OMG!! That's just beyond incredible!! I saw a blip about this on the news one day but didn't catch where it was. Thanks for posting, will have to check it out!!

OMG root took the words right out of my mouth. I LOVE the arches and could not stop staring at the picture. Adele

they published an almost identical pic of the arches in the n&o last weekend and it looked like a surreal painting. so pretty. can't wait to check it out sometime.

Thanks for posting the pictures. My husband and I are taking his mother to DSBG tomorrow. Now I'm even more excited about going.

Ginger

I feel the need for a mid-winter road trip...

The whole place there is beautiful and it's not even finished yet. It's just a few minutes from my mom and dad's house, where I grew up. I'm looking forward to seeing the new conservatory in person.
Dana

dana when is it supposed to be finished? how lucky to have a convenient excuse to be so close! we never get to charlotte. i guess now we'll have an excuse. well, that and in 2009 an ikea is opening.

The garden was opened to public in 1999, and there was a 40-50 year master plan drafted. So I guess that means 2040 or so before it is relatively "complete".

I did learn that there are 2 more conservatories planned, one for Mediterranean plants and designs, and then a big glorious display conservatory, much like they have up at Longwood Gardens outside of Philadelphia.

I especially like the second picture -- such beautiful orchids.

There aren't any orchids in the second photo. The arches are filled with bromeliads.

The first picture is where the orchids are brought in from their production greenhouses and mounted on that big waterwall.

There's a mini-orchid case too, and ground and potted orchids placed here and there in pots and in beds throughout the conservatory.

oooh- the master plan sounds like phipp's conservatory in pittsburgh. it's been years since i've been, but they too have a tropicals room, a desert room, a big conservatory room, etc. don't recall one being specific to orchids, though they are in the tropical section. the big room is amazing- several stories tall with full grown palms and such towering over a jungle. gorgeous! i like the aviary in pittsburgh, too- for the same reason. the NC zoo's aviary and gorilla houses remind of those on a smaller scale. they really have nice plantings, esp in the aviary. it's so nice to have another destination for that kind of thing close by!

The zoo aviary is my favorite spot at the zoo. I can spend hours in there just relaxing, poking around behind plants looking for birds or looking to see what's new or blooming. They have a huge wandering epi that is wonderful!

mmm hmmm- i always make sure we hit that spot! i am so lusting after the hibiscus schizopetalum they have in there (actually, that may be in the ape house, come to think of it). one day i'm gonna order one of those off of ebay. i saw some really cool cork-screwy sort of ginger looking plants the last time i really liked. took, or tried to take, some pix. i think they were too blurry.

We went to DSBG today to see the orchid conservatory. The flowers were beautiful. I thought I would post a couple of my pics. If you live close by, it is definitely worth the trip. If you have to drive a couple hours you might want to wait until spring when flowers in the outdoor gardens will be blooming.

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No, I didn't mean that there were orchids in the second photo, only that it was the beautiful photo. I liked the orchids in the rest of the photos.

Oh wow, the pictures are great. My fiance and I went to DSBG around summer, and we weren't too impressed with it. But we may have gone a little late.

At that time they were putting flowers for the upcoming orchid exhibit and we vowed to go back. These pictures definitely makes me want to go soon.