Archive for the 'Botanical Gardens' Category

Lightscape Delights in Golden Gate Park

Sunday, December 21st, 2025

Don’t miss the stunning Lightscape show shining in the San Francisco Botanical Garden within Golden Gate Park. Nightly light displays are adding beauty to the garden. Even without orchids, it’s a spectacular botanical exhibit. I’ve been to the garden many times over the decades, but never at nighttime. It’s a very different experience. The lights […]

Traveling the World with Orchid Videos

Friday, January 10th, 2025

Too cold? Too much snow? You’ll probably enjoy visiting orchid gardens in Singapore, Honolulu, and southern Spain, courtesy of these video tours. First, soak up the tropical glory of Singapore’s National Orchid Garden and Singapore Botanic Gardens. Next, Honolulu’s Foster Botanical Garden will help you think warm thoughts. It boasts a diverse orchid collection beneath […]

More Photos from the US Botanic Garden

Tuesday, July 9th, 2024

A dozen orchids in my previous post about the US Botanic Garden (USBG) were just the start. The first row of this post includes three more. There’s a great Pabstia species, and then a sunny, dangling Dendrobium. The third picture shows a very unusual orchid. Eulophia petersii is a desert species. Few orchids live in […]

Capital Orchids at the US Capitol

Sunday, June 9th, 2024

Did you know that you can find remarkable orchids only a few steps from the US Capitol? The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) sits on the National Mall, just across from Congress. It’s the oldest botanic garden in the country, and has great outdoor and indoor plant collections, including orchids. Dave and I recently visited, […]

Maui Memories and Botanical Wonders

Saturday, August 19th, 2023

Dave and I have been so fortunate to vacation in Hawaii over the years, but we’ve only been to Maui once. It was in 2005, before this old blog began. Maybe it’s a cliché to call it paradise, but it’s truly deserving of the title. These photos show a tiny fraction of the botanical wonders […]

More Photos from San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers

Saturday, July 22nd, 2023

When I said we had more photos from the Conservatory of Flowers, I wasn’t kidding. There are a lot of magnificent plants packed under that elegant metalwork and white glass. With all the lush greenery, it’s easy to miss some of the orchids, especially the miniatures. To take it in, it’s best to go slowly […]

San Francisco’s Magical Conservatory of Flowers

Saturday, June 17th, 2023

San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers is one of the many gems in Golden Gate Park. I’ve blogged about our past visits, but it had been a few years since we were there. Last week, Dave and I remedied that, and we were again in awe of their astounding collection. The glasshouse is magnificent on the […]

Behind the Scenes of Its 20th Orchid Show, the New York Botanical Garden Toils to Rescue Endangered Plants

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023

The Guardian reports on the New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) latest big exhibition, and also its efforts to rescue endangered orchids. Behind the scenes, there are orchids salvaged from the illegal plant trade. When stolen species are confiscated by customs officials, they are sent to botanical gardens like NYBG to be saved. The plants are […]

More Wonders of the San Francisco Botanical Garden

Tuesday, June 21st, 2022

Celebrate today’s summer solstice with more photos from our recent visit to San Francisco Botanical Garden. I already blogged about three of the most amazing plants we saw, but of course, the rest of the gardens are stunning, too. There were California natives, like a gorgeous California Azalea, and giant Coast Redwood Trees. South African […]

Wonders of the San Francisco Botanical Garden

Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

San Francisco Botanical Garden, also known as Strybing Arboretum, is full of wonders. Whenever we go, Dave and I always expect to enjoy lush growth and plentiful blooms. But on a recent visit, it seems the gardens went above and beyond their usual magic. There weren’t any orchids, but we were astounded by some stunning […]