My husband and I took to our local botanical garden this weekend.
Norfolk Botanical Garden is one of our favorite places to go for an outing in any season. It was chilly but probably not as cold as we deserve at this time of year. I suggested we go because I knew the Wintersweet would be in fragrant bloom.
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| Chimonanthus praecox (Wintersweet) |
I didn't know about the Japanese apricots ahead of time and their fragrance wafting down on us was a delicious surprise.
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| Japanese apricot |
We ended up spending most of our time in the indoor conservatory they call the Tropical Pavilion. It's steamy and warm inside ...
... and there are lots of interesting and fragrant blooms ...
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| Amaryllis |
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| A begonia I think (no label) |
... foliage ...
... and exotic botanical features I am so thoroughly unfamiliar with that I won't attempt to put a name to.
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| Painted Feather Bromeliad |
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| Bromeliad 'Del Mar' |
If you are stuck in a cold-weather place without much sun, I hope you can find a conservatory or botanical garden to visit. I always enjoy the warmth, color and intrigue I find here.
What a great idea for a winter afternoon. And those are wonderful pictures. My favorite is the backlit black leaves.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bryan. The best part was going with my best friend.
DeleteThat is a great idea. I can just imagine how the warmth and the smell of the soil warmed your gardening heart. Some beautiful sights you got to see!
ReplyDeleteHi Holley,
DeleteYes, it's nice to get thoroughly warmed up in the steamy fragrant atmosphere of the hot house and explore all the exotic tropical plants that are very unfamiliar to me. Makes me feel like a victorian plant hunter.