Winter blooms transform Seoul Botanic Park into festive garden
Seoul Botanic Park in Gangseo District, western Seoul / Korea Times file
Tucked inside western Seoul’s Gangseo District, Seoul Botanic Park is defying the winter chill with a vibrant seasonal showcase of more than 40 tropical orchid varieties, 300 poinsettias and imaginative plant displays designed to liven up indoor spaces.
The exhibition, titled “Between Winter and Plants,” runs from Friday through Jan. 31, 2027, across the park’s greenhouse, Seed Library and Garden Support Center.
At the Tropical Hall, a display titled “Today, Orchids” features Aria, a miniature Phalaenopsis orchid developed domestically in 2019, alongside more than 40 varieties of tropical orchids, including Oncidium, Cattleya, Vanda and Cymbidium.
The Mediterranean Hall presents a Christmas garden featuring 300 plants from 15 domestically developed poinsettia varieties, including red Flame, green Green Star, peach Grace and pink Pink Bell.
The display also features unusual spherical-bracted varieties called Sugar Ball, Red Ball and Snow Ball, while a fountain installation inspired by Rome incorporates a Christmas tree arrangement made with red Flame poinsettias.
At the Seed Library, an exhibition running from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28, 2027, recreates a botanist’s workspace and explores how seeds and fruits are collected, observed and documented, alongside Christmas wreaths and ornaments made from natural materials.
The Garden Support Center is also showcasing ways to incorporate plants into personal living spaces, with November displays focusing on bedrooms and workspaces and December arrangements inspired by relaxing balcony gardens.
Moss terrarium demonstrations take place Saturday and Nov. 28 at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., with no advance reservations required.
Admission to the greenhouse exhibition costs 5,000 won ($3.50) for adults, while exhibitions at the Seed Library and Garden Support Center are free.
“We hope this winter plant exhibition will establish the park as an outing and educational destination offering diverse exhibitions and experiences even during the cold winter months,” said On Su-jin, director of Seoul Botanic Park.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.