Smith College
Office of College Relations
Smith College
Garrison Hall
Northampton, Massachusetts 01063
www.smith.edu/newsoffice

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February 14, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUMMONING SPRING

Smith Welcomes Public to Annual Spring Bulb Show, March 1 ­ 16

Editor's note: Digital photos of flowering bulbs are available.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.-After a two-year restoration and renovation, Smith College's Lyman Conservatory will reopen to the public for the college's annual bulb show, a longstanding tradition and a beloved harbinger of spring for New England's plant lovers.

The show will run March 1 through 16.

At 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, Botanic Garden Director Michael Marcotrigiano will introduce the show with a public lecture titled "The Restoration of Lyman Conservatory." The lecture, which will be held in Seelye 106, is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible. A free reception will follow in the plant house, giving visitors the chance to preview the show in the illuminated conservatory.

The show will feature more than 5,000 forced bulbs, many of them planted last fall by Smith horticulture students. The bulbs, which normally flower over a two-month period, are manipulated with cooling, warming and horticultural savvy so that they bloom simultaneously. They are stored in a cooler for a few months and then moved into climate-controlled greenhouses for a dose of warmth and light. After the show, many of the bulbs will be planted around the campus.


The public is welcome to visit the show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with extended evening hours from 6 to 8 p.m. on Fridays, March 7 and 14. By presenting their membership cards, members of the Friends of the Botanic Garden are invited to view the show during special members-only hours 9 to 10 a.m. daily.


Limited parking is available on College Lane and in the campus parking garage on West Street. Groups of ten or more are advised to schedule their visits in advance. For more information or to schedule a group visit, call (413) 585-2740 or visit https://www.smith.edu/garden/Home/events.html.


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