Conservatory Plants Moving In

Monday was a big day as our new conservatory received a major delivery—the largest delivery of plants for this major Creation Museum project. It took several hours to unload the trailer, and our site development and conservatory teams have begun the planting process inside the conservatory.

The conservatory (which consists of four glass greenhouses and a courtyard) will house a special collection of plants of the Bible. The largest of the four structures will highlight the Date Palms, Australian flora, and flowers for seasonal displays.. The other three will be set up for sub-tropical, Mediterranean, and arid plants, respectively. Each greenhouse is climate-controlled, and one includes a water feature.

Visitors will enjoy a self-guided walkthrough, finishing at a plant with many thorns that could have been the type used for the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus. This will also enable a special presentation of the gospel as a climax of the tour.

A Special Plant

Last week, we planted the very first plant in the conservatory. In the tropical house previously mentioned, there will also be a special collection of Australian flora. Twenty-two years ago, our Founder CEO Ken Ham and his wife, Mally, were given what looked like a small stick. It was about two feet high and half the thickness of one’s little finger. It was an Australian bottle tree.

Mally nurtured this until 2016 (pictured below), when they gave it to our attractions horticultural department. This tree was placed in the queue line gardens at the Ark Encounter each spring, summer, and early fall and then put back in one of our heated greenhouses for the winter.

Our horticultural department took great care of this tree, and last week they had a special ceremony for Ken and Mally to plant this tree as the first plant in the conservatory and as the beginning of the Australian plant exhibit. We also planted a plumeria, which is called frangipani in Australia.

We are excited to see plants in the conservatory! We can’t wait for this expansion to be finished. It will be a spectacular addition to the Creation Museum. Start planning your visit today!