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...or meeting the ever-changing expectations of "luxury"...
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...the Bellagio creates immersive, botanical experiences for each season in its 14,000-square-foot Conservatory.
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Located under a 50-foot glass ceiling, accented by copper that's been oxidized green (called verdigris)...
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...this season's exhibit is "Flights of Fancy," depicting various forms of flight (like the 34-foot-tall "princess" hot air balloon) in a spring color palette...
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...of pinks, greens, yellows, lavenders, and more.
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Ed Libby, Director of Conservatories for MGM Resorts International (which owns and operates the Bellagio), works with a team of design and a horticulture staffers to try to closely follow the Tournament of Roses guidelines for using natural materials—and as a result, these creatures look reminiscent of floats from the Rose Parade.
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Intermingling with an airship, butterflies, and other fanciful flying objects and creatures...
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...there's an installation of 16-foot-tall handmade glass daffodils...
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...looming over real yellow daffodils (considered one of the "first flowers of spring")...
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...which are just some of the 8,700 potted plants used this time around...
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...representing the most botanical variety ever used in the Conservatory's gardens.
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It's so easy to get transported by these gardens, it seems as though the "steampunk balloon" might just take off and crash through the atrium.
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Among the winged creatures, there are hummingbirds getting a snack...
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...out of a giant hibiscus bloom...
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...and other natural materials offering their tasty nectar.
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I can't believe I didn't visit these gardens until Fall of 2019.
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How could I have missed this in all those visits to Vegas before that?
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But I often find the Strip overwhelming—and at least three different trips prior to my introduction to the Bellagio Conservancy, I'd stayed in hotels off the Strip.
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Fortunately, the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is located just off the hotel lobby, and not far from the self park elevators.
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And self parking is free for an hour, which is plenty of time to get in and get out. (Admission to the Conservatory is also free.)
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The current display opened March 12 and will run through May 14, 2022. Open 24 hours.
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