Phipps offers orchid, tropical bonsai show
PITTSBURGH — The annual Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens can help chase away the winter blues with a healthy dose of color.
The show features orchids planted in garden beds and hanging baskets, plus a chance to view the public garden’s permanent collection of tropical bonsai.
Hundreds of these flowers and selections from the Barbara Tisherman Slipper Orchid collection are on display.
Phipps’ tropical bonsai — dwarfed trees trained to take on the shapes of their larger counterparts — also are showcased in many forms. This Japanese tradition classifies specimens by size and style based upon the shapes of their trunks, roots and branches.
Anyone who wants to begin an orchid or bonsai collection may want to attend programs, free with paid admission, at 1:30 p.m. on select Saturdays and Sundays.
The show runs through March 1. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and until 10 p.m. Fridays. Admission is $15 for adults, $14 for senior citizens and students, and $11 for children ages 2 to 18. Visit phipps.conservatory.org.