Like the countless bulbs that were pushing up from Atlanta Botanical Garden beds before being dissuaded by the temperature plunge this week, you weren't thinking that spring had sprung yet, were you?
Though earlier versions of "Orchid Daze" featured some hanging elements, this edition ups the vertical ante quite literally, with presentations -- in the Fuqua Conservatory lobby, the connected Orchid Center atrium and, last but hardly least, the Orchid Center itself -- spilling over with Phalaenopsis, Miltoniopsis, Paphiopedilums, Cattleyas, Oncidiums and Dendrobium s.
With 2,000 varieties on view at different times each year, the Orchid Center is home to one of the largest species orchid collections in the U.S. But for "Hanging Gardens," an additional 1,000 hybrid orchids were acquired. The idea, Orchid Center manager Becky Brinkman said, is to offer quantity and quality to suit everyone's tastes.
"Some visitors during ‘Orchid Daze' will find delight in one miniature orchid in full flower that you wouldn't see anywhere else in the country," she said, "while most want to see the Big Wow."
Here are five highlights that deliver exactly that (with scientific name first, common name in parenthesis):
Miltoniopsis (Pansy Orchid) with Oncidium Twinkle 'Yellow Fantasy': In the Conservatory lobby, Orchid Daze designer Tres Fromme of Dallas-based studioOutside starts with "hanging curtains" of potted orchids in striking juxtapositions, including the bold bloom of this deep rose-fuchsia Pansy Orchid paired side-by-side with the delicate baby's breath-like texture of Oncidium Twinkle.
Paphiopedilum hybrids (Asian Slipper Orchid): Atlanta Building and Renovation fabricated a hanging cube of shelves in the Orchid Center atrium suspended from the glass ceiling by steel cables so visitors can get up close with plants such as these slipper hybrids known as "Bulldog Paphs." No, there is not a University of Georgia connection; these orchids are called "Bulldog" for their big, round, glittery faces that seems to sparkle in the sunlight.
Dendrobium nobile Red Emperor 'Prince': "This is not your supermarket dendrobium," Brinkman said about the impressive, large red-violet blooms with yellow centers that stud each plant's stem, set off by the solid green foliage. Examples are on view on the shelving cube in the Orchid Center atrium, as well.
Trio of orchids on tilting rings in the Orchid Center: Brinkman refers to these circles suspended from the ceiling as "Saturn rings," and visitors should certainly find the prodigious floral display in the 5- and 7-foot circles out of this world. Beallara Tahoma Glacier 'Sugar Sweet' are the white flowers filling the left-hand ring. At center, Beallara Marfitch 'Howard's Dream' commands the largest ring with its deep-purple blooms. In the ring to the right, the magenta-on-white mottled flowers are Doritaenopsis Long Pride Sparks HCC/AOS (Moth Orchid).
Paphiopedilum rothschildianum (Rothschild's Slipper Orchid): Native to the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, this rare orchid sits unassumingly in a pot on a wall in the Orchid Center. A favorite of European collectors starting in the 19th century, it was thought to be extinct due to over-collecting until around 1960, when it was discovered being used as decoration during a visit to the island by Britain's Prince Philip. Now found growing wild only in Sabah's Mount Kinabalu Park, it is frequently propagated by seed today. "This has become an important conservation story," Brinkman said.
EVENT
“Orchid Daze: Hanging Gardens”
Through April 15 at Atlanta Botanical Garden. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. $18.95; $12.95, ages 3-12; free, under 3. 1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-876-5859, www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is offering a variety of programming in conjunction with "Orchid Daze: Hanging Gardens" (all free with garden admission):
- Guided tours are given at 10 a.m. Saturdays.
- Orchid Market Weekends offer plants for beginners and merchandise for sale, March 3-4 and April 7-8, regular garden hours.
- Orchid Care Clinics offers expert advice, 10 a.m.-noon March 3, and April 7. $5 fee to repot orchids (limit two).
- Atlanta Orchid Society Show, March 9-11, regular garden hours.
- Vanilla Sunday, 1-4 p.m March 18, features cooking demonstrations starring this member of the orchid family; guests can create a vanilla sundae.
- After Orchid Daze closes, a "gently used" plant sale, with more than 500 examples available for purchase, will be held April 18-19.
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