If you know me, you know I love plants. One of my favorite places in the entire world is a botanical garden, and I’m currently trying to turn my apartment into a greenhouse. So I never pass up the opportunity to try out a new conservatory or botanical garden.

One of those opportunities was plopped into my lap this Christmas season when I went with Ryan and my family to Cincinnati for the weekend. My mom suggested we go to Krohn Conservatory at Eden Park to see their exceptional Christmas display, and of course, I said yes!

The conservatory boasts over 3,500 plant species from around the world, including desert plants, tropical specimens, Bonsai trees, rare orchids, carnivorous plants, and exotic fruit trees. I was particularly impressed by the water features (including a cave behind the waterfall). As you can see, Ryan decided to use some dangling vines to reenact Avatar, so I think he enjoyed himself.

The only downside to coming to the conservatory the weekend before Christmas was that it was crowded. It was difficult to fully appreciate the plant specimens with all of the shuffling feet and frustration at having to wait for others to take photos.

By far, the most breathtaking part of visiting the conservatory at this time of year was its Holiday Show. Applied Imagination, the only company in the entire U.S. that specializes in architectural displays for botanical gardens, builds and displays miniature Cincinnati buildings that are entirely constructed out of natural materials and sets up trains to travel throughout the greenhouses. Several iconic Cincinnati structures like Procter & Gamble, Mt. Adams incline, the "Painted Ladies" of Columbia Tusculum, the Western & Southern building, and the Roebling Suspension Bridge were on display. The company has also constructed National Parks landmarks like Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn and the Wright brothers’ plane.

This year, the company built a brand new structure for the show: a replica of the conservatory itself. Managing to use only natural building materials, they recreated the conservatory's glass dome and nestled it among a bed of flowers.

To see art, architecture, and environmentalism woven together so seamlessly was a wonderful experience, and it reminds me of how important it is to support these parks and our earth. Conservatories like this one do vital work—like Steve Irwin used to say, getting people to see and interact with nature up close confronts them with the reality of what’s at stake if we don’t protect our natural resources. So the next time you’re in Cincinnati, check out Krohn Conservatory and get up close and personal with the beautiful diversity of plant-life on the planet we call home.

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