Conservatory
                                           
                Chronicles 4

Issue #13 September 2008
In This Issue
A Blooming Boost to Youth Education
The Golden Gate Express Premiere Gala
Meet the New Education Team
Costas: Now Appearing in the Aquatics Gallery
Special Exhibits Schedule

Banner for butterflies

The Butterfly Zone
opened on Tuesday, March 17 and will continue through Sunday, November 2.

Night Safaris
First and  third  Thursdays
of the month
May 1 -  Oct 2
8 pm  -  9:30  pm


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

 

Planning a Special Event?

Conservatory at Night
Photo: Billy Winters

The Conservatory of Flowers is the perfect place for your upcoming wedding, reunion, birthday celebration or other special event.
Visit our rental page for more information.



Jungle Pass

Unlimited Admission
to the Conservatory
for one year for one
low price!
Enjoy unlimited visits to
ever changing
exhibits for only $50!
The Pass admits
2 adults and
2 children 5 - 17.
The Jungle Pass
also makes a wonderful
gift for friends
and family.
 
Purchase a Jungle Pass
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 deductible donation is greatly appreciated.
 
New in our Gift Shop!

Conservatory Paperweight

This lovely glass paperweight is the perfect souvenir or hostess gift from the historic Conservatory of Flowers.
Available now in our Gift Kiosk.

A Blooming Boost to Youth Education!
 
A few Friday evenings ago, the Conservatory of Flowers played host to a major event that proved to be a significant source of new support to our growing Youth Education Program.  The September 12th Fall Fundraiser for the San Francisco Parks Trust was held beneath tents and greenhouse glass for over 600 attendees to this colorful and lively annual party for Parks Trust supporters.
 
A portion of the event's proceeds was earmarked to help fund Conservatory of Flowers Youth Education Programs.  A $10,000 check from the Parks Trust to the Conservatory of Flowers represents just one of the many benefits from this great evening.  Many people were re-acquainted with the beauty and uniqueness of the Conservatory of Flowers during their time at this very social event. 
 
On behalf of everyone at the Conservatory of Flowers, I want to congratulate San Francisco Parks Trust Executive Director Karen Kidwell and the staff and event planning committee on an outstanding event AND their charitable gift of support to our Youth Education Program.  It will certainly touch many lives of younger visitors in the coming year.
 
An event such as the Parks Trust Fall Fundraiser only gets me even more excited about the Conservatory of Flowers' first annual gala being planned for Friday, November 19th to celebrate and preview the exciting upcoming exhibition, The Golden Gate Express Garden Railway!  I hope you are making plans to join us for this very special premier event.
 
Gratefully,
 
Brent Dennis
Director
Conservatory of Flowers


The Golden Gate Express™ Premiere Gala


Gala Co-chairs, Pat Hanson Thomson and Colette Weil Parrinello Pat & Coletteinvite you to celebrate the romance of the rails as the Conservatory debuts its enchanting, new garden railway exhibition, The Golden Gate Express with a gala evening event amongst the exotic flora in San Francisco's crown jewel of Victorian architecture.

With this delightful new exhibition, the Conservatory celebrates the city of San Francisco as model G-gauge trains wend their way through a lush landscape of dwarf plants and steam past twenty of the city's landmark buildings. From City Hall to the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco's most famous places provide a magical setting for this special holiday attraction that will captivate young and old alike.

Gala guests can be the first to see The Golden Gate Express and have the rare chance to experience the Conservatory at night. There is nothing quite like an evening in this historic greenhouse as the lights come on and transform the building and its tropical plant collections into a glowing oasis in the park.

Guests will enjoy a Conservitini™ cocktail, compliments of Craft Distillers/Hanger One Vodka, premium wines, "Station Stops" of tantalizing treats provided by McCall Catering and live music by the Golden Gate Hot Club. Space is limited, so purchase your tickets now and be the first to come aboard The Golden Gate Express!

All proceeds benefit the Conservatory of Flowers' youth environmental education programs.

For more information, please visit our website

The NEW Conservatory of Flowers Education Team
 
Mike & DoloresGrowth seems to be synonymous with the Conservatory of Flowers, but the one area that has witnessed the most positive and encouraging growth is our Education Department team.  Starting on Monday, September 8th, the Conservatory staff grew with the addition of two stellar professionals who are now leading the way in significant roles.  Dolores Gebhardt is our new Youth Education Program Manager and Mike Gonzalez is our new Exhibitions and Interpretive Programs Manager.  Their individual creativity and energy have already added greatly to the dynamics within our professional staff at the Conservatory.
 
Dolores, a graduate of San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts as well as an MBA in Finance from the University of San Francisco, brings experience as a Certified Master Gardener as well as extensive service as a docent and docent trainer at the California Academy of Sciences.  She has great ideas and tremendous enthusiasm for expanding youth education while making learning fun at the Conservatory.
 
Mike, a University of Wisconsin Masters of Art graduate and a University of Texas' Bachelor of Business Administration degree graduate, brings solid real world experience in the realm of designing and building creative gardens and landscapes thru his business, Michael A. Gonzalez Landscape Designs here in San Francisco.  He has also served in the capacity of Curriculum Manager at the San Francisco Botanical Garden where he has also been a docent and volunteer. 
 
Together Dolores and Mike have an innovative approach and exciting vision for what can be planned, designed and presented at the Conservatory of Flowers to enhance the visitor experience and bring our outstanding botanical collections to an even higher level of educational value and interaction.  Watch for their creative enhancements to future education programs and exhibitions in the years ahead.
 
Welcome Dolores and Mike!!!

  
VISIT THE COSTAS IN THE AQUATICS GALLERY
 

Ginger flowerCurrently featured in the south west corner of the aquatics gallery you will find two members of the Costacae, or alternately the Zingiberacae (the ginger family). These are Costus speciosus and Costus variegatum. In common parlance, they are referred to as crepe ginger, or Malay ginger. They are herbaceous perennial monocots from low elevation forests of Indonesia and So. East Asia to the Himalayas. Costas have naturalized in Central America and the West Indies. To thrive they prefer regular moisture, a rich organic soil with good drainage, and an exposure of part sun or light shade, warmth and humidity.
The plants can grow to be about five to seven feet in height
,
with the variegated costa being shorter and more tender. The plants can be propagated from cuttings of the fleshy rhizomes which left unchecked allow the plants to spread as wide as growing conditions permit. These costas can also be propagated from stem cuttings. Visually, they are most unique when viewed from above. The soft long pointy leaves grow only on one side of the stem which grows in an interesting loose spiral. The green costa currently is in bloom, producing club shaped cones held on sort Varigated ginger foliagestems which produce crinkled crepe paper like white funnel shaped flowers emerging one at a time from the inflorescence. these plants are not only beautiful to see but are also known for their medicinal attributes. It is claimed that they can be used to cure diverse ailments such as boils, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, to stop vomiting, fever, rash, asthma, bronchitis, intestinal worms, and to ease ear and eye and nose pain. In the Kama sutra it is mentioned for its value as a cosmetic. 
                                                                           - Mario Vega

Thank you for visitIng the Conservatory on-line. We hope to see you soon! Previous issues of our newsletter are available in our Newsletter archives
Contact Us
Director                                          Volunteer Coordinator                Education Manager             Exhibits Manager                                 
Brent Dennis                                  Lee Edwards                              Dolores Gebhardt               Mike Gonzalez
415-753-7271                                415- 722-6650                            415-845-2394                     415-637-4326                                          
[email protected]                       [email protected]                           [email protected]         [email protected]

Guest Services                             Director of Development              Director of Operations                                      

Lau Hodges                                  Jane Scurich                                Ann Ziolkowski                                                
415-831-2090                               415-831-2093                              415 -831-2080                                                
[email protected]                       [email protected]                     [email protected]                                          

General Information                       Rental Information
[email protected]                             415-666-7001