Bellagio Garden ‘artfully’ captures autumn — PHOTOS
More than 500,000 autumnal leaves make up just one bed of the Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens’ latest seasonal display, “Artfully Autumn.”
The Bellagio’s horticulture team sought to incorporate modern architecture and artist themes throughout the four-bed installation. Inspiration was drawn from famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and stained glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, according to a news release.
“‘Artfully Autumn’ is an artistic representation of fall, inspired by art and architecture that reimagines seasonal designs in elegant and creative ways,” Designer Ed Libby said in the release. “It’s been my dream to create a display that is not only visually appealing, but also speaks to works of art that touch the soul.”
Upon entering the conservatory, visitors will see a 20-foot-tall waterfall sculpture towering above the west bed. The sculpture is an interpretation of the Rain Vortex, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall located at Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore. Bellagio engineers removed a portion of the conservatory’s subfloor to create the infinity waterfall basin — a first in the resort’s 24-year history.
At the north bed, copper-hued bonsai trees accented with floral bases sit in a series of gilded archways. Lighting and nearby LED screens show falling leaves and other autumnal scenes, as part of a recent move to incorporate multimedia into the conservatory’s displays.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s signature design, Fallingwater, is the focus of the south bed, along with two giant acorn topiaries created with 32,000 orange carnations.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 2005 public art installation “The Gates” in New York City is the inspiration for the east bed. Four 20-foot-tall archways frame a unique way for visitors to view the installation.
The Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is free to the public, and this season’s display will be viewable daily until Nov. 12.
“Artfully Autumn” by the numbers
600,000: Number of autumn-colored leaves in the north bed
32,000: Number of carnations used on the fresh floral acorn topiaries
22,000: Number of plants that will be used in the display throughout the fall season
3,000 pounds: Weight of the west bed’s waterfall structure
1,026 pounds: Weight of the largest pumpkin used in the display
357: Number of pumpkins used in the display
80: Team members involved in the display’s assembly
31: Types of plant species
20 feet: Height of each arch in the east bed
20 feet: Height of waterfall drop in the west bed
9: Number of illuminated acorns
8: Number of fire-polished copper arches
5: Number of flickering giant dragonflies
4: Number of cornucopias
1: Fairy
1: Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired structure
McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.
