Orquidário Ruth Cardoso

Av. Professor Fonseca Rodrigues, 2001

Alto do Pinheiros

11-3023-0316

• 
• 

Let the symphony of scents waft over you at Villa Lobos Park’s new orchid conservatory, the latest step in the transformation of this once notorious trash dump into an urban oasis. The glass dome, whose architecture is inspired by the African and pre-Columbian communities which anthropologist Ruth Cardoso studied and advocated for, houses hundreds of plants from the Instituto Botanico São Paulo. Here, you can get up close to tiny blooms with confetti-sized petals and the bigger, bolder flowers hanging from planters rising out of the central fountain. Classes are in the works to provide orchid home-care advice, but a gardener is always on hand to offer explanations and tips for those inspired to start their own collections. If raising these high-maintenance beauties for yourself sounds like too much, you can always just visit the conservatory and leave the horticulture to the experts.