry between waterings, then drenched. They can be fertilized every two weeks with half-strength fertilizer, she said. Repotting every two years also is important. A step-by-step photo guide to repotting is available on the Garden’s Orchid Column blog. Orchid Daze: Pop! is the third in a trilogy of art-inspired Orchid Daze displays. The two previous events highlighted impressionist and surrealist works.