Special Exhibits Schedule
The Butterfly Zone
opened on Tuesday, March 17 and will continue through Sunday, November 2.
The Ancient Art of Penjing continues through
April 27.
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VISIT US
Hours:
* Tuesday - Sunday, 9am - 5pm (last entry is at 4:30pm)
* The Conservatory is closed Mondays
* The Conservatory is closed on all Holidays except Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.
* Please note that on Sundays and all major holidays, Golden Gate Park closes many of its roads to all vehicle traffic
Information line:
415-666-7001
Admission:
* $5.00 for Adults
* $3.00 for Youth 12-17, Seniors 65 & over, and Students with ID
* $1.50 for Children 5 - 11
* FREE for Children 4 and under and all Jungle Pass holders
* The Conservatory is free to all visitors on the first Tuesday of every month.
Maps and more information
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| HELP SUPPORT THE CONSERVATORY
We invite you to support the Conservatory to help us expand our environmental education programs and our horticultural collections. Your tax deductable donation is greatly appreciated.
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Jeopardy of Sorts?
One of my favorite shows when I do find time to relax with some television time is 'Jeopardy'. Although after several decades of enjoyable viewing, I still find myself forgetting to answer in the form of a question. Maybe you are there with me? The category of Potpourri is a common one and may be the appropriate title for my e-newsletter for the Conservatory this time around. It seems like I have a lot of varied things to share with you this e-issue.
For starters, I have some happy but sad news on our staffing front to report. The Conservatory of Flowers' long-serving Director of Education Lisa Van Cleef announced her resignation to take an exciting new position of Marketing Director for the Nature Conservancy. Lisa has served the Conservatory for over four years and has always introduced a creatively fun approach to the learning experience for our guests. We wish Lisa the very best for a future filled with success and positive impact for a worthwhile organization. A shoes-filling search will begin in earnest within the next month to find the caliber of staff the Conservatory's education programs deserve to carry Lisa's legacy forward.
On a much different note, not one day passes when I don't learn of a new and wonderfully unique way that the Conservatory touches people's lives. We recently learned that a woman who found great joy in the Conservatory was thoughtful and generous in her estate planning. Evelyn Westberg passed away on January 15, 2008 and included the Conservatory of Flowers as one of her many bequests to charitable organizations. Evelyn's gift will help provide one of our first Discovery Carts to enrich the interactive learning experiences for so many of our younger school-age visitors.
The Conservatory's west wing exhibition gallery is not at all nervous,  but it does have butterflies! What a fun and lively opening day our newest exhibition had on March 18th as nearly 1,000 visitors were thrilled with the fanciful flight from our colorful winged guests. Please make plans to visit the Conservatory's "Butterfly Zone" often now thru November 2nd and learn all about pollination and plants all the while you are immersed in a truly magical garden.
And while the entire country is increasingly involved in the national campaigns and race for the White House our own landmark Victorian glasshouse will become a brighter 'white house' of sorts when it receives its annual whitewashing during the month of April. I have been advised by our staff and volunteers to wear my sunglasses following this historically correct process of coating the greenhouse glass to moderate the light levels and help control the heat buildup during most of the sunnier months of the year.
Wow, with all of this valuable update information, if you are ever on Jeopardy and have the category, "Conservatory of Flowers", you should get all of your 'questions' right.
Thanks for your continued support!
Brent Dennis
Conservatory Director
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Clare's Favorite Orchid: Bulbophyllum Sulawessi
now on display in the Highland Tropics
 STAFF SPOTLIGHT: CLARE CANGIOLOSI
Clare came to the Conservatory in 1989 as a volunteer and continued on as a work-study student, an intern, a board member of the now defunct Conservatory Foundation, and is now our senior Nursery Specialist. Along this almost 20 year journey with COF, Clare has nurtured endless plants and mentored scores of aspiring horticulturists.
In 1984, Clare realized an office life was not for her, and decided she should open a nursery. A little education in the field of horticulture seemed like a good idea to Clare, so after 13 years of one
class per semester
Merit Colleges, including all of the plant ID classes offered, she holds certificates in nursery management, pruning, floral shop management, arboriculture, irrigation, and more! She's definitely the "go-to" person for any of your plant concerns!
When the great storm of December 1995 wrecked havoc on the Conservatory, Clare was one of the Merritt College volunteers who joined the Conservatory staff working tirelessly clearing glass and other debris. Hands and knees wrapped in protective material, she crawling through the galleries, collecting whatever plant material showed any chance of survival. Palms were literally chopped in half and had to be discarded. Cuttings were taken wherever possible and cultivated in hopes of some day returning to their Victorian home.
Clare was delighted to become a regular member of the COF staff in 1997 and welcomed the grand reopening in 2003. Well respected as an orchid specialist, she confines her home gardening to "mostly natives and 5 trusty cymbidiums."
Along the way, Clare also became a Master Gardener and developed a passion for creek restoration. She was instrumental in organizing free debris pick-up and recycling efforts in East Oakland as a way to keep the creeks clean.
Biggest pet peeve? Graffiti! She also volunteers with graffiti abatement and works to rehabilitate young offenders.
An interview with Clare is more of an opportunity to write a book than a short news article - she's a walking history of almost two decades at our treasured Conservatory. Thank you Clare, for all of your contributions.
Visit Clare on Henry's Garden
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AND THE SURVEY SAID:
A special thank you to almost 150 of our Conservatory of Flowers E-newsletter readers who responded to our recent survey. Your feedback is the basis for a series of important improvements and additions to our E-newsletter. Probably the most noticeable change will be the frequency with which you will receive your electronic-formatted updates. A significant number of our readers felt that a monthly e-newsletter would be preferred.
We also were encouraged to learn that most of the other topical areas and nature of content of the E-newsletter were hitting the mark. We received a high satisfaction level and found that most of our readers read over ¾'s of the content and rated the content as very relevant.
By far, the exhibit schedule was rated as the most important feature within each edition. Information on facility rental and the Director's article were also high on the ratings list of important features.
A final point of interesting survey trivia was that most readers prefer to receive their Conservatory of Flowers E-newsletter on Monday mornings. What better way to start a new week?
Thank you for your ongoing interest and support.
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Members of the Golden Gate Mother's Club
joined us for a tour guided by soon-to-be home and Conservatory docent, Maike Rentel
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 VIREYA RHODODENDRON
Currently in bloom in the Highlands Tropics, the Vireya rhododendron is native to the tropics of Southeast Asia. Unlike the spring blooming rhodies found in many Northern California gardens, the Vireya flowers off and on throughout the year bearing waxy-textured flowers in vivid colors. More more information about Vireyas in the Bay Area, enjoy Vireya Rhododendrons Still Prize to Behold | |
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