Monday, February 04, 2008

Color on a Cloudy Day



I took a break last Friday afternoon to spend some much needed time on my own. Since I was in St. Paul I decided to take my new camera to the Como Park Conservatory. The Como Park Zoo and Conservatory are over 100 years old and I have many happy memories of visiting the zoo from childhood on. This room of the Conservatory is popular for weddings. The flowers are changed often with different flowers and color pallettes. January here in Minnesota was very cold and gray and the warm moist air, the color and the intoxicating scent of the flowers were like a mini-vacation.


On a matching bench across the reflecting pool from this one sat a woman doing a tiny watercolor painting of the beautiful lilies. I watched her from a distance but didn't want to intrude on her work.



There are many colorful koi in this pool. I think if I were one I'd love to live here.


Does anyone know what this flower is? It smelled softly of vanilla.

The asiactic lilies were all in shades of white through dark pink. Their fragrance was lovely but a bit overwhelming if I got too close. I think I spent an hour in this room but the orchids and the fern room were calling...

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21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those flowers are soo colorful! Vanilla flowers! WOW

ivars krafts said...

Great pictures! The Como Conservatory holds a lot of good memories for me also. It was good to be reminded of them!
Ivars

Jayne said...

Oh, what a glorious place and what beautiful shots Lynne! Thanks for taking us along. Great new camera!

nina at Nature Remains. said...

So nice to see you're getting out--and that looks like the perfect place for January in Minnesota!

Don't you wish you could bottle it and take it home for a whiff of summer from time to time.

Thinking of you, Lynne.

Anonymous said...

How beautiful that place is! The flowers are just gorgeous. Como Park was my favorite place as a kid but it was the rides and cotton candy that I loved back then. Your camera takes great photos and I'm glad you were able to get away and enjoy such a pretty place.

entoto said...

Ohhh...all those pinks, corals and greens...sigh....in January. Thank you, Lynne.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I wish we had a place like that here! It must have smelled wonderful. That new camera takes great photos!
Sandy

Ramblings of a Villas Girl said...

Beautiful pictures. What a wonderful place to go for a pick me up when the weather is bleak and dreary.

Como Park reminds me a little of Longwood Gardens.

Ruth said...

Very inviting! Thanks for sharing.

NatureWoman said...

How beautiful Lynne! I was just thinking I need to go to my local conservatory, too!

Anonymous said...

that is such a gorgeous place, conservatories are one of the favorite places of my florist

Mary said...

Yay, Linne! A fragrant walk with beautiful flowers is what you deserve, girl. And I love what your camera can do :o)

Hugs,
May

barefoot gardener said...

I went just a few weeks ago, just before they changed the display in the sunken garden. Looking at your pics, I have to go back to see all those lilies and such!

*sigh* I just love the conservatory. Especially in winter.

Kathie Brown said...

What a beautiful place! And flowers in winter! That must lift your spirits! I'll tell Gus you liked his photos!

RuthieJ said...

Hi Lynne,
Those are such wonderful pictures of the flowers. I haven't been to the Como Park Conservatory for years. I think it's time for me to go again.....

Cathy said...

What a lovely place to escape the doldrums of winter. I'm so glad you found a place for a dream of Spring. I don't know that vanilla-scented flower, but I love that it's scenting the air for you . . . .

Anonymous said...

What a marvelous place Lynne! Thanks for sharing the images of your visit there with us.

Deb said...

That is one place in the cities I have not visited! Those flowers are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!

Larry said...

Beautiful photos Lynne but I hope you don't turn into a Koi Fish!

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

Connected from Birdchick's site - I'm the person who booked her for the beekeepers. The flower you were wondering about is freesia, a non-native bulb plant. They are popular with florists, and should be easy to find. There seem to be two white varieties you find in the trade - one of them smells fiercely of pepper, so sniff with care. If you get the sweet white one, it's delicious. There are reds, yellows, purples, lavenders as well as the pinks. Not all are fragrant, and that is one of the best things about the plant. Rarely do all of the buds at the end of the stem open, but those green buds form a delicate extension of the line of the plant, so I don't mind.

Kathy

VJ said...

Ah yes, this is my favorite room. Thanks for sharing.