Holden Forest & Gardens will open one of its most popular annual experiences Orchids Forever at the Cleveland Botanical Garden on Saturday, February 13, 2021. The show will run through Sunday, April 11th.

“Orchids are one of the world’s most beautiful flowering plants and we are thrilled to be able to open this stunning show in Cleveland,” said Jill Koski, president and CEO of Holden Forests & Gardens.  “Being surrounded by orchids is a delightful and mood-lifting experience, one that’s perhaps more welcome now than ever before.  At the same time, Orchids Forever will inform visitors about their incredible resilience and the importance of the Earth’s biodiversity to ensure that we can enjoy them for generations to come.” 

Guests will be greeted with a stunning display of hundreds of Phalaenopsis orchids and a towering orchid sculpture “Orchids in Bloom” designed by copper, resin and steel artists Mark Lagergren and Anthony M. Ball.  The experience leads to the Eppig Gallery for a visually striking timeline of orchid speciation and exploitation, as well as modern-day science and conservation.  Clark Hall will have a conservation laboratory theme with orchids in test tubes and digital projections of orchids under microscopes.  Horticultural displays will showcase exotic plants all surrounded by narrative panels about orchid science.  The Glasshouse rainforest biomes will highlight orchid species from the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia and Central America, transporting visitors from the northeast Ohio winter into a warm climate.

Over the course of the show, thousands of orchids will fill the galleries, hallways and glasshouses at the botanical gardens.

Providing a safe and comfortable experience was top-of-mind for the Orchids Forever design team. A socially distanced one-way path will guide visitors through the experience.  A limited number of advanced reservations are available each day.  Face masks must be worn in the interior garden building. 

Orchid Artwork: Silk paintings by Gunter Schwegler will grace the walls of Orchids Forever.

Rainforest Creature Feature: Guests are invited to meet the critters that call the glasshouse home during special meet-and-greets with the animals Fridays through Sundays at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.  Get up close with a panther chameleon, radiated tortoises, an eastern box tTurtle, African bullfrog or smokey jungle frog, and Madagascar hissing roaches.  And don’t forget to check out the new addition to the amphibian case in our Costa Rica glasshouse—dart frogs! Ten bumble bee dart frogs will be on display in a new enclosure.

Learn as You Go: Guests will receive an Orchids Forever educational packet with activities for learners of all ages including: a labeled orchid cutout to color, assemble and display to have your own forever orchid at home; hidden picture art with pollinators unique to orchids and key bioindicators specific to the health of orchid ecosystems; and a special QR code that will transport guests to four different countries where they can search for orchids and orchid pollinators native to each of those exotic locations.  Each guest will receive their own packet will supplies last.

Orchids-to-Go in the Garden Store: Orchids, including some exotic varieties, will be available for purchase at the Garden Store. Orchid soil, fertilizer and orchid pots will also be for sale.

Orchids Forever hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays noon – 8:30 p.m. and Sundays noon – 5 p.m.  The Botanical Garden will be closed on Mondays except for Monday, February 15th with open hours from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Please note hours are subject to change, check cbgarden.org for updated information.

Orchids Forever admission is $15 per adult, $10 per child ages three to 12 (free for children two and under). Admission is free for Holden Forests & Gardens members. Orchids Forever tickets will be available cbgarden.org three weeks in advance, beginning January 30th. Advanced reservations are required to control capacity for the safety of our members and guests.  The Botanical Garden is located at 11030 East Boulevard (University Circle) in Cleveland.  Indoor parking is available for a fee based on availability.  For complete details about Orchids Forever, visit cbgarden.org/orchids-forever.

Learn and Grow with Virtual Classes All About Orchids

Register for all classes at cbgarden.org

Basic Orchid Growing & Care on Saturday, February 20, 2021 from 6 -7PM with Dawn Gerlica, Lantern Court Horticulturist. Live, virtual program; $10 per member, $25 per nonmember

Does a Phalaenopsis send shivers down your spine?  Do Oncidiums make you quake in your boots?  This virtual class simplifies orchid growing by giving you a common-sense orchid grower’s checklist that can lead to blooming success with almost any orchid. A Q&A session will take place at the end of the lesson.

Orchids on the Edge: Conservation in a Changing World on Saturday, March 6, 2021 from 10 - 11:00 AM with Dr. Lawrence W. Zettler, Hitchcock Professor of Biology at Illinois College.  Live, Virtual Program; $10 per member, $25 per nonmember

Every orchid on this planet – from showy epiphytes that grow on trees in tropical rainforests, to hardy terrestrials found here in the Midwest - needs a fungus to grow and survive.  Many also require specific insect pollinators for the orchid’s reproduction and survival.  About one half of the 27,000+ orchid species worldwide are now vulnerable to extinction. Dr. Lawrence W. Zettler, Hitchcock Professor of Biology at Illinois College, will delve into the life history of the orchid from seed germination into maturity and what needs to be done to ensure their proliferation.

Ask the Orchid Doctor  - this popular FREE orchid clinic will be virtual this year. Throughout the course of the show, Ask the Orchid Doctor will allow participants to interact with orchid experts and diagnose problem plants. Visit cbgarden.org for details.