Evolution of an Aquarium

IMG_2477

I’ve been a bit behind with my daily blogs as last week was a “pseudo-vacation” with some time at work and some off.  With so much going on, I wanted to be available to help keep everyone coordinated and with the recent storms, the clean-up efforts will continue next week.  Cooler temperatures will start leading us past peak color but there is still so much of the garden still looking exceptional.  Next Friday we have the attendees for the All-America Selections Summer Summit (Madison, WI) coming to tour the gardens and have an awards banquet.

These photos show some of the progress of our Giant Aquarium which was built this past spring and continues to be a very popular attraction.  The “big blue box” that we direct visitor towards (see above) is an imaginative space that interprets the book Life in a Coral Reef by Wendy Pfeffer (see below).  As visitors enter, they should feel like they’ve entered an underwater environment.  At 10′ tall, 16′ wide and 32′ long, this blue plastic sided structure was built entirely through donations and will be utilized next year as well.  Those plants that would “look at home” in an underwater situation were used as were some spray-painted branches of contorted locust and burning bush for “coral”.

IMG_4711

IMG_4477

IMG_4554

IMG_4709

IMG_5158

IMG_5041

IMG_5327

IMG_5328

IMG_5761

IMG_6226

IMG_6289

IMG_6291

IMG_6309

IMG_5901

IMG_5765

IMG_6049

IMG_6104

IMG_6591

IMG_6595

IMG_6608

IMG_6611

IMG_1156

IMG_1143

 IMG_2462

IMG_6593

IMG_6672

IMG_6674