Chihuly in Atlanta II

The centerpiece of the Chihuly Exhibit is this piece, "El Sol Citron / The Yellow Sun."

It stands on a small hill and is visible from three directions.  Other variations on this

theme have been in other shows - sometimes with some red and orange elements,

other times with a more intense yellow or with more white.

But it is always a show-stopper and very dramatic.

"El Sol Citron" in its brilliant splendor in full sunlight.  It is made up of

hundreds of pieces of blown glass supported by a steel armature with many brackets.

If you come up close, you can see the intricacy of one of Chihuly's pieces

and how all the elements must work together.

The center of "El Sol Citron" has some green hornets in it and some gold pieces as well.

From our previous vantage point, if we turn to the left, we can see the wonderful

Levy Plaza and Fountain between the Administrative Center and the Restaurant.

The Garden has doubled in size since 2004, when the first Chihuly Exhibition was held here.

This is part of the older garden, and the Chihuly fountain was given after that exhibit.

These are formal gardens with white crepe myrtle trees, red impatiens, and chartreuse coleus.

Levy Plaza and Fountain with formal gardens and One Atlantic Building in background.

It is one of the tallest buildings in Atlanta and the Southeast U.S.

Levy Plaza Fountain by Dale Chihuly.

Levy Plaza Fountain with white Crepe Myrtle trees.

One last look at Levy Plaza; from here we head through the trees in the distance.

"Sapphire Star" is another of the show-stoppers.  It works wonderfully here in the fountain.

Children were allowed to splash around in the water and everyone took pictures.

A close-up of the "Sapphire Star" with its hundreds of icicles.

Detail of the "Sapphire Star."

Between the "Sapphire Star" and the Conservatory is a large, oval lawn ringed with beds

of formal gardens.  This was the heart of the old Botanic Gardens.  These "Carmel and Red

Herons" joined the gardens for the show.

A second flock of "Carmel and Red Herons."

In the formal flower beds were many varieties of lilies.  These are "Princess Crinum Lilies."

Beautiful peach-colored "Fulva Lilies," blooming profusely.

In front of the conservatory was a pond with water lilies and lotus, like this one.

Beautiful plum colored and purple hydrangeas.

The Great Lawn with the Fuqua Conservatory, one of the best I have ever seen.

Right away you are greeted with Chihuly's "Black and Green Striped Herons

with Icicle Clusters."  This is at the entrance to the Orchid House, which is the best 

I have ever seen, not merely hundreds of orchid plants attached to walls, but plants

 integrated into the whole eco-system of the conservatory.  The brilliant color of the glass

mirrored the brilliant colors of the tropical flowers.

"Black and Green Striped Herons with Icicle Clusters" from the side.

Two White Orchids

A cluster of purple orchids.

A bunch of Phalaenopsis Orchids.

In the Conservatory were a number of "Ikebana" by Chihuly; the word is the Japanese

name for the art of flower arranging.  Each of these large glass pieces consists of a

vase like form supporting several exotic glass flowers.  They fit into the tropical vegetation 

of the conservatory perfectly.

A second "Ikebana."

A third "Ikebana" with two exotic flowers.

This rather strange installation was at the back of the conservatory and entitled

"Sapphire Neon with Neodymium Reeds, Floats, and Logs."

The Moon Gate entrance to the Japanese Garden.

In the Japanese Garden were some lanterns and a stream and two groups of

"Turquoise Marlins and Floats" by Chihuly.

"Turquoise Marlins and Floats" by Chihuly in the Japanese Garden.

To the west of the Conservatory was a large "Edibles Garden," where they had fruits and

vegetables growing and where they had cooking demonstrations using their produce.

Beside it, amongst the trees, were these "Zebra Reeds" in black and white.

A herd of "Zebra Reeds" in the dappled forest.

The "Frog Baby" seems to have been a basic element of the old Gardens.  All the children

knew of it, and their parents reinforced old traditions.  As a matter of fact, there were a

number of bronze statues of children and animals in the gardens.

This area had well established gardens of Cannas and Mallows and many other flowers.

Red and yellow and orange and mixed color Cannas.

These are giant Red Mallow, more than a foot across.  There were a lot of them

behind the "Frog Baby."

There were also giant White Mallows, even larger.  This one must have been 14" across.

This was new to me and interesting, the "Scarlet Rose Mallow" or "Texas Star Hibiscus."

Lady Bird Johnson promoted this in Texas, and many of her friends put it in their gardens.

Look closely at the foliage.  Several of Lady Bird's friends were busted by the cops for

raising marijuana until Lady Bird came and explained - the foliage is similar, but

they are not relatives nor hallucinogenic.  They are also quite big; these are about

12" in diameter.

The "Shaggy Dog" in mosaiculture I'm sure was brought from Montreal and the great

International Mosaiculture Exhibit, but no one would confirm it for me.  It is made
 of 2600 little plants of carex comens, a decorative grass from New Zealand.

"Fire Amber Herons" were clustered in a secluded pool near the "Frog Baby."

The formal flower beds at Atlanta were always filled with brilliant color, esp. red.

That brings us to the end of the tour of the Chihuly Exhibition

in the Atlanta Botanic Gardens, Georgia.

I hope you have enjoyed the stroll through these special gardens.

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