Como Conservatory: What goes into a world-class flower show?

Como Park Conservatory: What goes into creating world-class flower shows?

FOX 9's Garden Guy Dale K stops by the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul to find out what goes into the conservatory's world-class flower shows.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is known for its world-class flower shows. A lot of work goes into preparing for a flower show, and FOX 9 Garden Guy Dale K stopped by the conservatory to learn more.

The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory hosts five flower shows each year, with the Summer Flower Show – the longest of the five shows – is scheduled to end on Oct. 2.

About a year before each planned flower show, horticulturist Ariel Dressler says they pick out a color scheme. Then they order their cuttings and seeds, doing most of the production in-house in the 1.5-acre glass greenhouse. The conservatory grows the flowers in the greenhouse, which has black-out curtains that allow horticulturists to time the blooms so the blooming flowers coincide with the scheduled flower show.

The fall flower show will feature two parts: the beginning will boast purple and pink blooms, which will last about four weeks, starting Oct. 8. And then they'll transition to the second half of the show, which will also last about four weeks, starting in November.

For more on how the conservatory prepares for its flower shows, watch the video in the player at the top of the page.