• Home
  • Meet Mary
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Contact
  • Northern Gardener Book

My Northern Garden

January 31, 2012 · 2 Comments

Steam Treatment: A Visit to the Como Conservatory

Why We Garden

path in comoc conservatory

What a calm path to wander on a cold winter day.

Maybe it was because I’m at the end of a moderately miserable cold, but I really wanted to visit the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park this week. Luckily, I had two meetings in the Twin Cities today, with a nice spot of time between them to go soak up the warm, humid air of the Como conservatory.

Even though the outside temperatures were mild for January (about 40 at midday), it felt wonderful to walk into the fern room and experience the sudden rush of warmth and humidity. My camera fogged up, so I had no choice but to settle down on a bench and just breath deeply. (My sinuses felt better already!) The sunken garden, one of my favorite parts of the conservatory, was closed as the conservatory crews took down the holiday display and put up the spring display — lots of bright, beautiful lilies, which may inspire a return trip.

green pond with statue

St. Francis watches over the pond.

It was all green-on-green in the palm room and then I visited a room full of plants that produce the spices we love — an over-the-top-of-the-door vanilla vine, black pepper plant, ginger and other medicinal and useful plants. With a pool in the center, flanked by a statue of St. Francis, the room was calm and soothing. Francis is surrounded by Pothos, a common houseplant, that really thrives in the sun and humidity of the conservatory.

Calanthe grouville

Later, I wandered into the room where the winners of a the Como conservatory’s orchid contest were displayed. The smell was glorious on one side of the room; pungent on the other — at least to my nose — and all the orchids were showstoppers.

Soon it was time to head out to my next meeting. I left feeling refreshed and inspired.

Related posts:

  1. U.S. Botanic Garden: The People’s Garden Give the Founding Fathers a lot of credit: Not only...
  2. A One Hour Tropical Vacation Update from 2018: I have visited the wonderful Marjorie McNeely...
  3. Summer Visit to Squire House Gardens Yesterday, I took a side trip on my way home...
« Big Changes in Minnesota Hardiness Zone Map
Book Review: The Way We Garden Now »

Comments

  1. Donna Becker says

    February 2, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    Years ago, my husband and I visited the orchid house at Longwood Gardens (a former Dupont estate in Kennett Square, PA). Thousands of blooms tumbling from perches built into walls, on tables, in beds, and spilling out of every imaginable type of container. Fragrances drifted from many of the varieties.
    It wasn’t the first time in my life that I realized the healing power of flowers, but it was one that remains picture-perfect in my mind to this day. My experience there confirmed that when I’m feeling low, I can visit plants — even at the local garden center — and get a pick-me-up.
    I’m glad you share the same motivation!

  2. Mary Schier says

    February 3, 2012 at 9:48 am

    Longwood Gardens is on my want-to-visit list. I’ve heard it’s spectacular. You are so right about the benefits of being surrounded by nature.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Connect

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed for Posts

Grow it, Minnesota Podcast

Now Available!

My Northern Garden book

mynortherngarden_mary

It’s National Gardening Day! I’m not much for It’s National Gardening Day! I’m not much for special days (sorry, siblings, I missed that one last week) but any excuse to post a picture of a gorgeous peony, I’ll take! 

Peonies are a huge part of Minnesota’s horticultural heritage. They aren’t native but our cold climate is perfect for peonies. They’ve been hybridized in Minnesota for over 150 years, and the state still has several peony breeders based here. If you ever get a chance to go to a peony open day in June, jump on it. Seeing rows and rows of peonies all blooming at once is a northern gardener’s joy. 

Peonies will last forever, too. Plant one in the right place and it will outlive you by decades. What’s your favorite plant? 
.
.
.
#nationalgardeningday #nationalgardenmonth #garden #peony #horticulturalheritage #garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo #gardenblogger 
#mngardening #minnesota #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b #nofilterneeded
This week’s podcast and blog post are about grow This week’s podcast and blog post are about growing summer bulbs. I grow lilies in containers, 1) because they look great and 2) because the rabbits 🐇 can’t get them as easily there. Growing bulbs in containers means you can move them around the garden for extra color where you need it. 

Bulbs aren’t that tricky to grow, though you will have to pull dahlias, gladiolus and canna lilies for the winter. Lilies can stay in the ground. This winter, I left some in their pots and held  them in the unheated garage. They survived and are already putting up foliage. 

Check the 🔗 in bio for links to my interview with Mike Heger as well as the blog post on growing bulbs in containers. 
.
.
.
#bulbs #summerbulbs #lilies #liliesinpots #containergardening #summergarden #garden #mygarden #monalisalily #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
#mngardening #minnesota #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b
In bloom at the big box store: Columbine! These lo In bloom at the big box store: Columbine! These look pretty but most of the in ground columbines are just greening up in Minnesota. That’s one thing to remember when shopping for perennial plants now. If it’s in bloom, it’s a spring plant and will probably be green all summer. Nothing wrong with lots of spring bloom in the garden, but plan for the whole season by picking things that bloom in July, August, even the fall, too. 
.
.
.
#columbine #plantshopping #gardentips #minnesota #mngarden #coldclimategardening #zone4b #springblooms #garden #perennials #perennialgarden #perennialflowers
So many things are suddenly blooming! . . . #spri So many things are suddenly blooming! 
.
.
.
#spring #springinmn #bulbs #forsythia #irisreticulata #squill #earlyspring #garden #gardeninspo
#mngardening #minnesota #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b #seenonmywalk
Uff da! This seems really early for daffodils 🌼 Uff da! This seems really early for daffodils 🌼 in Minnesota. Last year, I posted my first daffodil photo on April 12, and it was in snow ❄️! No snow this year, and this tracks with the info I heard earlier this week that we are 10 to 14 days ahead of schedule. I’m enjoying the warmth but can’t shake the memory of 2019’s mid-April blizzard. The joys of cold climate gardening! 
.
.
.

#garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo #spring #mnspring #daffodil #springbulbs 
#mngardening #minnesota #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b
This weeks podcast is about rain gardens with Madd This weeks podcast is about rain gardens with Maddie Poling of @sacredspacegardensmn while rain gardens are great for water filtration, they also can be incredible pollinator gardens, especially if you plant lots of milkweed. Link to the entire episode is in bio. 
.
.
.
#growitminnesota #raingardens #pollinators #pollinatorplants #milkweed #growitandtheywillcome #coldclimate #coldclimategardening #minnesota #mngarden #gardenpodcast #mnpodcast
Fun news 🗞! I have an essay in the upcoming iss Fun news 🗞! I have an essay in the upcoming issue of Gardening for Health, a special interest publication of Better Homes & Gardens. It’ll be on newsstands and in grocery stores, home centers, drugstores and more starting tomorrow. The essay is about why gardening matters, for our health, our spirits and our communities. I haven’t seen the layout yet, but I’ll be prowling my local Barnes & Noble tomorrow! Can’t wait to see it. 
.
.
.
#gardenwriter #gardensmatter #gardeningforhealth #bhgspring #bhggarden #bhgspecialinterestpublications
Wondering what winter burn looks like on shrubs? C Wondering what winter burn looks like on shrubs? Check it out. I’ve got three of these dwarf Alberta spruce. This is the worst case. One has no burn, the third just a bit. This one faces south so it gets the most sun and wind. After it starts growing this spring, I’ll trim off the burn. May need some wrapping next winter. 
.
.
.
#whatswrongwithmyplant #winterburn #evergreen #albertaspruce #dwarfshrubs #dwarfspruce #garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
#mngardening #minnesota #mnhort
#gardeninglife #notpretty 
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b #coldclimategardening #mnwinter
A pair of crocus cuties. This spring is coming on A pair of crocus cuties. This spring is coming on fast, though we know Mother Nature can slam on the brakes anytime she wants. Enjoy the early blooms and have a great weekend! 
.
.
.
#crocus #springiscoming #minnesotaspring #springbulb #flowergarden #growflowers
#flowersofinstagram #plants #garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
#mngardening #minnesota #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b
My conversation with Amy from @milkweed.and.daisie My conversation with Amy from @milkweed.and.daisies on the @growitmn podcast got me thinking about annuals that are easy to grow from seed. There are a lot! She grows some I haven’t had in years, like hollyhocks and snapdragons, plus plenty of my favorites. Seven really easy options are listed in a new blog post (🔗 is bio) on the My Northern Garden blog. Cosmos, zinnia and sunflowers may be the easiest of  all. 

The sunflower 🌻 pictured is The Joker. The zinnia photo is one I took of the zinnia beds at the @ballseedgardens I’m not sure about the cosmos, which are from a tour garden. 

Plant any of these annuals in sun and let them grow. Suggestions for annuals to try this year? I’d love to hear them! 
.
.
.
#annualflowers #cosmos #sunflowers #zinnias #growfromseed #growyourownflowers #coldclimategardening #minnesotagardening #northerngardener #zone4b #mnpodcast #gardenpodcast
The 3+ inches of snow from a couple of days ago is The 3+ inches of snow from a couple of days ago is melting, and the crocus continue to bloom. Hang in there, little flower, spring is on the way. 
.
.
.
#bulbs #springiscoming #springbulb #minnesota #crocus #meltingsnow #garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
#mngardening #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b
Crocus so soon! I was taking apart the holiday pot Crocus so soon! I was taking apart the holiday pot and noticed three crocus blooms in my south-facing front bed. This is a full week earlier than last year, and that felt early to me. They’ll probably get snowed on come Monday. 🌨🌸
.
.
.
#minnesota #minnesotaspring #crocus #earlybloomer #springbulbs #garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
#mngardening #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Top Posts & Pages

  • How to Pollinate a Meyer Lemon Tree
  • Growing Lilies in Containers
  • Mushrooms Growing in Straw Bales
  • Big Changes in Minnesota Hardiness Zone Map
  • Weed of the Week: Stinging Nettle
  • How to Build a Vegetable Garden Box for Your Deck
  • Conjoined Daisy
  • How to Grow Lemons in the North (Plus a Recipe)
  • Taking the Straw Bales' Temperature
  • Frost Dates in the Vegetable Garden

Post Categories

  • Books/Writing
  • Climate
  • How to
  • Plants
  • Recipes
  • Uncategorized
  • Why We Garden

Copyright © 2021 · captivating theme by Restored 316