Garden Bloggers' Fling: The Conservatory of Flowers

 

 

In the evening of the first day of the fling, we gathered at The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, for a delicious catered dinner, raffles, and to pick up gift bags full of treasures given to us by sponsors of the fling. 

 

 

The Conservatory of Flowers, the oldest existing glass and wood Victorian greenhouse in the western hemisphere, is one of the most photographed buildings in the state of California. 

It was prefabricated for local entrepreneur James Lick for his Santa Clara estate but was still in its crates when he died in 1876. A group of San Franciscans bought it and offered it to the city, and it was erected in Golden Gate Park and opened to the public in 1879. (Wikipedia)

The history of the Conservatory and the park  is fascinating so do click on the links above to learn more.

The conservatory was closed to the public for eight years during an extensive restoration and reopened in 2003.

I'll bet that some of those taller palms are from the original planting.

Here we are gathering on the steps for a group picture which can be seen here.

I'd not seen stained glass utilized in a greenhouse before.  The finial atop the dome is 13 feet tall and weighs about 800 pounds.

Looking back from the steps.  Cool bridge, eh?

This is the very top of a massive hundred-year-old philodendron.

 The interior of the building is as fabulous as the exterior. The Conservatory is 12,000 square feet. The central dome is 56 feet in diameter and 55 feet tall. Each arch-shaped wing is 93 feet long.

Even the floor grates are beautiful!

Trevesia palmata.  Love those snowflake-shaped leaves!

Etched glass signage.  Zowie!

Schefflera delavayi with  incised leaves. Major plant lust. 

Alison admiring an amorphophallus and who wouldn't?

 

 

Love this!

And this. 

There was also a butterfly exhibit going on in part of the conservatory.  

You put your proboscis in, you take your proboscis out, you put your proboscis in and you shake it all about.  You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around.  That's what it's all about.

I wonder if this turtle's name is Narcissus?   Seems to be staring at his/her own reflection. 

 

 

 

 Hank, The Plant Provocateur and author of Container Gardening chatting with Stefani Bittner and Leslie Bennet, co-founders of Star Apple Edible and Fine Gardening, and whose book, The Beautiful Edible Garden, was given to each of  us by Ten Speed Press.

Get the pitcher? 

 

Barbara Wise, whose book, Container Gardening for All Seasons I was lucky enough to win in one of the raffles,   chatting with a couple of other bloggers near the life sized Victoria amazonica structure.

The dinner was great fun and as we emerged from the event space, we were greeted by this gorgeous evening view of the Conservatory.

One last look back.  Yes, that's a working floral clock in the foreground. 

What an incredible ending to an equally terrific day!