Franklin Conservatory Part II

As promised in Monday's post we shall now look at some of the formal gardens located on The Franklin Park Conservatory grounds. All gardens attract pollinators and this bumble bee was enjoying some coneflowers; which were in full bloom during our visit.

Most of the garden was partitioned off reminiscent of the style of  Versailles Gardens. The Franklin Park Conservatory was more colorful and not quite so grand and formal in my opinion. Because the grounds of this conservatory are so large I think large partitioned gardens are exactly the right way to make an impact upon visitors. Inside of the formal boxwood hedges perennials were planted to perfection.

At the heart of the park and within view of the conservatory was this massive sculpture. It was displayed to nicely in the center of a large paved area; which was then surrounded by gardens.

Looking back to the conservatory we can really see the massive scale of this building.

Traveling on a bit we came upon a nice pond where residents can fish and relax. The Canada geese were also enjoying the park....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

The Franklin Park Conservatory Part I

On a recent visit to Columbus Ohio, Mr. Fix-it and I ventured out to a local attraction called The Franklin Park Conservatory. I took a lot of pictures even though this mecca was not really a botanical garden, it did have a lot to offer to the gardener in me. Therefore we shall have three posts on this park. 

We start with the conservatory itself. Upon entering the building is quite massive with a good amount of neat sculptures. One included a two story spider web complete with a spider made from resin. Another was a twenty foot tall orchid that looked so real Mr. Fix-it had to go check it out for me. But what really caught my eye was the Chihuly sculptures. Upon wandering around we discovered an entire Chihuly room. The room included sculptures and nice displays demonstrating and explaining about all the different types of glass Chihuly makes. It was pretty neat. The sculptures above were massive and so beautiful I took several shots of them.

Once we each purchased our entrance tickets (with a $2 military discount-YEAH for businesses that show their appreciation for the military!) we entered into a sort of cave grotto area that had windows and skylights filled with Chihuly. How about this display to really wow you? I have seen Chihuly glass in Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville but never have I seen it displayed so beautifully and colorfully as here.

And here. It was pretty amazing!

Upon leaving the grotto we then entered into the conservatory. While I think conservatories are nice enough, the moisture from the controlled atmosphere usually damages my phone and camera. We did not linger in the conservatories needless to say. This area was kind of neat though. It had a working train in and amongst the vegetation.

After exiting the conservatory we ventured into the park. I initially thought this was a botanical garden but no, it really is a park for residents and there is no charge for walking among the gardens and pastoral landscape to enjoy a day off. There were many folks doing just that on the day we visited.

The conservatory is quite large and in fact has two separate glass houses. We only visited one but did walk around the entire building to look at the gardens. This particular garden was called 'The Bride's Garden'. It was furnished in all white plants and had a lovely alter where I assume outdoor weddings are held periodically.

Upon leaving The Bride's Garden we found a nice stand of bottlebrush buckeye in full bloom. Heck, it wouldn't be Ohio without buckeye since Ohio is known as the Buckeye State. If you ever wondered why Ohio is known as the Buckeye State do check out the link. It is interesting information if you are into trivia. I really had no idea why Ohio was called the Buckeye State but now I know.

After venturing out away from the conservatory we came upon several formal gardens. We'll take a look at them on Wednesday and Friday....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden