NORFOLK, Va. — Two years after breaking ground, Norfolk Botanical Garden's "Garden of Tomorrow" expansion is entering the final phases of construction.
The $50 million project will most notably feature two glass-walled indoor biomes inside the 26,000 square foot Perry Conservatory; a desert and sky-high tropical biome.
Both will be climate controlled to protect endangered plant species inside.
“In both of the biomes, our mission is to expose people to types of plants that they’re not going to be familiar with here, but also to conserve plants that are endangered in the wild so we can be part of 'Noah's Ark,'" said Les Parks, Vice President of Horticulture for the garden.
The rest of the development will include the Brock Parking Garden and Brock Entry Pavilion, which will include a gift shop and bistro. Atop the pavilion is a rooftop sky garden that's already taking shape.
A second-story skywalk will take visitors from the rooftop through tree canopies and into the biomes, offering never-before-seen views of the 87-year-old garden in the process.
“It’s the largest expansion in our history," Parks told News 3. "We hope to get our hands dirty and start planting in December and sometime next Spring, we will open to the public.”
But in the meantime, Parks says the garden must raise $3 million to fully fund the project. He says visitors can donate through the Garden of Tomorrow website and through becoming garden members.
And the work doesn't stop here.
“We call it the Garden of Tomorrow, but once this is built, we’re going to continue to look toward the future and our role in conservation and in nature," said Parks.
