The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden, which debuted with the property back in 1998, is one of the more popular free attractions in town and features a rotation of elaborate seasonal displays changed five times per year (including once for Chinese New Year). Each new setup involves completely different plants and trees, appropriate to the time of year and theme, plus a totally new "theatrical presentation" of the various elements, which include not only the living components, but also "hardware," like bridges and gazebos, and various water features that can be added or removed, plus appropriate embellishments that create the desired seasonal ambiance, including giant statues, a windmill, Ferris Wheel, lighthouse, pagodas, and even animatronic penguins!
These props are stored in a 30,000-square-foot warehouse off-property and, together with any large plants and trees, are introduced to the exhibit through the back of house then brought into the Conservatory via a double wall door by Sensi restaurant. The bigger props -- the largest-ever of which, to our knowledge, was a 110-foot tall, 200,000-pound deceased banyan tree that was rescued from Florida and utilized in several displays in 2005 before it finally met its date with the wood chipper -- are broken down into smaller pieces to fit through this entrance.
The plants are not grown by Bellagio, since there are so many diverse species introduced during the course of the year which wildly different climatic conditions in which to thrive. Instead, they are supplied by various growers in Utah and California -- the latter being the source of the giant Shasta fir tree that traditionally forms the centerpiece of the Conservatory’s holiday display.
Even though the diverse flowers, plants, mosses, gourds, and trees that decorate the botanical garden are not grown on property, Bellagio still retains a horticultural staff numbering approximately 140 men and women who maintain the exhibit (and all the other floral displays and installations around the property). Collectively, it takes the entire team a full week, working around the clock, to complete each seasonal changeover. The conservatory remains open to the public at all times, but during those intense transition periods, certain aisles will be restricted to staff for safety reasons and to ensure that there’s sufficient space for the workers, plant materials, props, and the requisite mechanical booms and lifts to operate. (As an aside, we learned from MGM Resorts’ chief Tech that this attraction is one of the banes of his and his team’s life, since each time the water features are moved around, it messes with the Wi-Fi configuration, since water is a poor conductor of radio waves. So, don’t try to check for that urgent email while you’re in the vicinity of the Conservatory at Bellagio, nor the Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, for that matter.)
The lighting effects are the work of award-winning theatrical-lighting designer David Hersey, whose credits include Broadway hits such as Cats, Evita, Les Misérables, and Miss Saigon. Specialized fixtures were designed for the Conservatory, allowing for every flower to be specially illuminated and a new lighting design for each individual display.
If you’re an aspiring gardener yourself, note that each day from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., you can catch a couple of helpful members of the horticultural team, affectionately dubbed Mr. & Ms. Green Thumb, who will happily answer your questions about the gardens and offer some tips. There’s also a live performance, featuring music appropriate to whatever the current display may be, from 5-6 p.m. daily at the South Garden.
Although the designs change from year to year, the themes remain constant: spring features cherry blossoms, replaced by an array of colorful and fragrant flora for the summer; autumnal tones, pumpkins, and scarecrows usher in the fall exhibit, which you can view now through Nov. 30, when the changeover takes place for the lavish annual holiday display (Dec. 6 to Jan. 4), which marks the winter season; Chinese New Year ushers in a feng shui-inspired good-luck design. Check out our Las Vegas Webcams feature for a link to the interactive Bellagio Conservatory cam, where you can also see archived footage of previous displays and changeovers.
One last thought: While the plants for the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens may be grown and nurtured off-site, Bellagio does have a "secret" garden, in the form of a roof-top herb garden that supplies many of the property’s restaurants, including Sensi (referenced above), whose Executive Chef Royden Ellamar is a Hilo Hawaii native who grew up farming and regularly takes his staff to visit area farms. Its one among many Las Vegas restaurants to feature a menu that supports local agriculture and sustainably produced ingredients (for more information check out our Green Vegas guide to hotels, restaurants, and attractions). Bellagio’s herb garden in 2012 received an award for "Best Fresh Idea" at the annual Corporate Sustainability Green Team Summit -- visit the Las Vegas Sun’s website for a June, 2013 feature on The Strip’s Secret Spaces, where you can scroll through a series of photographs of the herb garden and its staff in action.
