Atlanta Botanical Garden's ORCHID DAZE Highlights Pop Art Movement, Now thru 4/12

The Atlanta Botanical Garden's annual Orchid Daze celebration goes bold and playful today, February 7 - April 12 when it highlights the Pop Art movement with equally fun and iconic orchids.

Colorful, frothy Cattleya orchids have been in cultivation for more than a century -- hybrids that have become associated in popular culture with extravagance and exaggerated allure. So what better flowers to take center stage during the third in a series of Orchid Daze exhibits inspired by art in the Fuqua Orchid Center, one of the largest collections of orchids in North America. Orchid Daze: Pop! combines that floral icon with references to Pop Art images by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring.

"It's going to be a really fun take on our extremely popular exhibit that fills the Orchid Center with this lush fragrance every winter," Garden President & CEO Mary Pat Matheson said.

Along with being widely recognized, Cattleyas have a reputation for being difficult to grow. For orchid enthusiasts suffering from unrequited Cattleya adoration, the Garden will offer orchid classes, care clinics and markets during the event.

Orchid Center Manager Becky Brinkman said that Cattleyas enjoy bright light, especially from an unobstructed south- or west-facing window, or in a bright greenhouse. The plants should be allowed to become nearly dry between waterings, then drenched. They can be fertilized every two weeks with half-strength fertilizer, she said. Repotting every two years also is important. A step-by-step photo guide to repotting is available on the Garden's Orchid Column blog.

Orchid Daze: Pop! is the third in a trilogy of art-inspired Orchid Daze displays. The two previous events highlighted impressionist and surrealist works.

The mission of the Atlanta Botanical Garden is to develop and maintain plant collections for display, education, research, conservation and enjoyment. The Garden is located at 1345 Piedmont Avenue NE and open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m.-5p.m. November - March and from 9a.m.-7p.m. April - October. Admission is $18.95 adults, $12.95 children 3 - 12, and free to children under three and Garden members. Details: atlantabotanicalgarden.org or phone 404-876-5859.

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