January Scenes

The first beautiful Crocus tommasinianus forced inside this January

Hello from the snow!
I hope this post find you snug, warm, and enjoying the cozy moments of winter in your region. We have been driven inside by sever cold, snow and ice since Christmas. We are making the best of our winter by keeping busy with school, crocheting and some rest before the spring gardening season arrives. Here are some scenes from outside and in this week at Havenwood....

Helleborine orchid at Havenwood

Epipactis helleborine

While I was out moving some bark mulch this week on to our new yew hedges, I noticed something under one of our mature yew by the front walk...

Color for the Weekend: Orchid 'Electric Orange'

Wilsonara 'Electic Orange', also known as Gay Spice

 My favorite orchid from the Phipps Conservatory's Orchid Show this winter...

Garden visit: Phipps Conservatory's Winter Orchid Show 2014

Large baskets spill over with a variety of orchids in the Sunken Garden at Phipps Conservatory this winter.

If you are in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area this weekend, be sure to stop by for the last few days of Phipps Conservatory's Orchid Show. It was a warm and colorful break from the doldrums of our cold, unrelenting winter! Here are a few of my favorite photos from the Sunken Garden room in the last wing of the conservatory.

February Flowers ~ GBBD 2014

Welcome to Pennsylvania in February!

It was -1 degrees F (-18 C) this morning, we have eight inches of snow outside and are expect to get six more inches tonight. So, we are inside for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day today. Thankfully, we have more orchids and some roses... :)

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ January 2014

Paperwhite narcissus (Narcissus papyraceus) from a lovely friend.

Welcome to chilly Pennsylvania for GBBD!

It has definitely been too cold for outside flowers this winter. Last week it was -8 F (-22 C) in our area, with a windchill of -30 F (-34 C).  Last January, we already had snowdrops up. But each year has its own things to enjoy.

We are blessed to have a few white flowers inside this year to hold us over. And a new home to work on before spring plant begins! Here are a few views from around our new house...

Visit to Phipps Conservatory's Summer Show 2013

Glass passion flower at Phipps Conservatory

We were visiting at Phipps Conservatory after my RHS test in June, and were wowed by some of their pretty glass flower sculptures for the summer show.

I posted the enormous glass waterlilies last week. Here are a few more highlights from our visit.

Chanticleer's Asian Woods

Chanticleer's Asian bridge... corresponding to this multi-stemmed tree and the dark-stemmed Arisaema.

Chanticleer's Asian Woods is beautiful in April! It is full of blooming woodland primroses, fresh hosta leaves, delicate peonies and many other woodland treasures. Orchids, Epimediums, Japanese maples and lady's slippers fill out the scene. Plant lovers, read on!

The Tropical Nature of Phipps Conservatory Orchid Room

Oncidium Group Orchid in Phipps Orchid Room this February

One thing that I love about Phipps Conservatory's Orchid room is the natural setting full of tropical foliage and rock that is then covered in pretty orchid blooms. There is real substance to the overall garden design, which helps to support such exuberant color. I wanted to help you get a better idea of the setting as a whole of this Orchid Room, so I have included several room shots mixed in with the orchid close-ups. I hope this will give you more of a sense of what it is like to walk around such a room, though you may have to turn on your tea pot for a while to simulate the warm, moist heat! Just be sure not to steam your iPad in the process.

I hope that you enjoy a few more colorful orchids from Phipps Conservatory!

Phipps Conservatory Orchid & Bonsai Show 2013

My family's visit to Phipps' winter Orchid Show.

Hi all! I fell off the blogging band wagon last week (mostly due to my migraine issues), but I am back again with the more orchid and bonsai photos from our trip to Phipps Conservatory.

If you are ever near the Pittsburgh, PA area during the bleak months of January or February, the Orchid & Bonsai Show at Phipps is definitely worth a stop! This year it is showcased from January 12 - February 24, 2013. It has been my favorite of their flowers shows over the past three years, with their Spring Show as a close second. And as my friend from Florida pointed out, it is the cheapest way to soak up some Floridian heat and humidity in the midst of our cold, dry Pennsylvania winter!

Fredclarkeara After Dark Orchid

Fredclarkeara After Dark

One of the most dramatic orchids at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA this week is the dark-flowered Fredclarkeara After Dark. They have two varieties hanging in pots in the Orchid Room near the exit. Be sure to seek them out if you get to make a visit!

Dendrobium Andree Millar

Dendrobium Andree Millar in Phipps Orchid Room

It was a busy weekend around here that ended in a trip to Phipps Conservatory for their Orchid & Bonsai Show. Here are a few photos of the small and beautiful Dendrobium 'Andree Millar' orchid. There are hundreds of orchids under-glass at Phipps this winter. I am hoping to have some more time to share them this week. Enjoy!

Orchids at Phipps Conservatory

Paphiopedilum insigne f. sanderae from China

A few more orchid photos from our last trip to Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA. This week we will be going to see their winter Orchid & Bonsai Show, which has been my favorite of their displays in the past two years. I hope to share a nice batch of photos from our trip. Have a great weekend!

Color for the Weekend...

A blue orchid, Vanda Hilo Princess, from Phipps Conservatory's Orchid Room.

Read more about Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA here on WMG.

Color for the Weekend...

The Orchid Room at Phipps Conservatory

Photo taken December 2011.
More on Phipps' beautiful Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA... Spring show 2009; Spring show 2011.

Plants from Longwood Garden's Conservatory

Hallway to the Orchid Room

A few more plants I enjoyed from our walk through at Longwood Garden's Conservatory a month ago. The main Christmas show was dazzling, of course, but it was also nice to have a break from all the red and taken in a few other choice plants.

The hallway above is draped in Cinnamon Wattle (Acacia leprosa), which is native to Australia and in the pea family.

The big hanging baskets above are full of the African violet relative, Streptocarpus 'Concord Blue'

Passion flower (Passiflora) blooming near the fruit tunnels

Luscious but deadly, a hanging tropical Pitcher plant, Nepenthes x mixta var. superba

Color for the weekend...

Orchid at Phipps Conservatory

A warm punch of color for this sunny weekend. 

The orchid room at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA is worth the visit in itself! 

A meandering walk through a room drenched in blooms. 

~ Photo taken in September 2008 ~

See more of Phipps' during their Spring Show 2011

and Spring Show 2009. 

   With "Color for the weekend," I will be delving into the tremendous store of old photo I have from before my writing days to share with you all.  Hopefully they will be an inspiring end to your week!

Color for the weekend...

 Orchid Wreath at Longwood Gardens

    Part of my family lives in Kennett Square, PA, which has made it easy for us to visit the world-famous Longwood Gardens, which is in the same town.  This wreath was hung in the orchid room of their large conservatory during the Christmas season a few years ago. I am a sucker for live wreaths, whether covered in sedums, flowers, etc. This is definitely one of my favorite treatments. 

  ~ Photo taken January 2009 ~

   With "Color for the weekend," I will be delving into the tremendous store of old photo I have from before my writing days to share with you all.  Hopefully they will be an inspiring end to your week!