Longwood Gardens Slipper Orchids - September 2013

The Orchid House in the Longwood Gardens conservatory is not large but its walls are full of blooms from floor to ceiling. This time I focused on the slipppers. My favorites are the ones that have dainty slipper toes and trailing ties that I image would tie around an ankle. It isn’t clear how the large striped structure at the back fits into the slipper image….but the whole flower is quite appealing on its thin stalk growing from a base of green leaves.

Which are your favorites? I tend to always take pictures of the green and white ones first.

Yellow Botanicals

This is another in the series of posts using color as a theme. The yellow flowers include tulips, forsythia, witch hazel, Arizona poppy, daffodils, orchids, alstroemeria, and dandelions….so many beautiful blooms. Enjoy the yellow slide show!

Purple Botanicals

This is another in the series of posts using color as a theme. The purple flowers include cascades of orchids, crocus, pansies, iris, violets and wisteria. Enjoy the slide show of purple!

Pink Botanticals

This is the first in a series of posts using color as a theme. The pink flowers include deciduous magnolia, alstroemeria, begonias, poinsettias, azaleas, hyacinths, snapdragons, hydrangeas, freesias, orchids, camellias and dogwoods….so many beautiful blooms. Enjoy the pink show! 

Brookside Gardens Conservatory - March 2013

It was a gray and cold morning when I went to the Brookside Gardens conservatory this month. The warmth and gurgling water through the lush tropical plantings was a respite from all winter thoughts. Doesn’t the little water fall and river rocks framed by green look welcoming?

The tropical food plants continue to be displayed. I noticed a very small pineapple. Notice how the skin looks very prickly at this stage; the segments flatten as the fruit expands. The star fruit, chocolate and bananas seen on previous visits were still around. A new addition that I had not noticed before was cardamom in bloom.

Many orchids were in full bloom. The orange ones at the left were growing from a hanging pot. 

There were pink poinsettias tucked underneath some other plants. Were they left over from Christmas and just too pretty to jettison?

I always enjoy a walk around the conservatory - checking on plants from the last time I was there and discovering new ones.