The Fall Flower Show "Visions of Japan" opens October 4 at Phipps.
Starting Sat., Oct. 4, Phipps’ Fall Flower Show: Visions of Japan celebrates the prominence of the chrysanthemum in Japanese culture through vibrant autumnal displays. Mums in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors will be presented alongside evocative props including jewel-toned fans, a moon gate, a pagoda, foot bridges and a celebratory ryuu, or dragon, whose brightly colored body floats from end to end of the glasshouse’s iconic Sunken Garden. These mums will be grown using traditional Japanese techniques like disbud and cascade.
The narrative will focus on how the human-nature connection is manifested in Japan. Highlights include the joyous festivals (aki matsuri) and parades that celebrate the autumn harvest season, the symbolism of chrysanthemums in Japanese garden culture and more. Broadly, the show presents an opportunity to discuss some of the unique strategies originated in Japan to promote horticulture as therapeutic, including Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing).
. . .
Exhibit Features
- Gaze upon a traditional bright red torri gate in our Palm Court as red, orange and yellow mums overflow from the garden beds
- Watch a showstopping 113 foot-long dragon slither through a rainbow of blooms beneath bright lanterns in the Sunken Garden
- View a marvelous moon gate in the Victoria Room, representing peace and harmony
- Delight at a striking pagoda with a roof comprised of cascading chrysanthemums in the East Room
- Marvel at fantastic fans throughout a sea of jewel tones like pink, purple and orange in the Broderie Room
- Take a trip to a Japanese chrysanthemum festival in the Serpentine Room bursting with a captivating pink and yellow color scheme
Phipps has been creating chrysanthemum-themed seasonal shows since 1894, making its Fall Flower Show the longest running in the nation and a Pittsburgh tradition that you can't experience anywhere else!
More information is available via the Phipps website. The exhibit runs through Sunday, October 26. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is located at 1 Schenley Drive in Oakland (map).
