CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Botanical Garden aims to pay a festive holiday homage to the neighborhood blocks that knit together people, plants and trees with a new winter show called "Twinkle in the 216."
The show, which runs from Nov. 19 to Dec. 30, will include displays both in the indoor and outdoor garden areas. Postcard vignettes of iconic Cleveland landmarks will greet visitors as they enter the facility, along with a 20-foot-tall "living" tree built from live and dried plant materials.
Of course, with it being Cleveland, winter may not be so kind. The Cleveland Botanical Garden said visitors can get an escape in the Madagascar and Costa Rica Glasshouses, transformed in the spirit of the season with special horticultural displays, lights and a spiny desert along with a cloud forest.
“Holidays are about coming together — as family, as friends, as community. This year’s winter show at the Cleveland Botanical Garden will celebrate Cleveland neighborhoods by featuring vignettes of iconic local architecture, as well as holiday favorites such as handmade gingerbread houses, lighted outdoor trails, festive horticultural displays and decorated trees,” said Ryan Sandy, the exhibitions manager.
Visitors will be surrounded by beautiful holiday plants and trees, from evergreen conifers to poinsettias in shades of white, pink and red.
The facility will intertwine popular traditions with the new show, including dozens of trees decorated by more than 30 Affiliate Garden Clubs from northeast Ohio and candy-coated gingerbread houses assembled by bakers from across the community.
In the Ellipse area, visitors will be greeted with a stunning 16-foot-tall holiday tree with handcrafted decorations by a local artisan.