Gardens Aglow at the Holidays

To celebrate the season, botanic gardens and conservatories decorate their collections with lights, ribbons, and sculptures. From Washington's glowing grapes to Nevada's illuminated cacti, gardens feature their emblematic plants as well as the always-lovely poinsettia.  

Photo by: VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, B.C.

Bellevue Botanical Garden
Bellevue, WA

Photo by: Richard Duval

Inspired by plants found in Northwest gardens and gardens around the world, Bellevue Botanical Garden's annual Garden d’Lights festival features over half a million light sculptures built by volunteers. “Not often you can find grapes on the vine at Christmas,” said the photographer in the Washington Wine Report. 

VanDusen Botanical Garden  Vancouver, B.C

Photo by: Ian Lindsay 

At VanDusen Garden's holiday Festival of Lights, millions of colourful lights are strewn around flower beds and trees. Arbor walkways are transformed into the Gingerbread Walk and Candy Cane Lane.

Atlanta Botanical Garden  Atlanta, Georgia

Photo by: James Camp

Atlanta Botanical Garden's 'Garden Lights, Holiday Nights' features the Van Gogh-inspired "Starry Night Walk", a light show of swirling stars twinkling in the camellias, and "Orchestral Orbs," a topiary light show choreographed to holiday music.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden Belmont, North Carolina

Photo by: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden's holiday displays include Christmas trees, s'mores by the fire, a visit from Santa Claus, and the traditional favorite Orchid Tree.

Phipps Conservatory Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Photo by: Phipps Conservatory

Almost 2,000 poinsettias and evergreens with tens of thousands of lights are displayed for Phipps Conservatory's Winter Flower Show. A Winter Light Garden glows outdoors.

Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Gardens Las Vegas, Nevada

Photo by: Christopher DeVargas

A botanical garden and chocolatier in Las Vegas bestows the cacti with holiday lights, and the revelers with chocolate. 

Longwood Gardens Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Photo by: L. Albee

Longwood Gardens features 400,000 lights, fountain shows with colored lights, nearly 40 miles of glowing wire strung through the trees, and a sprinkling of large sparkling snowflakes and icicles.