A Mother Nature Production

Each year more than 5 million visitors, 15,000 – 18,000 per day, take time out from gambling, clubbing and shopping to experience the floral extravaganza of one of five horticultural shows in the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

Beginning with Chinese New Year in January and changing through spring, summer, fall and finally winter, the conservatory mounts each show with the creativity and lavishness that a Broadway producer would envy.

“The conservatory is so unique that it is a must-see destination in Las Vegas,” says Andres Garcia, Bellagio’s Director of Horticulture. “It is unique; it is beautiful; it is magical.”

The latest exhibit is a colorful salute to summer with a 40-foot tall 1922 Ferris Wheel that is illuminated at night with thousands of lights, 16-foot tall glass poppies, thousands of flowers, and a glassed-in aviary filled with vibrant-colored lorikeets and parakeets flying around.

Just a few of the amazing things about the conservatory:

18,000 people a day see the conservatory.
There are five shows per year: Holiday, Chinese New Year, Spring, Summer and Fall.
The Conservatory is 13,573 square feet with a 50-foot tall ceiling.
Planning for each exhibit starts two to three months before installation.
Each change-out takes a total of 120 people working 24 hours a day for seven days.
There are a series of tunnels underneath the conservatory to aid in change outs and to support the custom water features.
Average year-round temperature in the conservatory is 73 degrees
Each show includes approximately 40 trees, 1,500 shrubs and 10,000 blooming plants.
Flowers are replaced every two weeks.
An off-site greenhouse houses about 10,000 plants and flowers while a separate warehouse houses the props.
90 percent of the conservatory is recycled. Plants are used for mulch and the plastic pots go for recycling. Old tires are grated up and used as drainage under the plants.