Phipps Conservatory's 'Canopy of Color' spring show invites guests to look up
The spring flower show at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has been a long time in the making.
“This is actually the show we were hoping to run last year,” said Jordyn Melino, the show designer and Phipps associate director of exhibits. “Everything was ready for the show when we had to close, so we are happy to finally be able to share it with the public.”
“Spring Flower Show: Canopy of Color” opens March 13, with the theme illustrated by hanging baskets, towering props and whimsical elements — including 100 colorful children’s umbrellas — suspended above guests’ heads.
Special features, accented by the fragrance of the spring blooms, will include:
• Close to 60,000 spring blooms, including hydrangea, petunias, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and more, displayed both in signature beds and overhead
• Rain curtains casting April showers in the Sunken Garden as guests stroll beneath the umbrellas and rain drops
• A motorized windmill spinning above colorful swaths of spring blooms planted in a pinwheel pattern in the South Conservatory
• A family of topiary bears flying kites under a sky of blue hydrangea in Palm Court.
“We have a nice balance of flowering annuals, tropical plants and bulbs,” Melino said. “Both inside and outside, it’s going to be spring.”
Visitors might not realize how labor-intensive a special exhibition is for Phipps staff, she added.
“We’re planning a year in advance, so we’re halfway through planning for next year’s spring show,” she said. All departments are involved, from the horticulturists to the marketing team.
As many plants as possible are grown in-house, including 59,000 bulbs grown for the spring show. An additional 4,000 hyacinths will line the front walkway outside of the glasshouse.
“You’re not going to see them all at once, but it takes 59,000 to put on this 4-week show,” Melino said. “That’s the most labor-intensive part. The tulips last about a week in full bloom, so we grow four individual timed batches that are changed out weekly.
Four or five members of the horticulture team are dedicated to “that back-bending process,” she said.
“A lot is happening overhead (in ‘Canopy of Color’), and we have a short window to install it,” Melino said.
The 100 orange, pink and blue umbrellas were prehung in sections on lines, as were 125 faux bird props that will take wing in the East Room.
“Canopy of Color” runs through April 11 at the facility in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
Timed tickets must be reserved in advance and are available now for opening weekend visits, with additional dates opening weekly. Tickets are $19.95, $17.95 for those 62 and older or students over 18, $11.95 for ages 2-18.
For more information and to reserve tickets, visit phipps.conservatory.org.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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