San Francisco's very proper Conservatory of Flowers, the oldest public conservatory in the western hemisphere, has added a 21st century touch to its collection of carnivorous plants, its rare tropical shrubs, and its serene lily pad garden: woolly pockets.
Famously restored at a cost of $25 million after a severe storm severely damaged its 10,800 panes of glass and delicate white wooden arches nearly 20 years ago, the Conservatory has a new vertical garden in its lobby. Here's a glimpse, first spotted via Plants on Walls, of the installation as it got underway the other day in Golden Gate Park:
Photographs via Plants on Walls, except where noted.
Above: The conservatory's high domed confection of a lobby. Photograph by Jennifer, via Flickr.
Above: Invasion of the woolly pockets (R).
Above: A Florafelt Vertical Garden Planter, made from recycled water bottles costs from $59 to $159, depending on size, from Plants on Walls.
Above: Filling the pockets with a variety of tropical plants. In the lobby, 32 Florafelt planters are mounted to a galvanized steel frame.
Above: The wall's 360 pockets are filled with exotic species from the conservatory's collection as well as with other, donated plants.
Above: Inside the conservatory, a very tall philodendren keeps company with tropical neighbors. Photograph by Vladimir Sanchez via Flickr.
Above: The conservatory is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30, Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays). Photograph by Leslieak via Flickr.
Above: Mystery surrounds the conservatory's history.The building was discovered in a crate in a barn in San Jose in 1876. Tests of the structure, conducted 15 years ago, revealed that more than two-thirds of the building was made of redwood, a common material in Northern California. Photograph by Che Holts via Flickr.
For a story about a glasshouse in Norfolk, England that was abandoned for decades before being restored, see "How to Restore a (Rather Large) Kitchen Garden."