April is one of the best months to experience the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden because of its explosion of color and creative landscape design seen during the annual Zoo Blooms display.
However, since the grounds are currently closed to the public to curb the spread of COVID-19, the nonprofit is finding creative and digital ways to bring the blooms to you.
“It’s so beautiful at the Zoo in April. Too beautiful not to be shared with the thousands of people who would usually be here to see and smell tulips up close,” said Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard in a release. “We can’t bring the smells of the garden to people at home, but we will host virtual garden tours to share the beauty of the blooms with people everywhere. Our horticulture team is also cutting flowers so they can be delivered to hospital workers and nursing home residents.”
The zoo will be offering digital garden tours on its Facebook page and also will deliver actual flower bouquets from its grounds to local nursing homes and hospitals.
The zoo’s Horticulture Director Stephen Foltz says peak bloom will be around Easter this year and he will lead a live tour for a Facebook Home Safari at 3 p.m. on April 11. After the livestream, it will be available to view on the zoo’s YouTube page.
The zoo will also be posting photos and videos of Zoo Blooms on its social media throughout the month.
Maynard says they hope the reschedule the free and popular Tunes & Blooms concert series, but it won’t coincide with the flowers. And their annual Earth Day Party for the Planet will be virtual this year and offer hands-on learning opportunities and activities focused on sustainability and conservation.
This article appears in Mar 18 – Apr 14, 2020.