The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s Summer Flower Show opens June 13, and regular visitors will notice it has a whole different vibe.
While Como’s longest-running flower show will still feature dozens of tropical annuals, the starring role this season will belong to Como’s exceptional collection of bromeliads.
“We’ve never used the Sunken Garden as a showcase room for a plant collection before, but we have such a variety of bromeliads currently,” Como Senior Horticulturist Ariel Dressler says, noting that Como visitors recently bestowed the “Cutest Plant” award on a tiny pineapple bromeliad. “We always want to put plants in a place where they’ll thrive and be happy, and with such a long show [that runs through September 14], bromeliads will do well. They’re such a charismatic plant, that to see them en masse will be a real treat.”
Bromeliads are also celebrating a birthday of sorts at Como. Fifty years ago, in September 1975, the horticultural staff established the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s first bromeliad garden. Como currently has 638 living bromeliads in its collection, from 350 different species, the best of which are often displayed in the understory of the historic Palm Dome.
To create the sheer number of plants needed for the Summer Flower Show display, horticulturist Diane Rafats propagated hundreds of bromeliad “pups” from Como’s own collection, coordinating their care to ensure they’re ready to bloom in time for the show. Hibiscus and citrus, colorful coleus, orange-red canna, coral-flowered fuchsia, and purple gomphrena will also be featured in the display, transforming Minnesota’s most beautiful room into a tropical paradise.
