Phipps offers escape from winter

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will be offering guests a chance to escape to a tropical paradise without ever leaving Pittsburgh when the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show opens Saturday.
The show will highlight the art of caring for and growing two challenging plants: orchid and bonsai.
The Palm Court will feature hanging baskets of pink and purple orchids, and metal pedestal tables will be adorned with artfully arranged containers of the flowers.
The Sunken Garden will showcase bursts of color, providing a welcome reprieve for the eyes from the winter landscapes outside of the glasshouse. Myriad hybrid orchids in many hues will be displayed, overflowing from baskets on top of the fountain and towering from hanging baskets over the pathway. Meanwhile, a small potting bench will display growing tools and techniques, plus signs that will answer the questions that many aspiring orchid growers often ask.
The Serpentine Room will explore the techniques that are used to create the ancient-looking bonsai. Benches of bonsai will fill the room and feature permanent pieces in Phipps’ bonsai collection, with a starter plant exhibiting the transformation these plants undergo.
Jordyn Melino, exhibit coordinator, designed the show with help from Georgia Wahl, display horticulturist at Phipps, who specializes in orchid care, and Kevin Haughey, Phipps’ bonsai manager.
The show will be held through Feb. 28. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays through Thursdays and 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays. Admission is $15 for adults, $14 for senior citizens and students and $11 for 2- to 18-year-olds. Members and children younger than 2 are free.
For more information, visit www.phipps.conservatory.org.