The tropical dome at the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was simply delightful. I could have stayed there for hours soaking in the warmth and beauty of the many tropical plants and trees. One question arises as to the difference between a greenhouse and a conservatory. The first difference is the layout. Most greenhouses are designed so plants are in pots sitting on specially designed tables whereas a conservatory is set up as an indoor garden oasis complete with water features that may or may not include fish. They often do though as fish are an important part of the ecosystem. Benches and other sitting spots are common in conservatories whereas greenhouses are meant mainly as organized aisles of plants. Both are concerned with the propagation of plants but conservatories specialize in rarer and harder to grow plants. Conservatories became popular during the Victorian era.
Orchid
Isn't this orchid just gorgeous? Unfortunately I did not write down the name of it and the picture didn't capture the tag. I rely heavily on my camera to capture not only the plant but the tag in this type of situation so must have been distracted to miss the tag.
I checked the Tropical Dome Plant Inventory online to identify this beauty. I think this is Phalaenopsis Jungle Gem X Golden Buddha Red Star a member of the Orchidaceae family if I have identified correctly. If I am wrong I hope someone will correct me. I'll email the conservatory to confirm my identification.
Banana Tree
Some of my most pleasurable moments have been spent in conservatories and greenhouses. They just have a wonderful peacefulness about them. I can remember sitting quietly in the university conservatory that surprisingly doesn't see a lot of traffic despite being gorgeous. It was one of my favourite hide-outs to spend a bit of free time during the winter months. There was a banana tree in there that just fascinated me so this banana tree brought back some lovely memories. Notice how the bananas grow upside down. One would think the hang downward so even this is quite interesting. I love the huge banana leaves.
What is interesting is a banana tree is not a tree at all but actually the world's largest herb! Most banana trees are hardy to USDA hardiness Zones 9 - 10 but Musa basjoo may survive outside as low as Zone 5 if well mulched. We are in Canadian hardiness Zone 6A so I am looking for this particular variety of banana for my garden. Smaller varieties make good houseplants as well so that is another option.
Golden Shrimp
The Golden Shrimp Plant (Pachystachys lutea) is a small shrub native to Peru that reaches a height of about 3 feet. It grows best in full sun with medium humidity as a houseplant or in the greenhouse. Mist the leave regularly to ensure proper humidity or use a stone humidity tray. The golden shrimp plant can be grown as a landscaping plant in tropical areas. This plant is prone to mealy bugs so always inspect any new plant and isolate it for a couple of weeks before introducing it to your other houseplants. This plant can easily be propagated via cuttings. Year round blooming can be encouraged by removing dead brads and trimming the plant a third way back to encourage new growth.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010
As promised the desert dome in the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin conversation continues. Despite the temperature in the dome being close to the cold outdoor temperatures we spent a fair amount of time in the desert dome. There is just something about arid plants that appeal to me perhaps because they are just so exotic. 
Graham's Sage
Graham's Sage (Salvia microphylla [in US Salvia grahamii]) is a low growing perennial, evergreen shrub indiginous to southeastern Arizona and the mountains of eastern, western, and southern Mexico. It is a member of the dead-nettle Lamiaceae family sometimes referred to as blackcurrent sage. There are numerous hybrids and cultivars since the 1990s because the plant easily hybridizes. It is favourved for conservatory cultivation due to its long flowering season of up to 9 months outside and all year indoors. The flowers are arranged in whorls, with a wide range of color (magenta, red, pink, rose) depending on the cultivar. Unfortunately the Graham's Sage was not in bloom during our visit.
Palms
I fell in love with palm trees our first visit to Las Vegas that lined the streets and graced most landscaping. That love was reinforced through a few trips to Florida but my gosh where I really started to appreciate them was in Key West. The palms waved in the wind making a rustling sound while providing cooling shade in the heat of the sun. In the evening hours the shadows created by the palms were amazing then at night listening to the rustling in the deep darkness it was easy to believe the local ghost stories. Perhaps the local ghosts were actually visiting us!
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010
Yesterday I posted on a bit on the desert dome at the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I took a fair number of pictures so will be sharing some of those with you over the next couple of days. Cacti can be grown successfully indoors in northern climates in a sunny window. It is amazing to see the variety of cacti available, some more suitable to growing indoors for the gardener than others.
Cleistocactus
A nice feature of conservatories is many of the plants are labeled with their common and scientific names. If this is a plant you are interested in trying your hand at growing then take a picture along with recording the tag information. This will help ensure you get exactly the plant you are looking for.
Cleisrocactus (Cleistocatus hyalacanthus) [note a typo on the card] is a columnar cactus that is hardy to USDA Zones 10 and 11. This tall, fuzzy cactus grows to 4 - feet in height with small pink or pale red diurnal flowers about 1.6 - inches long. 
Welwitschia
Welwitschia (front bottom) is a low sprawling, sideways growing plant that grows from a short, thick, woody trunk. Two leaves continuously grow from their base for the entire lifespan (1,000 years or more) of the plant. These leaves split to form several strap-shaped sections disguising their origin. Welwitchia has a long, thick taproot.
Variegated Elephants Bush (Portulacaria afra variegata), just behind the Welwitschia is a small branching succulent shrub. It resembles a small variegated jade plant. This plant can make a fabulous indoor or outdoor container plant. If growing outdoor it is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 10. Indoors treat as would other succulents such as jade. Be careful to not overwater. Variegated Elephants Bush has tiny pink blooms but these are seldom seen under cultivation.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010
The Train Show
Attention to Detail
tropic canopy
