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NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (September 22, 2021) – MGM National Harbor marks the first day of fall with the debut of its new seasonal Conservatory display, “A Gourd-geous Fall,” featuring vibrant florals, giant cascading leaves and whimsical elements celebrating the beauty of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Curated by the resort’s horticulture team and designers Le Savarese and Cory Pope of SolarLife Technologies, the Conservatory’s three pods immerse guests in the colors and wonders of the harvest season built around a stunning 24-foot crescent-shaped moon at the heart of the display.
Crescent Moon: In the first pod, the magnificent crescent-shaped moon spans 24 feet and adorned with nearly 6,000 flowers comprised of 28 fall varieties of florals and foliage including mums, chrysanthemums, marigolds, black-eyed Susans, daisies, gourds and pumpkins. Sitting atop the curve of the moon, the 14-foot “Fairy Celine” shields the rain that gives water and life to the flower bed with 50 hand-painted leaves crafted to form a transparent leaf skirt. Under the moon, a rock pond – surrounded by over 1,200 fall plants, pumpkins and gourds – collects the rainwater falling off the fairy’s skirt.
The Dragonfly Fairy: A forest of 4,000 feet of twisted vine creates a cornucopia that stands 18 feet tall and 21 feet long in the second pod. Surrounded by more than 1,400 fall plants, gourds, pumpkins and gigantic leaves, the pod prominently features “Fairy Aldora,” the fairy of winged creatures. Aldora stands 16 feet tall and is adorned with a flower bodice of 483 fall flowers and 50 leaves, creating a whimsical skirt that serves as a water feature. One 8-foot-long animated dragonfly flaps his wings as he lands on the vine-covered cornucopia and six additional dragonflies swarm above, all crafted from a translucent material that allows light to flicker and illuminate their bodies.
The Ornate Acorn: In the third pod, a 26-foot twisted metal tree sculpture is ornamented with six acorn lanterns that hang and flicker from the limbs. Matching giant leaves are perfectly placed to give the shape of a mystical fall tree. Beneath, two 8-foot-tall acorns paved in 8,200 rust-colored Chrysanthemum flower heads rest comfortably and provide a vibrant visual alongside 980 plants and mounds of pumpkins and gourds of various sizes.
The fall display is open now through November 8 and is available to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information and high-resolution images of the Conservatory, please visit the MGM National Harbor newsroom.
“A Gourd-geous Fall” by The Numbers
