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Tom Donoghue/DonoghuePhotography.com
The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ Fall 2012 display photographed Monday, Sept. 17, 2012.
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 | 1:08 a.m.
Bellagio Conservatory Fall 2012
For the fourth time in five years, the Bellagio has been honored with the title of “North America’s Leading Casino Resort’ by the World Travel Awards. The accolades were recognized at a Caribbean ceremony last week with senior tourism officials attending from more than 30 nations at the “Oscars of the Travel Industry” conference.
“We are pleased to once again be recognized at the World Travel Awards, which are determined by travel industry professionals,” said Bellagio President Randy Morton. “We are a special destination resort filled with beauty, elegance and a staff that takes pride in providing our guests with memorable experiences. This award is a result of our team’s excellence, and I’m so proud of them.”
The commitment to excellence is demonstrated once again with the new fall transformation at the Bellagio Conservatory & Gardens, and as the days get darker and temperatures cool down, we know very soon that the clocks will turn back for one hour less between sunrise and sunset.
In an extraordinary photo gallery, contributing photographer Tom Donoghue documented the new autumn display, and Christopher Rauschnot @24KMedia on Twitter provided us with a YouTube video. Our thanks to both.
Whether you’re a local or a visitor, this is one exhibit you must not miss.
The west bed of the floral and foliage includes a cider mill, a pond with river rock, pumpkins some as heavy as 1,000 pounds, a 15-foot-tall scarecrow and an authentic 1870 Newton high-wheel wagon. The east bed is dominated by a 30-foot-long covered bridge walkway 14 feet in height. The north bed is where we will all say cheers to toast the 20-foot-tall and 18-foot-wide talking tree with his grape-filled canopy. The vintage-aged, authentic Wine Press dates back to 1920, and those aged Vintage Wine Barrels are each 3 feet tall.
The south bed features a ruin wall with pumpkins weighing 300 to 1,000 pounds. The orange fall-favorite vegetables can grow as much as 50 pounds per day in fields achieved in breeding programs, but growers don’t reveal their secrets. The 4-foot-tall centerpiece pumpkin is made from 3,000 orange carnations. The Victorian octagon gazebo is a 13-foot-tall and 12-foot-in-diameter centerpiece.
You know how I love my fun facts and figures! During the run of the display, the horticultural team at Bellagio estimate that they will change out 75,000 flowers at the rate of nearly 8,000 each week to keep everything looking fresh and colorful. The gardeners planted 22,265 plants and shrubs from 17 categories and 25 trees. There are 10 colors of chrysanthemums.
Each day, a harpist and a violinist will entertain at 5 p.m. for an hour to add to the glorious gardens’ appeal. The public has until Nov. 24 to wander any time day or night free through the harvest show. Catch it before it becomes winter: Brrr!
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.
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