Bellagio's Botanical Garden – Summer Garden Party

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(Fig. 01)

07/29/2013 Picture Notes: Today, I Visited this area once again with my friend Blake Smith after taking a tour of the Warhol exhibit at the Gallery of Fine Arts. [Andy Warhol Exhibit - Gallery of Fine Art]  While there he found Mrs. Green Thumb, one of a rotating team of nine volunteers that field a myriad of questions about the flora, fauna and special attractions that fill this area five times a year. One of these persons can be found every morning between 10am and 11am. For instance, we were curious about where the birds in the greenhouse came from; and she informed us that that were flown in from Montana.  07/24/2013 Picture Notes: This summer's lush floral exhibition inside Bellagio's 13,573 square foot Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is titled “Summer Garden Party”. As usual, it is made up of tens of thousands of sunflowers, lilies, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, roses and many others that are stocked fresh every week over the length of the exhibit. All this is spread around a 36-foot long glass greenhouse (Fig. 01), turned bird aviary, a 26-foot tall red and white stripped New England style lighthouse (Fig. 02), three ponds, and a life-like tree-house (Fig. 11). Suspended under glass and sun, the ceiling is adorned with over-sized birds and dozens of hanging, hand-painted, polychromatic kites that openly say summer is in the air.

(Fig. 02)

The traditional flower for the season, the sunflower (Fig. 05), takes center stage in the exhibit. Numerous patches of sunflowers can be found in the West Garden beneath a 14-foot-tall papier-mâché sunflower (Fig. 03) with three stems. Overhead colorful kites, so meticulously displayed (Fig. 06), that they appear to dance in a summer breeze as they surround a 26-foot-tall red and white striped lighthouse with its rotating light. In the area next to the large papier-mâché sunflowers are two 100-year old olive trees ((Fig. 04).

(Fig. 03)

(Fig. 04)

(Fig. 05)

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The Green House (Fig. 07), 13 feet high, 36 feet long and 14 feet wide, is decorated with many aged antique tools and provides a habitat for a variety of Rosey Bourke Parakeets, Canaries, Cockatiels and 50 Finch birds. If you are patient and look carefully, you can enjoy these multicolored birds as they preen, chirp and sing the sounds of summer while fluttering around forging for food and materials to build nests. Though you have to stand several feet from the sides of the greenhouse, and peer through the reflections on the glass, I was still lucky enough to capture a few relatively presentable shots (Figs. 08 thru 10). Larger than life birds made of seeds and organic materials soar in the overhead above the greenhouse. Click here to view two collages I created containing some of these beautiful birds .... The Birds of Bellagio.

(Fig. 07)

(Fig. 08)

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(Fig. 10)

           

In the North Garden, a traditional wooden tree-house (Fig. 11) sits above a garden full of hydrangeas and chrysanthemums surrounding a tranquil pond with a romantic brick footbridge (Fig. 12) at one end and a pleasant waterfall (Fig. 13) at the other end. An uninhabited row boat bobs in the pool of water between the falls and the bridge and has 1200 roses lining the area. You can find a variety of fresh flowers (Figs. 14-16) throughout the exhibit. The Crisp yellows of the many Sunflowers dazzle as they are set amidst dark greens. One could actually spend hours strolling around, enjoying the sunshine that streams down through the massive skylight, listening to the waterfall, smelling the fragrant flowers, trying to capture pictures of the birds inside the green house, and listening to the live musical performance, a groovy energetic saxophone player (5-6pm). This beautiful exhibit ends on September 8th, be sure and stop by; you will feel better within minutes of entering this enchanting space.

(Fig. 11)

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