Guests are invited to celebrate the Year of the Ox at Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens featuring the “A Season of Love” Lunar New Year display open through Saturday, March 6. Each element, designed to represent prosperity, strength and tenacity in the new year, honors the Year of the Ox taking inspiration from Asian art, architecture and culture.
The intricate display features four scenes layered with meaningful floral creations that convey messages of love for nature, commitment, tradition, children and travel. Designer Ed Libby and Bellagio’s horticulture team carefully detailed and designed “A Season of Love” with Feng Shui, the art of using surroundings to attract harmony, balance and positive life energy.
“This beautiful Lunar New Year display is specially designed to honor the Year of the Ox, focus on love and evoke inspiration in the new year,” said Libby. “This year, perhaps more than ever, we can all use an added dose of inspiration and love.”
As guests enter The Conservatory at the South Bed, they will be greeted by two large Chinese Foo Dog water fountains designed to ward off negative energy and welcome a positive new year. Within the peaceful garden is a colorful bird perched on top of a new peony sculpture sitting next to a wooden gazebo. Large jade medallions, created with 3D printers, are suspended over the bed symbolizing prosperity, good luck and success.
The centerpiece of the Lunar New Year display is the West Bed’s majestic Jade Pavilion, flanked by a Bonsai tree and a graceful willow tree – both towering over a bed filled with a selection of shrubs, dozens of metallic cattail plants and artistic copper Bonsai tree rain fountains with individually hand-stamped leaves. Two magpie birds soar over the bed’s floral arrangements which is illuminated by the Ox symbol in the moon.
Guests will be awestruck by the East Bed where two golden Oxen powerfully stand atop an expansive red and gold bridge running the length of the bed. Traditionally, the Ox is known to be diligent, trustworthy and strong which symbolizes strength to overcome any challenges in the new year. Flying above the East Bed are oversized gold cherry blossom branches representing durability as well as rebirth. Bamboo trees placed at each end of the bridge and a pond filled with beautiful oversized Lotus flowers complete the elegant scene.
The North Bed pays tribute to children and travel. A tall flower Pagoda, a temple iconic to east and southeast Asian cultures, sits at the center of the bed surrounded by Banyan trees and flowing water. Stunning red lanterns hang from the ceiling while children created from fresh-cut flowers celebrate the blessings of the new year below. An oversized Koi fish leaps from the water, representing the promise of good fortune in the coming year.
Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is complimentary to the public and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “A Season of Love” will be on display through March 6, 2021.
Health & Safety Measures
In order to create a comfortable and safer environment for our guests, the following Health & Safety measures have been implemented in how the Conservatory will be experienced:
- All guests will enter The Conservatory through a dedicated entryway; floor markers and employees will guide guests through the correct path
- The number of guests allowed within The Conservatory at one time will be closely monitored by operations and security; when the space reaches capacity, guests will queue (physically distanced) while they wait for their opportunity to enter
- The Bellagio team stationed within The Conservatory will encourage guests to continue moving through the space and exit when they are done enjoying the space so more guests can be accommodated
- A dedicated path has been created, and is identified with floor markers, indicating the path guests can take to explore The Conservatory
- One path within The Conservatory will be maintained for guests accessing the restaurants that sit within the space to allow them direct access
Lunar New Year Display by the Numbers
- 62,956: Plants and flowers on display throughout the Conservatory
- 46,024: Fresh-cut flowers on display
- 12,112: Blooming plants on display
- 11,904: Gallons of water
- 4,142: Tropical plants
- 528: Shrubs and trees
- 150: Kumquat trees
- 75: team members involved in the display’s assembly
- 10: Dedicated Gardeners who maintain all the plants and flowers on display
- 5: Children with costumes created by individually placed fresh-cut flowers
- 5: Number of hanging Jade Medallions created with 3D printers
- 4: Elements represented in the Lunar New Year display
- Water in all four beds
- Fire from the ‘smoking’ incense pots
- Metal from the authentic copper used in the West Bed
- Earth from the planted gardens
- 2: Golden oxen
- 1: Moon illuminated with the Ox symbol
- 1: School of Koi fish in the East Bed, some second and third generation fish that were born in the Conservatory
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