The flowers at Franklin Park Conservatory are spectacular — but some of the most photographed blooms never need water. The Conservatory displays the largest private collection of Dale Chihuly’s glass artwork in the country, threaded through its biomes and gardens.
Look for the electric Macchia bowls glowing in the Palm House, a chandelier of icy tendrils suspended overhead, and reeds and floats in impossible colors rising from the plantings. The collection grew from the Conservatory’s landmark 2003 Chihuly exhibition, when Columbus fell in love and the glass stayed.
Evening “Chihuly Nights” events (running through November 7) light the works after dark, when glass and garden become one glowing artwork.
Botany and glassblowing: two arts that both begin with patience and heat. At the Conservatory, they bloom together.
