Beat the Winter Blues - Visit a Garden Conservatory - 6 original photos from the W.W. Seymour Conservatory in Tacoma, Washington
Has a cold winter got you down? Head to a warm conservatory greenhouse and stroll among the extravagantly colorful exotic flowers and luscious deep-green foliage. Breathe in the humidity and fragrance.
Come with me into the W. W. Seymour Conservatory in Tacoma, Washington. It's completely free to go inside and spend all day in the magnificent 12-sided glass-paned greenhouse. The Conservatory is a historic place, more than 100 years old.
At the end of this post, I'll show you a flower that seems as tropical as any in this conservatory - but it grows easily outdoors in cool climates like Oregon's Willamette Valley.
Bromeliads
SONY RX10, f4, 1/320 sec, ISO 125, 31mm
OK, I'll admit that this bromeliad is not flowering. But how could I not post it here, when the vegetation alone is as beautiful and colorful as any flower? It's one of the Guzmania bromeiliads, native to the tropics in the Americas, but I'm not sure which one. This plant was big, though, bigger than I could fit in my house! And they like warm temperatures and high humidity. So I can't grow these. Other bromeliads are more flexible in their requirements. Have you ever grown a bromeliad?
Bird of Paradise
This Giant Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) is native to the sub-tropics of South Africa. I can't imagine actually growing one of these myself. The whole plant can get 30 feet high with leaves 6-8 feet long! They are used in landscaping in warmer climates, though. Have you ever grown a Bird of Paradise?
SONY RX10, f2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 80, 14mm
Orchids
I smile when I look at these perky orchids. They are Cymbidium iridioides, native to the Himalayan region in Asia. These flowers are on one stem from a large patch of strap-like leaves. I think they look like dancers, leaping into the air with exhuberance. This is an action photo!
SONY RX10, f2.8, 1/40 sec, ISO 125, 9mm This is a Paphiopedilum exul, native to Thailand. The pollination of this orchid is interesting. Different insects are attracted to honeydew on that little pad, but it's slippery, so they fall into the bucket. The only way to climb out is through the rough track up the back of the bucket, behind the pad, and out through the furry channel at the top. Their travel through the tunnel is what accomplishes the pollination. Then they go off to another flower.
SONY RX10, f2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 80, 9mm
Anthurium
This pink flower is Anthurium andraeanum, from the warm tropics of Ecuador and Colombia. It likes low light, warm temperatures, and high humidity -- like a tropical rain forest. So I can't grow this flower, either! The pink part isn't actually a flower, but a modified leaf. The flowers will open on the spike that sticks out.
SONY RX10, f2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 80, 9mm
Calla Lily
So I can't grow any of the plants from the Seymour Conservancy that I've shown you. But I can grow Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica), native to South Africa. Calla lilies seem so tropical and exotic, but they grow well here in Oregon's Willamette Valley. They don't take much care and can be divided regularly to share.
I know there are other flower colors, but I think the white ones are especially alluring. What's your favorite calla lily color? have you ever grown Calla Lilies?
SONY RX10, f2.8, 1/160 sec, ISO 500, 52mm
Sources: The Seymour Conservatory - Tacoma Metroparks
What Do You Think
How do you deal with winter's cold, gray weather? Do you have a public greenhouse or conservatory near you? Do you grow any of these plants? Which is your favorite of these flowers? I really want to know!
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Beautiful photos of some amazing plants! Didn't even know we had something like that around here (I'm up the road a bit, in Port Townsend).
Thanks - glad you enjoyed my post. You are so close to Tacoma and this great place! Next time you are in the area, it's worth a stop. There is always a lot blooming there.
Yes, we also have those calla lilies here in Portugal. We call it "jarros" and the white ones are the more popular around! But it's easy to find purple or orange one too...I think my mom has the both, I will ask her! :)
I'm glad you have calla lilies around you. Thanks for their name in your area, too! I've never seen the orange ones, but my neighbor has a purple one. The white ones seem to grow better, though. Happy calla lily gardening to your Mom! : )
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@haphazard-hstead i like the birds of paradise the most.
I'm not growing them but the late hub's dad's wife did and hub's dad still has them.
How do I deal with the winter boredom? I don't - too busy to even noticed :D
Haha -- I don't get bored. I think it's more that winter can be very gray and overcast, without the bright colors of the flowers that we see in the summer. And some winters just seem more cold than others. A conservatory is a little warm tropical island of color! I'm with you - I've never understood being bored, lol.
@haphazard-hstead I do get tired of something - when it becomes a pattern .. sort of .. I guess we're all engineered /fashioned this way? Always looking for something different.
I agree. It always surprises me, too, how fast that happens!
vackra bilder det äe fantastikt tack
Kul att du gillade det (Glad you enjoyed it!)
Yes, they are really colorful exotic flowers! I like them all! Thank you very much for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed these flowers! That green and yellow orchid is from Thailand. I think that's where you are at, is that right?
Oh really! I overlooked that the orchid came from Thailand! There are various kinds of orchids in Thailand and I enjoyed seeing your pictures very much! You are right! I'm Thai and live in Thailand now! ;)
Wow, gorgeous phlowers (photos of flowers). The colors are truly amazing. You captured them well. I really enjoy greenhouses, they are so humid and smell so wonderful when you enter. And they are WARM when it's cold outside. Did the camera fog up alot? Seems to be one problem with greenhouse photos. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed the flowers. I didn't have any trouble with my camera. If I had been outdoors for awhile before going in, there might have been a problem, because my camera would have been cold. I hope you get to take some good greenhouse photos sometime!
This garden very nice and beautiful photos and flowers. Thanks for sharing