Botanical gardens vs. winter 07

This year, visits to the gardens are even better because I now have an Olympus that takes close-ups. I'll need some practice with it, though. A friend and fellow gardener was with me, trying out her equally new but much fancier Nikon on the flowers.

The amaryllis (actually hippeastrum—why can't we have just one name, preferably the correct one?) show is in bloom now. It was scheduled for all of January, but the flowers were a bit slow to perform and waited until mid-month. It's an interesting difference between museum exhibitions and this type of show—you really are at the mercy of nature. Human plans and effort can only do so much.

Anyway, here's one:

I've never been too interested in distinguishing between the various hybrids of this plant—they seem aimed chiefly at producing different colors—but they are beautiful.


Also at this time of year, the thunbergia mysorensis is in full bloom; it forms a dramatic entrance to the Victorian/herb greenhouse. The plant in the background is codiaeum (croton).


Here's my best close-up, of what I believe is a miltoniopsis orchid. Signage is always a bit of an issue at the Gardens. Labels are scattered here and there but often the plants move and the labels don't.

In fact, I'm a tiny bit peeved. There's more information provided about the model circus train installed in the Palm Dome than about most of the plants.



Still, it was a balmy break on a very cold day. And this am we had combined snow and hail. It's winter.