BELMONT – Visitors to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden can experience the creative works of North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty at the garden this winter. Dougherty’s latest interactive installation, The Magnificent Seven, was constructed in November 2019 at the garden for all ages to explore.

In addition, the exhibit will feature 17 photographs of Dougherty’s large-scale sculptures and The Orchid Conservatory will be filled with showy orchids in bloom and the garden’s own woven sculptures inspired by Dougherty’s work.

Art & Orchids featuring Stickwork will be open daily Feb. 1 through March 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit is free with general admission or free for garden members.

Using minimal tools and a simple technique of bending, interweaving and fastening together sticks, Dougherty creates works of art inseparable with nature and the landscape. With a dazzling variety of forms intertwined with their context, his sculptures evoke fantastical images of nests, cocoons, cones, castles and beehives.

Constructed on-site using locally sourced materials and local volunteer labor, Dougherty’s sculptures are tangles of twigs and branches that have been transformed into something unexpected and wild, elegant and artful, and often humorous. Sometimes freestanding, and other times wrapping around trees, buildings, railings and rooms, they are constructed indoors and in nature. As organic matter, the stick sculptures eventually disintegrate and fade back into the landscape.

Over the last 30 years, Dougherty has built more than 300 works throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Visitors can wander through the seven rooms of woven sticks and twigs, peer through the windows and skylights, and let their imaginations run wild.

In addition to this interactive installation, 17 photographs of Dougherty’s large-scale sculptures will be on display in the Visitor Pavilion. The sculptures are unique to each site using locally sourced materials and volunteer labor.

General admission for Garden members is free, $14.95 for adults, $12.95 for seniors 60+, and $7.95 for children 2-12. For more information visit www.DSBG.org or call 704-825-4490.

Art & Orchids Special Events

Orchid Sale — March  6-8; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free with general admission or free for garden members.

Browse a unique collection of orchids from Looking Glass Orchids Inc. including Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium (Lady Slipper Orchids), Miltonia (Pansy Orchids), Cattleya hybrids and species, and other orchids you may have never even seen before.

Orchid Show — March 20; 1-5 p.m., March 21-22; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free with general admission or free for garden members.

This show, recognized by the American Orchid Society, will feature spectacular tabletop orchid displays. Learn about, view and purchase stunning orchids from NC Piedmont Orchid Society.

Art & Orchids Classes & Programs

First Tuesday Presentation: Orchids, Tuesday, Feb. 4; noon-1 p.m. Free with general admission or free for garden members.

Join Director of Horticulture Jeff Wuilliez to learn more about orchids, how they grow in the wild, how to create similar environmental conditions to successfully grow them and more. Bring a bag lunch to enjoy while enjoying the presentation in the Visitor Pavilion. All ages. No registration is required.

Growing & Repotting Orchid Workshop: Saturday, Feb. 29; 1-3 p.m. Instructor: Linda Wilhelm, accredited judge for the American Orchid Society & recipient of the American Orchid Society’s Certificate of Education. $45/workshop (orchid included).

Learn how to grow and succeed with orchids at home. Discuss tips for growing orchids and demonstrate repotting at the Garden’s Growing Center. Participants will get hands-on experience and leave with an orchid to enjoy. Register at www.DSBG.org.

Windowsill Orchids Class: Saturday, March 28; 1-3 p.m. Instructor: Linda Wilhelm, accredited judge for the American Orchid Society & recipient of the American Orchid Society’s Certificate of Education. $45/Workshop (orchid included).

Did you know that many orchids do not require a greenhouse for growth but simply a windowsill? Orchids are among the most unique flowers in the plant world. In this class, learn which varieties will do well in various light conditions and how to keep your orchids flourishing. Register at www.DSBG.org.