Garfield Park Conservatory Part II: Blooms for GBBD
Well, our blooms this March 15th are limited to snowdrops (Galanthus). I’ve already posted pictures of those. So this seems a good opportunity to post some more pictures from our visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory.
For starters, there was a “Spring Flower Show”, which consisted of a bunch of blooming azaleas in containers. Nice, but not too exciting.
There was a compact hybrid Bougainvillea.
In the Aroid House we saw a Flamingo Flower (Anthurium) cultivar in bloom. Someone should tell this plant that it is not polite to point with your spadix.
There was Crown of Thorns (Euphorbium milii), which is aptly named, in the Desert House. What if William Jennings Bryan had said in his famous speech, “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this Euphorbium milii …”?
Loved this Popcorn Orchid (Oncidium).
This is called Hanging Lobster Claw (Heliconia rostrata), which is truly a great name for a flower.
There was also Yellow Walking Iris (Trimezia martinicensis), also a pretty good name.
Love the flower of this Red Torch Banana (Musa coccinea).
Finally, Flaming Sword Plant (Vrisea splendens), an apt name for a truly dramatic plant.
All in all, a fine variety of flowers to enjoy on a cold March day in Chicago. For more blooms, check out MayDreamsGardens, which hosts Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
gardeninacity 
Such unique species! Ok…I am so embarrassed to say that I have lived in the suburbs of Chicago my whole life but have yet to make it to the Garfield Park Conservatory! It is on my list of places to go in the city! What outstanding blooms!!! Aren’t you getting antsy? This winter seems a bit longer this year!!!
I didn’t realize you lived in the Chicago area. For some reason I assumed that you lived in California. But you should definitely go – it’s a great place for young kids, they have fun activities. Just make sure you get there before it is closed for repairs, which will be some time in April.
What luck that we have conservatories to visit during the less than active times in our gardens!
I totally agree.
Beautiful flowers in your Conservatory!
That yellow walking iris is an amazing looking plant. Looks so unique.
I liked it too. I guess it must spread by stems with adventitious roots.
At certain times of the year we sometimes have to take blooms wherever we can find them. A conservatory visit may just be what I need right now. Happy GBBD!
Same to you! I highly recommend a visit to the conservatory, especially if you are suffering from a delayed spring.
The Garfield Park Conservatory is a treat to visit this time of year. I really like the fern room, though of course there are no “blooms” there.
Yes, the fern room is really nice.
Since there is nothing even approaching a conservatory up here, or flowers in a glass house for that matter…I am totally excited to see any flower. Even a azalea in a pot.
Jen
Ah, that makes perfect sense. I hope you have flowers outside soon.
WOW!
I am delighted with the beautiful flowers and plants.
The photos are great.
I send greetings.
Lucia
Glad you enjoyed, Lucia. Happy GBBD!
I love popcorn orchids. Such special plants.
I like the name. Too bad they’re not edible.
Nice photos…all the plants remind me of when I lived in Florida and had most of them in my gardens. Very different from my New England gardens.
I can’t imagine gardening where tropicals are the “ordinary” plants.
Wow some racy flowers! (Did your mother know you went to that show?)
My mother was always someone who could appreciate a racy flower.
I have been sick for a few days and this post cheered me up. I like the large Norfolk Island Pines they have as a backdrop to all the color.
Oh, I love that flaming sword plant! Not only that beautiful, bright red bloom coming out of it, but also that interesting foliage!
I love exotic flowers! I used to go to Kew Botanical Gardens here in London in the winter, to see plants and flowers like this, but I haven’t been there for years. These pictures made me smile 🙂
I continue to wonder how it is that Portland has no conservatory. Our Founding Fathers clearly were too busy felling firs for toothpicks to do the right thing in support of the more tender species. That Heliconia rostrata is quite amazing!
It is surprising, since Portland has the reputation of a very garden-minded city. Though I’ve never been there.
Jason, I love to visit Conservatories! Nice Bougainvillea, lots of bright flowers, interesting shaped leaves.
I love the word ‘garden’, written very creative!
What a great place to visit when you don’t have any greenery yet in your own garden. and so many new interesting plants that you wouldn’t see otherwise.
The Garfield Park Conservatory has some great specimen plants…I really enjoyed the photos. I have alwasy imagined that when I retire I will build onto the house a conservatory and that on winter days before spring arrived I would spend my time there drinking hot tea and just enjoying.
That sounds like a truly fantastic plan.
All beautiful pictures. I saw a similar Bougainvillea in St. Augustine, FL a little over a week ago and posted it on my blog. It was love at first sight. Of course, since I live in upstate New York, it will be unrequited love.