-

-
Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

It's Summer Somewhere; The Seymour Botanical Conservatory

A ten-minute walk from my front door, The Seymour Conservatory can transport one to the warmth of summer in the jungle any time.  A recent visit during our cold snap was a welcome breath of warm air!

Although several large trees in the park blew over during the storm,  none fell on the conservatory.

I feel very lucky to have had no big trees blow down in my garden!



The conservatory is a lovely Victorian glass house.  Read about its history here and about events and displays here.
 Musa basjoo leaves were shredded in the wind before being frozen.

It's chrysanthemum time again.  I wonder if it might be interesting one year for them to group the plants by color or type?  I like this riot of color with them all put together, just wondering is all.

A quick detour to the desert to visit the nice big Agave (taller than me)  Is this A. amricana?  It's not doing the twisty thing that they usually do.  It was labeled "Century Plant."

Alison's not the only one who likes to put plants in jail!

This guy is decked out in tillandsias right now. 

Speaking of tillandsias, isn't that Spanish moss glorious?  

 Ginger?   Where's Mary Ann?

That's one giant Platycerium.   They're interesting in other greenhouses but don't speak to me.  (You know, like most plants do, "Peter, take me home!")

Bowiea volubilis

Mixed display.

Glorious Agapetes!  It would be interesting to see the size of its caudex!
A tropical and scented rhododendron.

Tillandsias growing on a cactus skeleton.  The fruit is that of a nearby passion vine. 

If you're ever in Tacoma, do drop by the Seymour Conservatory, it's a lovely place that I don't visit frequently enough.

Huge lemons and sometimes their fragrant flowers grace the entry.  There used to be an acacia in the entry as well but that was removed some time ago.  Wonder what happened to it?
Hope this visit helped to warm you up a bit!

24 comments:

  1. The Seymour is a very nice conservatory! I really should visit more often too. I think I've seen photos of a caged plant in Loree's garden too. Great gardeners think alike!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's true! I was eyeing a cage at Watson's recently. They have a couple of 30 - 70 percent off sale tables right now with some fun stuff.

      Delete
  2. Public glasshouses and conservatories are extra handy during the colder months. You're guaranteed doses of lush greenery and warmth even in the depths of winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right, they are especially nice in the winter!

      Delete
  3. What a treat it would be to have a conservatory in walking distance.

    I think the term for the mixed flowers is 'clown's pants.' Wonder if this is to be a trend?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is delightful and each visit makes me wonder why I don't go more often.

      I think that in the big floral display part of the conservatory, they go for the wow factor and combining colors helps in that area!

      Delete
  4. Oh, man, it's been waaaay too long since I've been down there. (It's where tropical orchids finally won me over.) Is the giant Cibotium schiedei fern still there?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And it's in the park named after you! I have one cymbidium orchid that was a blooming gift a year or so ago and on its performance rests the fate of any more orchids being added to the collection. Hasn't died yet. Usually I notice the Cibotium schiedei fern but this time I didn't so maybe I'm just used to it being there and didn't take notice.

      Delete
  5. That was a really bad storm and it is fortunate you didn't have more damage or power outage.

    The chrysanthemums are pretty as displayed but I agree it would be fun to see a coordinated color display one year. Winter is the best time to visit glass houses, in our climate it's the only time as they are way too hot otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We were very fortunate indeed!

      It was interesting to see on Mark and Gaz's blog that one of the conservatories they visited in Singapore was actually cooled.

      Delete
  6. You're fortunate to have a conservatory of that quality so near by. The mixed Chrysanthemums are cheerful but I think their individual beauty would show more clearly if they were grouped. As I recall, you attached some fanciful names to the Chrysanthemums last year - have you named the ones in this batch too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a perk of living in the city that I don't take advantage of nearly enough. This year's batch of mums will remain sine nomine as I didn't get enough individual pictures of them this year.

      Delete
  7. Looks like the fruit salad approach prevails with chrysanthemums in the same way it does with dahlias. Taken individually, they can be heart-stoppingly beautiful, but all jumbled together like that they turn me off. The Lan Su Chinese Garden here does mums proud.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The fruit salad approach is what's usually used in the entry part of the conservatory, reserved for seasonal mixed floral displays to draw the folks in. It's a small space so they want to go for maximum appeal to the general public. Ah dahlias, such beautiful things!

      Delete
  8. When the weather turns cold a jungly conservatory can refresh the soul. Our Garfield Park conservatory took three years to recover from freak hailstorm damage. They've just reopened the last section requiring repair - this post reminds me I should make a date to get down there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's good to know that Garfield Park conservatory has finally recovered. I look forward to your post about your visit.

      Delete
  9. I want to go there now! That mixed display is "wow." A little too much, maybe, but after a couple of weeks of really cold, gray weather, I want that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Seymour always has a "wow factor" mixed floral entry that changes with the seasons. When it's bleak outside, it is a nice shot of color!

      Delete
  10. Ah...takes me back to when Andrew and I first visited there years ago, not knowing there was an outlaw gardener, with great taste and future blog, living just blocks away...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's an outlaw gardener with great taste? I should probably meet him/her; maybe some of it would rub off:)

      Delete
  11. The building is beautiful, and the Spanish moss looks wonderful draped around. I wonder how long cacti have to be dead for for their skeletons to look like that (do you think it was out in the weather for years?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good question about cacti. I'm not sure. Maybe it has something to do with being very dry in the desert and doing this instead of rotting because of moisture.

      Delete
  12. I can see why your area (even mine) would benefit from a conservatory, to bring some warmth into a cold time. The agave - looks A. americana, just more vertical maybe due to it growing faster or reaching for more light?

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a lovely conservatory, just what I need in my garden. I don' t know about the Chrysanthemum display though. Surely they can come up with something more exciting than that. They should take a look in your greenhouse for some original ideas. (For plant ideas, I mean, not your mannequins or weird doll. They don' t want to scare off the public.)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.