Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Bring on the winter! Tropical Paradise is just around the corner, meaning the snow will only make the Conservatory’s jungle plants and island flowers that much more brilliant to look at.

Pavonia cauliflora– Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Let’s just say it’s not your everyday cubicle. The grids of Victorian glass and arching metal framework make for a view you’ll never find behind drawstring blinds. Come to think of it, desktop computers have a rough time with the falling mist in the rain forest houses, too. But as Manager of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Christian Primeau’s workspace is as much an office as yours or mine. Just bigger, brighter, and more…flush with growing life. For our part, we make do in the Library Building with a potted basil plant, and one or two ferns to hold down the window sill. But that’s not to say a novelty cactus is your last hope for office decor!

Instead, take a hint from the Tumblr crowd’s fascination with these living bubbles and get involved with terrariums; it’s like having a mini conservatory sitting on your desk, and you don’t even have to get a permit to run hose attachments into the building.
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Late fall outside, summer in the tropics inside. As if cued by the swirls of frosty breath, our red jade vine is opening in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, countering December’s chill with a flush of vibrant flowers.

Mucuna bennettii — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Don’t overlook the desert houses when you visit the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory for the Holiday Train Show. It may not be conventional holiday beauty, but it’s undeniable nonetheless.

Mammillaria huitzilopochtli — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

It’s where we squirrel away all of our warmth. The squirrels–we keep them outside.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

As of today, September 22, each and every sculpture has found its home in the Garden. Manolo Valdés: Monumental Sculpture will run through May 26, 2013, affording our visitors the opportunity to view the artist’s work as it was meant to be seen: through the lens of every seasonal landscape.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

To see the Summer Sky
Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie –
True Poems flee –

                                    Emily Dickinson

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

If you’re wondering, yes, the Garden is open for Labor Day. Check Friday’s schedule for more on what’s happening during the afternoon, and happy Labor Day to everyone!

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

There’s a notion floating around that growing water lilies is a hobby best left to conservatory curators and nursery managers. Maybe it’s driven by the fact that Nymphaea are so alien to what the average home gardener is comfortable working with; aquatic plants are a far cry from the ever present office philodendron. Or maybe it’s because Claude Monet built an entire artistic movement on the exploration of their fragile elegance. “I’d have to refinance my house to dig that!” you think, looking at Giverny’s carefully-arranged water lily pond.

Relax. You won’t even need a trowel, much less a construction team with a backhoe.

As we slip into the late summer height of our water lily display, Christian Primeau–Manager of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory–is ready to share a few key pointers with Nymphaea hopefuls. All you’ll need is a basic soil blend, some pea gravel, a large container, and a spot in or around your house with full sun exposure.
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