"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Where to go on an icy cold day?

To the Volunteer Park Conservatory!  It is still very cold here, our yard and house are still covered with a thick layer of frozen snow.  Over the weekend we all felt like we needed to get out and although the sun was out, it was too cold to do much outside.  Trying to think of something warm to do I remembered the conservatory.  I hadn't been in many years.  The conservatory is located in Volunteer Park, which is in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle.  Just driving through the windy roads and past the gorgeous old Seattle homes is worth the trip.  Whenever I drive through neighborhoods in winter that have nice yards I make a mental note to drive through again in spring or summer.  You can almost always tell by the way a garden looks in winter that the people that live there garden. 

 The conservatory was originally built in 1912, but the only original glass and wood remaining is the peacock window at the entry.  It extends in an L-shape on either side of this main area.  There is 6,300 square feet which are divided into 5 houses;  Bromeliad house, Seasonal house, Palm house, Fern house and Cactus house (which was a toasty 80 degrees!).



Orchids behind bars.




Pavonia multiflora


Angel's Trumpet smelled so good!

Begonia


Pitcher Plant
A very large Pitcher Plant, the flowers had to be one foot long.
 The entrance fee to the conservatory is free, but a donation is appreciated.  For more information about the conservatory, it's hours and seasonal displays click here.  The rest of the park is very nice too, there is lots of open space as well as a museum, pond, outdoor sculptures and lots of big, beautiful mature trees. Pin It

34 comments:

  1. I love going up there whenever we get up to Seattle, and the view from that park is lovely too!

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  2. What a great outing! It's like meeting summer in the middle of winter.

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  3. What a great place to go in this horrible freezing weather we're having. The flowers are beautiful. Bet ya have spring fever now.

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  4. Good Morning Catherine,

    I remember going there about 15 years ago with a boss of mine when I worked in Seattle. It was beautiful and I think we also went in the winter. The pictures are so pretty and make me long for spring! Have a great day.

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  5. That should have warmed ya'll up a bit. Beautiful photos!

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  6. Absolutely beautiful, Catherine! And it was so nice to see two of our own indigenous species doing so well - the strelitzias and streptocarpus :)

    What a wonderful place to visit!!!

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  7. What a cool place! I'll have to make a point of visiting here. I am also really sick of this winter weather.

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  8. Now that is the best place to be on a winter day.The Bird of Paradise and Angel Trumpets are so fantastic. I just got back from a very cold hike so these pictures will warm me up.

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  9. Wowwwwww that is great !!!....love love Ria......xxx....

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  10. I feel warm just looking at your pictures.

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  11. I wish I had known about the conservatory when I visited Seattle. Gorgeous photos! I will have to plan another trip soon!

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  12. How very beautiful and what a lovely thing to do on a cold day! I wish we had one close by here. 80 degrees would be such a delight.

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  13. That looks like a great place to spend an afternoon in. I can imagine how good those Angel Trumpets smell!

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  14. We have the Franklin Park Conservatory to enjoy, but it's not free like yours. However, I am member, but I usually only go about twice a year, and always in the winter. Sometimes I just have to go see green, growing things when the snow and cold starts to get to me.

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  15. This is a fabulous place....looking at all the blooms and colour on this rainy day lifts my spirits.
    The Datura and orchids look amazing...I wish we had some place like this where I live.

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  16. Catherine, what a wonderful place! I cannot belive that you are so cold, for some reason I keep thinking you should be a lot warmer than we are.

    Eileen

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  17. What a cool place to have close by. I love it! It reminds me of the Palmengarten in Frankfurt. I used to go there quite often when we lived there. Fun plants!

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  18. What a fantastic idea! I need to go there soon.

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  19. What a fabulous place! It's just occurred to me that the NW flower and garden show is just around the corner. Will you be visiting it?

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  20. What a wonderful place to go on a cold day!

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  21. That is a beautiful building and you got some wonderful images of the plants. It was nice and cozy in there too.

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  22. Thanks everyone for stopping by. I wish I could go visit there again it's still pretty cold here.

    Pondside - I'm going to the garden show and can't wait!

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  23. That must be the perfect place to go to a cold day / gittan

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  24. What a lovely thing to do on a cold day when you can't be out enjoying your own garden. I hope the little gardeners had fun. There was a Datura very much like this still flowering outside in early December in a garden I passed here in Viterbo. I think it has now lost all its leaves with the sub zero temperatures of before Christmas and again this week.

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  25. The conservatory is beautiful! What a nice respite from the cold and snow.
    Blessings, Beth

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  26. What a nice tour. It reminds me very much of a conservatory that was within walking distance of my husband's home in Chicago. :-) A nice memory.

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  27. I love going there! And it's one of my favorite places to bring out-of-town visitors too. But one of your photos is puzzling...what did those lovely orchids do to deserve to be behind bars? Never mind, I know, it's for their own protection.

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  28. Great photos, thanks for sharing your trip to the Conservatory...it looks amazing.

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  29. Pretty photos of a pretty place! I'm trying to remember if I've ever been close enough to Angel's Trumpet to smell it - maybe not. I'll have to try that next time I visit a greenhouse or warmer climate.

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  30. So many beautiful tropical plants.

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  31. What a treasure to have a place like this nearby. I'm going to have to remember it and hope to see it in person someday. I LOVE that peacock window over the entrance. It's as gorgeous as the plants inside. Can you tell I like antiques too?!!
    A visit here would be a perfect escape from winter.

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  32. Oh, so lovely...I have no conservatory to flee to in weather like this, but I go to a nursery down the Valley when I need a break...or take visits to posts like this. Happy New Year, Catherine!

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  33. Thanks to Kristin at "My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia" my first ever link party for Cottage Flora Thursday's is up & running! Inviting you to come over & link a cottage garden post you may have & please advertise "Cottage Flora Thursday's" on your post that you link!! & don't forget to become a follower of my blog !!!

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  34. What a beautiful place to go on a cold day! The Angel Trumpets are so pretty. I just went to the Conservatory at the Botanical Garden in NY and posted about it - we were on the same wavelength! :)
    http://gardeningandgardens.blogspot.com/2011/01/ny-botanical-garden-part-2.html

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