ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Shake off the cold and warm up with the eighth annual Winter Fire Colors Show through February 28 at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden. Along with colorful flowers, the show features unique succulents. The BioPark’s aloe collection is highlighted in a special display and talk.

Hot Colors, Cool Succulents
Eight hundred pink, purple and red cyclamen are complemented by thirty-five sedum globes, seven framed succulent landscapes, and the lush greenery of the Mediterranean Conservatory.

“We are always experimenting with new ways to display plant materials, and vertical gardening has been a fun new project” said Carol McClenin, BioPark Horticulturalist. “It is glorifying to see the end results.”

The globes and landscapes were grown and created by horticulturalists and volunteers at the BioPark Greenhouses. The globes took seven to eighteen months to create. The succulent landscapes are fourteen-inch squares packed with 72 plants in quilt-like patterns. The frames are hung on the walls as beautiful living pictures.

All about Aloes
The BioPark’s collection of unusual aloes are also on display in both the Mediterranean and Desert Conservatories this winter. With strong structural forms, the aloes in the collection range in size from mere inches to more than seven feet tall. Many of the aloes will bloom in upcoming months with spikes and candelabras of brilliant red, orange and yellow flowers.

“When you look at aloes closely, the leaves have beautiful designs and patterns,” said Dave Ferguson, Botanic Garden Associate Curator and manager of the collection. “With swirls and spikes and varying colors, they are very attractive.”
Ferguson will give a free talk about aloes on Sunday, January 30 at 1 p.m. in the Botanic Garden Education Building. A tour of the collection follows (admission required).

The Winter Fire Colors Show is included with admission. The BioPark is an accessible facility and a division of the City of Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department. Contact the BioPark at 311 locally, (505) 768-2000 (Relay NM or 711) or visit http://www.cabq.gov/biopark.

Photos available at www.flickr.com/abqbiopark.
 
Photo: Red cyclamens glow in the sunlight. Photo courtesy of ABQ BioPark.