Exhibit puts visitors in 'Orchid Daze'

Exhibit puts visitors in 'Orchid Daze'

Atlanta Botanical Garden's "Orchid Daze: Gorgeous Meets Glass" exhibit, opening Feb. 7, combines the country's largest permanent collection of the flowers with 50 pieces of contemporary art glass in varying shapes, electric colors and funky textures.

Atlanta Botanical Garden's "Orchid Daze: Gorgeous Meets Glass" exhibit, opening Feb. 7, combines the country's largest permanent collection of the flowers with 50 pieces of contemporary art glass in varying shapes, electric colors and funky textures. Beallara Marfitch "Howard's Dream" surrounds a sculpture by Stephen Powell.

The botanical garden's orchids, including this Wilsonara, entice visitors with their graceful curving stems, vivid hues and delicate buds seemingly suspended in air.

Others species include paphiopedilum lowii ...

... dendrobium spectabile ...

... and wilsonara huina "Red Stars."

Seranda Vespermann, who has been active on the Atlanta arts scene for 25 years, guest curated the glass portion of the exhibit. Matthew Cummings of Louisville, Ky., created these pieces.

The Fuqua Orchid Center chose hybrid blooms such as these multicolored Phalaenopsis specifically for the event.

The work of eleven artists, including Vespermann's stained glass pieces, complements the flowers.

For those who care to take one of the delicate blooms home, the botanical garden will hold an orchid market on the first weekend of each month during the exhibit.

Orchid curator Becky Brinkman offers an orchid care clinic the first Saturday of every month during the show, continuing through April 5.

Brinkman, a trained horticulturist who has about 10,000 orchids of countless species thriving under her watch, shares good news about this plant: it's showing new growth, which means there's a chance the plant may re-flower. But she points out the pot is too small and suggests re-potting the plant.

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Atlanta Botanical Garden's "Orchid Daze: Gorgeous Meets Glass" exhibit, opening Feb. 7, combines the country's largest permanent collection of the flowers with 50 pieces of contemporary art glass in varying shapes, electric colors and funky textures. Beallara Marfitch "Howard's Dream" surrounds a sculpture by Stephen Powell.

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