Orchid Daze 2022

Orchid Daze 2022 is in full bloom! Whether you've seen this gorgeous exhibition every year for the last decade or it's your first time, you will experience it with a dreamy sense of awe. Make your way to the Atlanta Botanical Garden by Sunday, April 10 to see this magical exhibition.

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

This year's exhibition includes works of art by Kristine Mays, a San Francisco-based artist. The exhibition, most recently displayed at Hillwood Estate in Washington, D.C., is titled "Rich Soil".

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Mays creates life-sized, three-dimensional figures from fine metal strands intricately woven together that often evoke a spirit of flowing movement or dance. Much of the inspiration for her work is a series of photos capturing the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's performance of “Revelations.”

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Now going on for more than a decade, Orchid Daze is a beautiful way to experience the Garden during the winter months. When I went the other day, it wasn't crowded, but there was a lot going on. There were visitors, from all over the world, and what looks like renovation of certain parts of the Garden. There is always something going on here!

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

For the exhibition, Orchid Daze orchids are on display in the Conservatory Lobby and the Orchid Center. Both the Conservatory and the Orchid Center have multiple display rooms so be sure to explore them all. If it's your first time to the Garden be sure to pick up a map on your way in through the Visitor Center.

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

The exhibition sculptures are displayed in the Reflecting Pond in front of the Conservatory, in the Conservatory lobby, inside the Fuqua Conservatory, and the Fuqua Orchid Center. There's also a wall display with information boards about the artist in the hallway leading to the Conservation and Training Center and the Outdoor Kitchen.

Mays' said, “My sculptures . . . create a form that reveals an invisible occupant, a soul, a life. I often say that I am ‘breathing life into wire.’ I love the idea of creating work where the focus reveals the essence of a person and that speaks to humanity as a whole.”

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

If you're on the fence about what date to see Orchid Daze, consider going on Sunday, March 6 for "Vanilla Sunday". Did you know that vanilla is an orchid? 

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Orchid Daze overlaps another spectacular exhibition, "Atlanta Blooms!". It officially starts March 1 and there's lots to see and there will be much more in the exhibition throughout its run which goes on through the end of April. I love having a membership here so that I can go any time of year I want, which fairly often is impromptu. 

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Some of the sculptures rise from carpets of golden Dancing Lady orchids as delicate moth orchids hover in the background and long strands of exuberant Vanda orchids encircle them.

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Also happening concurrently with Orchid Daze is the Atlanta Bonsai Society's "Spring Bonsai Show", running the weekend of March 19-20. If you've never seen this show you're in for a real treat! 

Orchid Daze 2022 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Did you know that the Atlanta Botanical Garden is home to one of the largest orchid collections displayed at a public garden...in the world? And Orchid Daze is a wonderful way to experience the Garden in winter! Go, enjoy.

SUPERnatural: Glass Art in Bloom

I can't express how exciting it is to have friends visiting again! Some friends recently visited from Washington, DC, and the Dominican Republic. We excitedly enjoyed a sneak peek of SUPERnatural: Glass Art in Bloom, officially opening at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on May 15, 2021! It's yet another magnificent yet wholly unique summer exhibition here.

SUPERnatural | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

This show, going on through October 31, 2021, features the work of contemporary glass artist Jason Gamrath. Gamrath's career has been inspired by fellow Seattle artist Dale Chihuly, who has exhibited at the Atlanta Botanical Garden numerous times, including in 2004 and again in 2016, to name a couple.

There will be a total of 13 installations, comprised of approximately 150 pieces of glass, representing brilliantly colorful blooming plants, and approximately 30 of those are new, specifically for this exhibition! 

Carmen and Colomba | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

I've been visiting this Garden since the late 1980s and I was totally blown away, so you can imagine how impressed my friends Carmen and Colomba were. It was their first time at the Garden. Actually, it was their first time to Atlanta and the Garden was their first local tourist attraction, which ended up being the favorite of their visit—and they packed a lot in! Of course I was thrilled to share the Garden with them, it being one of my favorite destinations in the city.

SUPERnatural | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

Garmath's interpretation of the Aquilegia plant is magnificent! I didn't know it was fashioned after a real flower—too many science-fiction movies, I guess. These are "planted" in front of Longleaf Restaurant where garden-goers were dining, mostly alfresco because it was such a beautiful day. Lots of photos were being made here.

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

As is the case with so many flowers at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the peonies are absolutely stunning! It's no wonder they're such a popular flower in bridal bouquets. I love visiting the Garden this time of year...there's no other place like it in the city.

SUPERnatural | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

To call Garath's "Large Orchids" large is an understatement. I'm 6'2" they totally dwarf me! The ones we saw are along the Great Lawn and, of course, inside the Fuqua Orchid Center, which opened in 2002 and has become one of the most popular attractions at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and for good reason...it's home to one of the largest collections of various species of orchids in the Southeast, the world even!

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

As mentioned, I've been visiting the Garden for decades, but I don't recall a time when the Rose Garden was quite so stunning. It was like the Garden was showing off for my friends, for which I'm grateful. Did you know that the Rose Garden predates the incorporation of the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 1976? You'll learn a LOT on one of the Garden's tours!

SUPERnatural | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

Native to Africa, we got to see the real-time installation of a cluster of Kniphofia, commonly known as Red Hot Poker plants or Red Hot Torch Lilies. The gardeners "planting" the towering sculptures were very kind in answering the burning questions that my friends had. That kind of courtesy goes a long way in making someone's day, so I'm grateful to them for enhancing my friends' visit to the Garden.

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

We toured the Desert House in the Conservatory where I got to explain that there are no cacti in the Desert House, but there are LOTS outside in the Skyline Garden, some of them in bloom on this particular visit.

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

One of the aspects of the Atlanta Botanical Garden that I love most is the fact that every time you turn a corner, look up or down, side to side, you see yet something else that is beautiful and fascinating. Any visit to the Garden has the makings for a great day!

Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo by Travis Swann Taylor

I also don't visit the Garden without a camera. Okay, I don't go most places without a camera, but I know that the Atlanta Botanical Garden will always provide amazing subject matter for my lenses. And it has consistently proven to be a favorite of friends visiting from out of town.

Be sure to catch SUPERnatural: Glass Art in Bloom this summer and before it closes on October 31, 2021. And bring some friends...they too may find that it's a favorite of theirs.

Orchid Daze 2020

It's that time of year again! If you've never been to Orchid Daze at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, know that it's the most beautiful thing you can do in the dead of winter in Atlanta! It's stunning! This year's exhibition, on display through Sunday, April 12, is inspired by award-winning architect Luis Barragán from Mexico.

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Luis Barragán (1902-1988) was an engineer and architect from Mexico whose serene and evocative houses, gardens, plazas, and fountains won him the Pritzker Prize in 1980, an international award given annually to recognize the contributions of a living architect. It's often been called the Nobel Prize of architecture.

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

As soon as you turn the corner to enter the Fuqua Orchid Center from the Conservatory, you'll immediately see the bright colors, smooth surfaces, and water features inspired by Barragán, who became one of the most influential modernist architects of the 20th century. You'll find yourself enveloped in the vibrant presence of orchids in a contemporary Latin America-inspired garden.

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

You can enter the Orchid Center via the Skyline Garden, but Orchid Daze begins in the lobby of the Conservatory, its entrance at the Great Lawn. The lobby has some stunning orchids that you might not see elsewhere in the Center, including the ones immediately above and below here.

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Want the most concentrated orchid experience? Plan your visit around one of the Orchid Market Weekends, but I recommend attending an early one, because you'll likely want to see this exhibition more than once! The Market is in the Hardin Visitor Center (the main entrance) on select weekends, 10am-4pm, during Orchid Daze: 

• March 7-8
• April 4-5

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

If you've never been to the Garden's Fuqua Orchid Center, you're in for a real treat! It has one of the largest orchid collections of any public garden in the world! This collection features more than 200 genera and 2,000 species of orchids as well as a variety of other tropical plants.

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

The Orchid Center, connected to the Conservatory, is comprised of four main parts:

• The Orchid Center "Lobby" - where you'll find most of Orchid Daze displayed;
• Conservation greenhouses and laboratories - not open to the public, but there are windows so you can see what's happening;
• Tropical High-Elevation House - representing three distinct areas where orchids grow at 6,000 to 10,000 feet elevation; and
• The Orchid Display Room - where you'll find even more fascinating orchid species, including a few surprises!

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

This brightly colored entrance to the Luis Barragán-inspired Orchid Daze 2020 beautifully represents some of the beautiful contemporary gardens of Mexico. Influenced by European architects, Barragán primarily worked in Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

On select Saturdays during Orchid Daze you can attend one of the Garden's "Orchid Care Clinics" where you can get expert orchid advice from Orchid Center staff. Drop in 10am-12noon with questions and a maximum of two orchid plants!

• March 7
• April 4

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

If you like this exhibition, mark your calendars for the Atlanta Orchid Society's annual Orchid Show & Sale, the last weekend of September at the Atlanta Botanical Garden!

Orchid Daze 2020 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

If you're an orchid enthusiast and you're not already subscribed to The Orchid Column, written and photographed by the Orchid Center's manager Becky Brinkman, bookmark and subscribe now...you'll be so glad you did!

Orchid Daze is free with Garden admission—and admission is free with membership—and on display through Sunday, April 12. As the weather gets warmer, if you'd like to enjoy brunch, lunch or dinner at Longleaf, I recommend reservations, but walk-ins are welcome, too.

Orchid Daze 2018 - A Lush Wintertime Escape!

Your escape from winter doldrums is at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in the form of their spectacular annual Orchid Daze exhibition, on display now through April 8.

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Orchid Center is home to one of the largest orchid collections in the U.S., featuring more than 2,000 species of the 25,000 species of orchids around the world. This annual exhibition features additional thousands of orchid blooms during the coldest time of the year...the perfect excuse to visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden in winter! 

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Presented in the Fuqua Conservatory and Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Orchid Center, this annual exhibition complements the country’s largest permanent collection of species orchids—more than 2,000 species—with thousands more bold, bright flowers and tropical foliage.

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Jewel-toned Vandas will be the highlight of the Orchid Display House. Striking geometric forms, designed by Ryan Mathern, will provide a hanging framework for blue, pink, yellow and orange Vandas—among the most spectacular of the large-flowered orchids.

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Orchid Daze finds the most avid orchid enthusiasts examining even the more commonly known orchids in great detail. The Atlanta Botanical Garden itself has a decades long program that involves orchid research and conservation.

If you entered the Orchid Center through the Conservatory, just beyond the display rooms you'll find an observation window looking into an orchid research lab. There's even an Orchid Library, one of two of the Garden's libraries.

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The primary display in the Orchid House, home to orchids 6,000 feet elevation and below, is enhanced with geometric forms and towering almost to the ceiling. 

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Orchid Daze is always supplemented with other tropical plants. One of this year's is a real treat. It's a dozens of Nepentheses Pitcher Plants! If you noticed the green Chihuly chandelier when you entered the Garden through the Visitor Center, you've seen a Nepenthese Pitcher Plant! 

That sculpture is from the Chihuly exhibition of 2004. It's one of the two sculptures the Garden kept after the exhibition, this particular one being a gift from a Garden member, gifted in memory of a friend. At the top of the chandelier are three maroon lipped pieces that were designed after Nepenthese Pitcher Plants...actually, from live plants from this Garden! 

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

As part of the Orchid Daze extravaganza the Atlanta Botanical Garden is offering FREE Orchid Care Clinics! You can bring in two orchids to receive care and you can get new planting material for a nominal fee.

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

There are a couple more Orchid Market Weekends where you can pick up an orchid or a few, as well as supplies, orchid advice, orchid art, and jewelry! 

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I like to take this time to remind my readers, especially those who are serious orchid enthusiasts, to read The Orchid Column by Becky Brinkman. It's free and Becky does her own photography—she's brilliant!

Orchid Daze 2018 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"Towering" is the word to describe this year's Orchid Daze exhibition at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Crane your necks upward and prepare to be wholly delighted. Make your way to the Garden by Sunday, April 8 to see the magnificent thousands of extra blossoms!

The Curious Garden...Horticulture Meets Art

If you're like I was, you might not immediately know what "The Curious Garden" is about,what it represents, what its intention is. Well, intent aside, this Atlanta Botanical Garden exhibition is absolutely fantastic! 

The 11 site-specific installations were created to not only help tell the story of the Garden's plant collections and conservation efforts, it's intended to provoke discussions and questions about nature...and it does exactly that, along with mesmerizing one with bold color, clever displays, and quite a few "curious" discoveries.

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"dilating pupils" is my personal favorite of the 11 installations. For the first time since the the Canopy Walk opened in 2010, Garden visitors are akin to NYC tourists gazing at skyscrapers...all eyes up! And they're my favorite color, a stunning contrast to the surrounding ocean of green leaves.

The question this display begs is, "How deep and wide do the roots of these trees extend as water fuels their highest branch and leaf?" Ponder that knowing that these are some of Atlanta's oldest hardwoods.

The approximately two dozen discs and ovals in this display range in diameter from 4 feet to 15 feet...they're huge, and yet the float.

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"chalices" is stunning! I first thought these bright, shining cylinders were made of various colors of acrylic or some other synthetic material, but they're tubes filled with colored water! Knowing that, this installation's name makes total sense, and makes it even more exquisitely elegant.

You'll find "chalices" in the Low Elevation Orchid Display House in the Fuqua Orchid Center. Be sure to meander through the entirety of this space...the orchids and other plantings are marvels in and of themselves.

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"totems", a collection of approximately 40 purple columns, are interspersed throughout the Anne Cox Chambers Flower Walk that leads to the new Robinson Gazebo, which overlooks the new Skyline Garden. They're reflective of the Atlanta skyline, seen in the not-too-far distance.

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The new Skyline Garden is mind-blowing spectacular! I've been visiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden since 1987, two years before the Conservatory opened. This transformation is absolutely remarkable. I think you'll find this garden as stunning as I do, even if you didn't see what it was before, which was great, but this is grand!

"floating fiddlehead" is an abstraction of fiddlehead ferns (which are edible) manifest as a French parterre garden, quietly floating on the Aquatic Plant Pond. This is only one of the stunning attributes of the new Skyline Garden, an area that once was an oft-missed part of the Garden today is a destination.  

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"flora lab" is a rainbow of glass labware and plants that speak to the Garden's conservation efforts. Did you know that the Garden is deeply involved in orchid conservation, as well as amphibian conservation? Some of the plant species are so precious and rare that they're not on display. It's quite fascinating what goes on behind the scenes. 

If you're interested in learning more, about getting involved, volunteering is a great way to do just that! I volunteered here for 4.5 years as a docent and will forever cherish the connection to the Garden that experience afforded me.

Cocktails in the Garden is back!

For the last two summers, the Garden hosted "brilliant" exhibitions including a Chihuly exhibition marking the Garden's 40th anniversary last year. They were on display nearly every evening of the week. 

I've missed Cocktail in the Garden—Atlanta's favorite garden party—especially as a member...members get to attend Cocktails in the Garden free! It's a wonderful and fun way to explore our "oasis in the city" on a more frequent basis.

Never been to Cocktails in the Garden? You're missing out! Come to one soon because I'd bet that you'll want to come again (and again) before the end of October. 

What do you get? 

You get to see "The Curious Garden" during twilight, sunset, and after dark—the displays are dramatically lit! There is live music, cash bars, and games for grown-ups! And Longleaf, the Garden's onsite restaurant open only to Garden visitors, is serving a special dinner menu during Cocktails in the Garden. Reservations are recommended.

Come out and play Thursdays 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. It's free for members!

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"the spirited bosk" is an installation that spans from the Fern Dell to The Great Lawn! You'll enjoy about 100 trees painted the colors of ice cream, some of them "planted" in rather surprising places.

Guest artist and designer of "The Curious Garden", Adam Schwerner is director of Disneyland Resort Horticulture & Resort Enhancement. He was previously director of the Chicago Park District's Department of Cultural and Natural Resources. As a person who spearheaded initiatives to increase the presence of art in city parks, he's an obvious natural for this year's spring/summer exhibition.

In a statement, Adam said, "All my life I have pursued my dual loves of art and horticulture. With this series of site-specific art installations and the gardens, there is a coming together of these two great pursuits."  

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"antebellum aerophyte" is a multifaceted display that honors the agrarian South, at a time when "nature has won the battle". Again, the eyes are drawn skyward exploring the vast collection of crystal chandeliers overtaken by plant life.Located in the Fuqua Orchid Center's lobby, spend time here exploring...and ask questions! 

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"sunflowers" is a field of neck-bending sunflowers planted in the Edible Garden, appropriately so. No matter what your favorite flower is, you can't deny an attention-worthy crop of sunflowers and you can't help but feel even a little joy at their sight. 

This installation is about the "sustainable South", which is awesome, but for me it's about bright, engaging color. It's about a more-than-strong connection with nature. I don't think even this year's rare total solar eclipse can dampen these bright, beautiful, sun-loving gems!

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"the white garden" is a transformed Levy Parterre, where the famed blue Chihuly has called home and posed for an infinite number of photographs since 2004. This garden pays homage to the famed white garden at Sissinghurst Castle in England. I'm in love with the GIANT planters used in this display! 

This installation is nearly 100 percent white-flowering plants and complimentary foliage in varying shades of green, white, gray and silver. The plants on display will be refreshed twice per month during the run of the show, a nod to the Garden's conservation efforts.

"The Curious Garden" | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

"the mountain flows/the river sits" is another of my favorite installations. You will see an astounding collection of 1,200 painted gourds, all of them glossy red! They cover a generous portion of the rolling terrain of Storza Woods.

This installation is a nod to the art of painted gourds, common in the South. I've seen some incredibly elaborate painted gourds in my time, but I've never, ever seen so many!

There you go...a peek at this year's Atlanta Botanical Garden's must-see spring/summer exhibition. "The Curious Garden" will be on display through Sunday, October 29, 2017, including Thursday nights during Cocktails in the Garden!

You're curious now, aren't you?