*NOTICE: Phipps Botanical Gardens was one of our stops on our road trip to Kentucky, which you can read about in this post. Please excuse the date stamps on the photos.*
There are so many types of plants growing in botanical gardens; they’re basically zoos for plants. It’s always wonderful to marvel at the variety of colorful and unique vegetation!
The lobby of Phipps contained a vibrant, floral rendering of Vincent van Gogh self-portrait, made entirely of flowers. Turns out, we were fortunate enough to be visiting during an exhibition of van Gogh’s works, which meant that throughout the gardens, there were going to be several recreations of the artist’s paintings made out of plants. Our first stops were greenhouse versions of Wheat Field with Cypresses and Starry Night, both of which were made with strategic placement of carefully shaped and selected flowers.
We then proceeded to the Frank Sarris Orchid Room, where trees and shrubs with thick green leaves took up every square inch of dirt along the strone path. Exotic butterflies frequented the flowers on the greenery, which reached up towards the sunlight streaming in through the glass dome of the room.
Houses at Auvers was the next van Gogh exhibit.
Phipps also contained an outdoor garden, complete with small ponds, and of course, more trees and bushes. The beautiful weather made the scene all the more picturesque.
The following exhibition brought us indoors again, and featured native Cuban flora. Green leaves filled the room, both wide and broad or slender and spindly. Wooden balconies and gazebos served as viewing platforms and gave the room a wild, native atmosphere.
Following the path through the Botanical Gardens brought us to the Eastern-themed exhibition, which was located outside. Oriental details like stone lanterns and koi fish helped set the tone.
After the desert plant exhibition, which displayed various cacti, we came across the final recreations: Starry Night Over the Rhône, The Night Café, Sunflowers, The Red Vineyards near Arles, and Olive Trees with Yellow Sky and Sun. It was fascinating to study how the staff arranged and organized plants to resemble each painting.
I had an enjoyable time at Phipps Botanical Gardens; how could you not have a relaxing time wandering through a beautiful world filled with such vibrant and exotic plants?
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