While Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens changes several times a year, the latest incarnation of the attraction is especially spectacular. The summer display, Majesty: The Grandeur of Nature, presents a fantasy world, including personifications of masculine and feminine aspects of nature intermixed with larger-than-life, whimsical creations.
“Rooted in the meaning of greatness, Majesty: The Grandeur of Nature represents Mother Nature’s beauty and the transformative energy that awakens during the summer season,” said designer Ed Libby in a news release. “Each element of this display plays an important role in the message, symbolizing the revitalizing breath of life that summer gives off and the growth that stems from this season.”
Inside the conservatory you’ll find four garden beds, each with a special scene and an incredible mix of plants, trees, shrubs, sculpture, water and other elements. In the south bed, the feminine side of nature is personified as an 18-foot partial figure cups a butterfly in her hands as water cascades from them, and rose blooms seem to fall from her hair and grow and grow. In the north bed opposite, the masculine aspect of nature is shown with a 23-foot sculpture topped with a seated male figure, who seemingly ponders the wonders around him as water falls from an urn. Forming a backdrop are video screens with waterfalls and other scenes.
Occupying the center of the large west bed, the essence of Mother Nature rising from the earth is represented by a 28-foot-tall pair of graceful, willowy arms whose hands are filled with massive flowers, each several feet across. More of these flowers (which resemble crocheted pieces) are scattered throughout the bed; together, 20,000 preserved roses make up the blooms. Those flowers are echoed elsewhere in the exhibit by huge, soaring blooms seemingly springing from the earth. A flight of stairs leads up to what seems like a fairy abode in a tree. In the east bed, meander up a stone pathway to a tall fountain made of pots. That area makes for a good place to eye the west bed. On each side are whimsical human elements, such as a man topped with an oak leaf, and a sprite popping out of an oversized pot.
Throughout, you’ll find an incredible number of plants, such as 15,000 succulents and 11,541 potted plants and flowers. There are also 1,100 pounds of moss and 10,800 purple and white blooming branches on the wisteria trees in the attraction. Birds and butterflies abound, and a pleasant floral scent fills the air—and you can take that scent home with a “Majesty” candle sold next door in The Giardini Garden Store. (A bonus: Spy out the area behind the hotel lobby. It’s a truly charming courtyard vista, and matches the conservatory display, with live plants and elements like giant butterflies.)
Another magnificent offering in the conservatory is The Garden Table. In each seasonal display, this is in a different location, and here is tucked under the roots of the west bed tree. You can get brunch from Sadelle’s Café or dinner from Michael Mina; reservations for that experience are required at 702.693.7317.
Bellagio, 702.693.7111
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