The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory #5

The Sunken Garden

Ah, the Sunken Garden. Quite possibly the most famous and favorite part of the Conservatory. It is a showcase for seasonal Flower Shows: Winter (which was on display during our visit), Spring, Summer, Fall, and Holiday. The amount of planning required must be staggering. But the result is always fantastic. Follow the link for a slideshow of past Flower Shows.

The Sunken Garden is accessed from the Palm Dome. While walking through the Palm Dome admiring the flowering palms, I caught a blur of vivid color through the glass doors to the Sunken Garden.

And it stopped me in my tracks.

Remember, we were inching through a very snowy and frigid winter and hadn't seen color since.....October. The explosion of color in the Sunken Garden was almost too much for our snow-blinded senses. Yet it drew me through the doors like a moth to flame. The air was practically dripping with fragrance, and the sight nearly took my breath away.

The Winter Flower Show

 Plants on Display

Amaryllis

Cineraria

Cyclamen

Foxglove (Digitalis)

Oriental Lily

Pansy

Ranunculus

Veltheimia

The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory #4

Tropical Encounters

Tropical Encounters is the newest addition to the Conservatory. It is an expertly crafted and constructed replica of a rain forest, complete with mist, a stream and pond full of fish and turtles, all manner of tropical plants, an anaconda, tropical birds that fly about, and... 

....a sloth?

Mist over the fish tank.

Bromelliads and orchids growing on an artificial tree limb.

A flowering vine hanging from the roof of a hut.

Big fishes in the fish tank

Yes! We have some bananas!
You can see the bunch in the middle of the pic.

This little guy was chirping and flying all over the place.
It was quite difficult to snag a picture of him.

We were nearing the exit of the exhibit and looking down admiring the plants along the stream. Then we saw a plaque talking about a sloth. What? a sloth?! Where? Instantly we looked up for a tree. There was a brownish lump in the artificial tree right next to us, and it took us a moment to recognize that it was furry. Could that be the sloth? But it's right there! There's no cage, or glass. Can they do that?

Apparently they can for a slow-moving, sleepy herbivore that only comes down from its tree every two weeks to, uh, take care of business. Luke, who is 6'4", could have reached up and touched it. It was enjoying a nice nap with its lettuce leaf, until something happened...

My apologies for my cheesy commentary. ;) I found out later that "he" is a "she" named Chloe. I'm curious to see if she's in the same tree on my next trip!

The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory #3

The Palm Dome

The Palm Dome makes up the center of the greenhouse. And it's, well, full of palms. The glass dome is 64 feet high and houses over 150 palms and other tropical species. There is also a spot devoted to displaying select orchids from the Orchid House, which is not open to the public.

The sign reads:
"Water collects in the centers of bromeliads,
providing a home for insects and the tadpoles of poison dart frogs."

Did you know palm trees bloom? They do, and they were in full bloom when we made our visit. The air was perfumed with a mixture of exotic aromas, some sweet, others pungent. Such a contrast from the cold, white, snow-covered March outside. It was like walking into another world.

The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory #2

The North Garden

The North Garden wing of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is a showcase of plants used for both food, medicine, and building materials. Some of the plants include orange, pomegranate and cocao trees, figs, a host of herbs, neem, and birds of paradise.

Just one bunch of flowers on an orchid

Bird of Paradise

This flower made me nervous; it looked too much like the offspring of Audrey 2.

...feed me....

The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory #1

This post has been sitting as a draft since March. But late is better than never, right?

"Wife of Donald G. McNeely
Mother of Robin, Peter, Greg, Kevin and Nora
Marjorie R. McNeely
Reader of books on tape for the blind
Gardener - Flower arranger"

We are fortunate to have the Marjory McNeely Conservatory less than an hour's drive away. For nearly 100 years this gem of a greenhouse has been a mecca for photographers, plant geeks, floral enthusiasts and any Minnesotan who longs to see living greenery come the middle of January.

There is something wonderful that happens to the psyche when, after four months of seeing nothing but a frozen, windswept landscape and seemingly dead forests, you walk into a tropical greenhouse full of fabulous plants where everything is lush...green...warm....alive!

The Conservatory is made up of eight distinct gardens: Fern Room, Sunken Garden, Palm Dome, North Garden, Tropical Encounters, Orchid House, Bonsai Room, Japanese Garden. I'll post pics from the different rooms over several posts.

The Fern Room 

I just love fern fiddles. They are so intricate and delicate.

And they look like aliens.