The Botanical Gardens upcoming open house provides the perfect opportunity for the campus and greater public to see changes almost a year in the making.
Paula Gross, assistant director of the Botanical Gardens, noted that much like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the McMillan Greenhouse is experiencing a rebirth following a minor fire in April 2012.
“We’re really known for our orchids, and people love them,” said Gross. “So when we had to rebuild our damaged room, we thought about how we could do even more to showcase orchids.” John Denti suggested (and eventually built) a display that would illustrate how orchids grow in the wild. “The larger natural displays do an excellent job of showing our collection.”
Clare Duschl-Hagenbuch, a Botanical Gardens donor, helped fund some of the changes to the Orchid Room in memory of her late son Douglas Duschl, who was an avid orchid enthusiast.
“Prior to the fire in the other greenhouse wing, we had already been considering changes to the conservatory – the room with the upstairs and downstairs – which is a favorite for many because of its jungle-like feel,” said Gross. “The conservatory was established in the late ’80s, and the soil hadn’t been changed out since.”
A decision was made to update the conservatory with new paint and fresh soil and some different plantings.
“This was a major undertaking for us,” Gross stated. “We had the opportunity to really think about placement of plantings to take into account their future growth. Before it focused on rainforest species, this time it will be a little more vibrant using tropical plants and color. It’s a shady place, so it won’t be full of blooms, but more vegetation with color.”
One of the conservatory’s new offerings, a chandelier tree, was donated by a student who received it from his mother; once mature, the plant will bear large pink bracts (colored leaves). The student decided he couldn’t care for such an exotic plant, so he offered it to the Botanical Gardens.
Some of the other new species were acquired from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Gross explained it was common for gardens to trade plantings.
“The entire Botanical Gardens staff and our student workers have put in a lot of effort to our new look, so we’re excited that the public will get a chance to see our changes,” Gross stated. “Our open house coincides with our popular Valentine’s Day Orchid Sale, so we hope everyone will come and explore the greenhouse and get inspired to try their hand at growing their own orchids.”
The Botanical Gardens open house will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9. Staff and orchid experts will be on hand to answer questions, and free orchid growing presentations will be at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The annual Valentine’s Day Orchid Sale is Friday, Feb. 8, through Thursday, Feb. 14. A variety of healthy, blooming orchid varieties will be on sale, priced from $15 to $40, along with a selection of blooming cyclamen, a few succulents and assorted houseplants. Sale hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day except Sunday, when the sale will be from 1 to 4 p.m.
Photos: A shot of the renovated conservatory (main) and one of the new natural orchid displays (inset).