On my recent trip to SF, we made it a point to stop by their Conservatory of Flowers... I was a little bummed that we were going to miss the Wicked Plants {botanical rogues & assassins} feature (which was scheduled to begin the following week)...
{ don't you love, love, LOVE the graphic design on their poster? }
If you find yourself currently in the SF area, I urge you to visit the Conservatory before this event is over in October... it looked like it was going to be pretty amazing.
Despite missing out on this feature, our trip certainly did not disappoint!
We saw so many gorgeous and interesting plants and flowers during our trip, my camera found itself clicking away before I knew what was happening!
I thought it would be extremely appropriate to share these pictures with you during Earth Week...
The plants made me appreciate the incredible living things we share this Earth with - things to be treasured and protected.
So here are many of my pics (there are so many because it was impossible to whittle it down to just a few!)
{ the beautifully kept grounds in front of the conservatory (you can see the domed white greenhouse in the distance) }
{ what i call a "living sign"... this one was quite clever. i had to get very close before i could figure out what living things made up this vista... }
{ sedum + moss! what an unexpected duo!! }
{ even the building had pretty details on its awnings }
{ the tropical section featured luscious green leaves and colorful flowers in all shapes and sizes to lure birds and insects }
{ these are a type of orchid (or are at least related), i believe... quite unusual! }
{ there were giant fuzzy ferns that towered above us so i couldn't help but imagine being a tiny caterpillar in a shaded glen... }
{ my sister spotted this pitcher plant as we walked by... the plant had many tendrils, to carry the weight of the pitchers... and it was awe inspiring to see them this close! }
{ the conservatory featured countless kinds of pitcher plants... some with mottled patterns, others with spikes... and this one that featured both! }
{ this little guy believed in interior decorating... blank on the outside, but stripes and freckles on the inside! just beautiful }
{ this was probably the most menacing looking of all with those large spikes and an opening at the top that looked like a gaping mouth... }
{ the colors in some of the plants were astounding... hard to believe you can see almost neon purple and pink in nature! }
{ this one was a little dr. seuss-esque... bunches of thin pointed pink spikes with very odd purple tube flowers }
{ they had a small pond with gigantic lily pads... made me want to come back as a frog in my next life }
{ lucky for me, orchids abounded. i have a soft spot for these delicate flowers... so it was an absolute treat to see so many different varieties in one place. these ones were large and chartreuse with peach centers }
{ this section featured more delicate and fragile potted orchids }
{ this one showed off a twisted "mustache" of sorts... or at least that was all i could see when i looked at it! and the bottom cup and top petal make me suddenly see the striking resemblance to pitcher plants... no wonder they're related! }
{ another "showy" one... do you see the mustache in this one like I do?? }
{ there is something about curled baby ferns that gets me... they seem so small and vulnerable. there were so many at the conservatory, it reminded me of my trip to Jamaica last year, which is home to hundreds of different types of ferns! }
{ then we headed over to the potted plants section. this display reminded me of my love for casual plant arrangements }
{ i couldn't believe this was alive... it is a type of wild yam appropriately named the Tortoise Plant }
{ some sort of citrus fruit that looked like a witch's hand }
{ this fuzzy flower looked like it was hand-painted... i loved that the peach fuzz covered the entire plant, from leaf to stem to inside the little buds! }
{ even nature can be organized... check out the orderly rows of what i suspect to be either spores or the eggs of some insect along the back of this leaf... love it! }
{ and finally, little baby buds... i only wish i could have stayed longer so i could come back and see what they looked like when they finally opened up! }
So you can see we had a very interesting trip!
It made me want to get my hands dirty with my gardening again - especially since the cold weather has FINALLY worn off!
This week, support your local greenhouses, nurseries, gardens, arboretums and museums. Plan a trip with your friends and family - and get your kids involved. Developing an appreciation of nature in our children could help provide them with a more promising future on this planet.
:)
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Also, here's a reminder of earth-friendly tips I shared on my blog in years' past...
First, are a few tips regarding greening up your junk mail.
And then a link to earth-friendly craft ideas, courtesy of Kaboose.com. Enjoy!
For these and other tips, stay tuned every day this week. I'll be sharing my favorite "tree-hugging" ideas that I've come across. :)
xoxo!
- h -
