Garden Destination: Opryland Hotel

Flower & Garden Magazine, April, 1999

Visit the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee and you'll find a grand hotel -- not to mention an indoor paradise with one of the largest glass roofs in the world. It is truly a one-of-a-kind place. The hotel has a total of 2,883 rooms and three indoor gardens that cover nine acres.

Each of the gardens carries a theme. The Conservatory, which places an emphasis on plants, was completed in 1983. The Cascades is a water-oriented space that was completed in 1988. The most recent addition is the Delta, which opened in 1996. It's a massive subtropical garden complete with fountains, shops, restaurants and even a river with passenger-carrying flatboats. The combination of these three indoor gardens creates a breathtaking destination for convention-goers and pleasure travelers alike.

THE CONSERVATORY

As modern as the Opryland Hotel is as a hotel and meetings site, its two-acre garden under glass, known as the Conservatory, recalls European lifestyles of a century ago. It's crowned by a one-acre skylight that connects two wings of guest rooms, continuing the 19th century tradition of conservatories as favorite gathering places.

Opryland Hotel Horticulturist Hollis Malone spent months selecting thousands of tropical ornamental plants for the Conservatory, which features more than 10,000 plants representing more than 215 species. Because the roof is 110 feet above the garden's floor in places, there is room for towering palms and banana trees, as well as smaller plants.

"We went to Florida and bought most of them a year ahead of opening time," Malone said. "In some cases, we actually took cuttings and had a Florida nursery grow the plants especially for us."

Months before opening, Malone and his staff of 10 began landscaping the Conservatory. Some of the taller plants were put in place before construction was completed.

"We have 37 different plant families represented," said Malone, who also designed the plantscapes for the Cascades and the Delta. The Conservatory's collection includes six kinds of ficus trees, four kinds of banana trees, 15 types of palms and a sampling of little orange trees.

Some favorites are the blooming bird of paradise and a shrub, from Malone's own backyard, called Calathea zebrina, a rare plant from Brazil featuring velvety leaves with yellow veins and purple tubers.

An elaborate climate control system keeps the temperature in the Conservatory at about 71 degrees. Humidity is constant at 55 percent. Light is controlled by retractable window shadings in the roof.

The staff has developed a precise drip irrigation system that allows many plants to be watered slowly over the course of several hours. The soil is a mixture of pine, peat and sand developed specifically for the environment.

Today, the Conservatory features waterfalls, rocky coves and terraces surrounded with thick clusters of foliage and a sprinkling of flowers. There are winding walkways and a ravine where flowing water creates a natural-looking stream in a tropical paradise.

Highlighting the Conservatory is a 72-foot-tall fountain sculpture, the Crystal Gazebo, that is gradually being covered with foliage. There is also a collection of 14 statues of children, hand-picked and imported from Italy.

Dining and entertainment are emphasized on one side of the garden. Dining establishments include the Ristorante Volare and the Caffe Avanti. There's also a lounge called the Jack Daniel's Saloon. The Conservatory provides direct access into the Delta, and a courtyard of retail shops on the west end connects the Conservatory to the Cascades.

THE CASCADES

The Cascades is a water-oriented interior space at the Opryland Hotel. It combines elements of a tropical paradise, a mountain expedition and a touch of the 21st Century -- all rolled into one.

The Cascades, like the neighboring Conservatory, is crowned with a one-acre skylight that connects two wings of guest rooms. Both the Cascades and the Conservatory cover approximately two acres at ground level.

Malone and his landscaping staff faced a challenge -- creating a tropical plantscape that accented the Cascades' special features, while also complementing the Conservatory. Ultimately, Malone visited 18 Florida nurseries before selecting more than 8,200 tropical ornamental plants representing 449 species.

"We went a step further than the Conservatory by selecting a larger variety of flowering bushes and trees, as well as a number of rare plants," Malone said. "Many of the plants will flower year-round, offering an exquisite array of colors."

Plant varieties range from an Alexandria palm tree towering more than 40 feet high to six-foot-tall ginger bushes and jasminum vines. A more unusual item is the Zamia pseudoparasitica, a rare, prehistoric plant that attaches itself to palm trees, much like mistletoe attaches itself to oak trees.

Like the Conservatory, the Cascades has an elaborate climate control system that maintains a temperature of about 71 degrees. Humidity ranges from 60 to 65 percent, and sunlight levels are higher than in the Conservatory, providing a suitable environment for more plant varieties.