The holiday season means a changing of the decorations at the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.

The new winter wonderland display will be finished and open to visitors Friday. A 42-foot Shasta White Fir will be at the center of the display. The giant tree will be covered in more than 1,700 silver and gold ornaments. It will also be lit up with more than 13,000 lights.The tree will be surrounded by thousands of red poinsettias and 24 bells will hang from the conservatory ceiling.

“The winter display at Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is our most popular display of the year, exhibiting the spirit and traditions of the holiday season,” said Randy Morton, President and COO of Bellagio. “Each day more than 22,000 visitors visit the Conservatory to enjoy this spectacular setting and commemorate a special time of year.” 

If you have a water-efficient landscape in your yard or you’re a professional who has worked on one, the Southern Nevada Water Authority has a contest for you.

Local residents and landscape professionals interested in showing off their water-efficient landscapes are encouraged to enter the SNWA's 13th Annual Landscape Awards competition.

Applications for this free community contest, along with award criteria, categories and other information are available at snwa.com through Thursday, May 12. Applications also are available by calling the Conservation Helpline at 258-SAVE (7283).

The SNWA's Landscape Awards honor residential and professional water-efficient landscapes that are both attractive and functional. Entrants must have a working irrigation system appropriate to their design.