The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s Fall Flower Show Opens October 6

Fall colors take center stage at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s annual Fall Flower Show which opens Saturday, October 6.  This year’s show will feature hundreds of chrysanthemums, ornamental peppers, and ornamental grasses that will fill the Sunken Garden with a stunning array of red, orange, yellow, gold, green, bronze, and maroon. The tradition of the annual Fall Flower Show began in 1915 when the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory first opened.  Today, the Conservatory hosts five season annual flower shows.

The chrysanthemum flower has been known since before 5000 BC in a small yellow form. Ancient China and Japan both have tales explaining how the chrysanthemum originated. The Chinese who considered them the highest of flowers, named their royal throne after the flower.  Chrysanthemum flowers have traditionally been boiled in China to make “chrysanthemum tea,” used in folk medicine for influenza patients. In landscaping, chrysanthemums are valued for the fact that they bloom in fall.  Chrysanthemum flowers are also a favorite of florists for arrangements, due to the longevity of their blooms.

The Fall Flower Show at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is open daily October 6 through November 25 from 10:00am-4:00pm. There will be a show change October 29 – November 2 during which the Sunken Garden will be closed, but all other rooms of the Conservatory will remain open to the public.