Happy Easter!

Magnolia stellata in the outdoor garden at Phipps Conservatory this week.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, 

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

~ 2 Corinthians 5:21

Phipps Conservatory in Fall

Dahlias at Phipps for fall.

My family took a little trip to Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA last week. Phipps has some lovely outdoor gardens for this time of year! These photos were all taken in the Children's garden, which sits between two wings of the old glasshouses....

(They are actually embarking on the enormous effort of restoration in the old glasshouses this summer. I am glad not to be caring for those exposed, old palm trees as the temps plunge into the 40s at night!)

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.

Glass Waterlilies at Phipps Conservatory's Summer Show

Giant purple water lily sculpture at Phipps Conservatory this summer.

 Summer is always a hot time to visit a conservatory, but it can still be worth while. Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA helped make their summer show something special this summer by including lots of beautiful glass art. My favorites were the waterlilies in the East Room...

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!

Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, in Winter

Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, in winter.

My family and I traveled to Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA again this winter for their Christmas flower show. While I enjoyed the flowers inside, I also was eager to catch a glimpse of their Dawn Redwood trees (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) outside the beautiful old glass conservatories. These tree have wonderfully interesting branching and bark and also possesses the rare tree experience of being deciduous conifers, so I knew they would be worth seeking out, even in the nose-biting cold.

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.

Kids' trip to Phipps Conservatory

Kids at Phipps Conservatory

We had a really fun trip to Phipps Conservatory with the kids last week. I called my friend and her three little ones to see if they would like to come play for the day with us, and they agreed. This was the first time we had been at Phipps together since the Spring Show years ago. Another friend was kind enough to come along to help us out.

Phipps has added on to their outdoor children's garden this year, making it easier for the kids to run and get their hands into real play. They were all excited to get to pot their own herb (yeah for more basil!), play with the log pieces and get wet, wet, wet! They were quite drippy by the end of the day. Bringing a change of clothing is advisable. And bringing it in with you makes it even easier because there are changing bathrooms outside by the kids garden.

Rest Easy by Andrew Peterson

Pink waterlily from Phipps Conservatory this summer.

Here is a great song that I have been listening to on the days when I am tired out from all of the demands of being a wife, mother and gardener... or even just tired out from reading my how-to garden journal post from the other day ;) 

Perhaps you might need to hear this song today too?

Phipps Conservatory at Summer's End

Tropical walk along the front of Phipps Conservatory with a view toward the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.

Last week, I was able to attend a garden design seminar with guest speaker Gordon Hayward at Phipps Conservatory. The first day was lecture in the Phipps Botany Hall, and the second day was a smaller setting at the nearby Phipps Garden Center.

I hope to share more of my favorite key points from Mr Hayward lectures soon. For today though, here are a few summery photos I snapped on the way around Phipps on the first day. Happy Labor Day!

Phipps Conservatory Spring Show 2012

2012 Spring Show at Phipps Conservatory

My husband and I had a quick run through at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA this spring for their Spring Show 2012. You can be sure of being hit by the heavy scent of spring bulbs as you enter the conservatory - a rare treat in most Aprils in Pennsylvania!

Here are a few of the best tulip and hyacinth combinations that I came across. The theme for the spring show this year was around the world. Holland... France... England... oh my.

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.

Phipps Conservatory's Christmas Flower Show

Christmas in the Broderie Room

Our family made the trip to Pittsburgh, PA a couple weekends ago to see Phipps Conservatory's Christmas Flower Show, and I thought you all might like a glimpse. The first two photos are from their most formal room, the Broderie Room.

Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

The Dawn Redwood tree (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) 
is an unusual creature in the tree world - a deciduous conifer. 

That means it is cone-bearing and looks like an evergreen (its leaves are needles), but it turns color in fall and drops its needles (like a maple tree). There are only a handful of deciduous conifers in the whole world. This tree was once thought to be extinct, only being identified by fossil records. In 1944, it was officially discovered in China. But it was not spread to the rest of the world until after World War II.

My first encounter with this tree was at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA in 2009. I walked quickly with my then three-year-old Grace through their arboretum section, but was stopped in my tracks by this tree. This is one of the two large specimens that grow at Longwood.

View of its needles.

Just recently, I discovered that there are two younger trees planted outside of Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA. During our long saunter around the outside gardens, my husband and I found these unmistakable trees at the end of their prairie-style planting in the front yard.

At Phipps Conservatory

Color for the weekend...

 Fern Wall at Phipps

Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA has this wonderful wall of maidenhair ferns (which are my favorite!). They are all in pots, and drooping ever so elegantly around one of their brick entrances. The date in plaster, 1893, inscribes their founding year.

~ 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 photos 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...

White Waterlily at Phipps Conservatory

Another glimpse of Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA.
I love how the stones in the shallow pool beneath the lily show up in the background of this shot.

~ 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 photos I have from before my writing days to share with you all.  Hopefully they will be an inspiring end to your week!