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Conservatory Chronicles 5
Issue #21                                                                                                             June, 2009
In This Issue
New Exhibit Now Open
Visit Us
Donate Now!
Purchase a Jungle Pass for unlimited admission
Fan Mail
Vanilla Orchid Flowers
Join our mailing list 
NEW EXHIBIT NOW OPEN
Edible Expedition Banner
Food Goes Wild
in a New Exhibition
about Edible Plants
 
May 7 - November 1 
 
Click here for more information about Edible Expeditions 

Visit Us
Reflections
Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday, 9am - 5pm (last entry is at 4:30pm)
The Conservatory is closed Mondays.
The Conservatory is open all holidays except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Please note that on Sundays and all major holidays, Golden Gate Park closes many of its roads to all vehicle traffic
Information line:
415-831-2090
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
The Conservatory is free to all visitors on the first Tuesday of every month.
Accessibility:
The Conservatory Of Flowers is wheelchair accessible for both motorized and non motorized chairs. Handicap permit parking is located at the east side of the building and also on John F. Kennedy Drive in front of the Conservatory. Strollers are not allowed in the Conservatory.

Donate Now!
Purple orchid photo by Todd Worley

 Your donation will help ensure the continued growth and success of this unique educational and historic living museum. 
Click here to make a donation through our secure online form.  
Jungle Pass
ANNUAL PASS
UNLIMITED VISITS

The Jungle Pass admits two adults and two children for unlimited visits to the Conservatory. To purchase your pass, click here.

CONSERVATORY
PARTNERS
 
Founding Partners 
Urban Farmer Store 
 
Dear ,
 
We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

Because of the multiple responsibilities of my job that Palmfortunately includes the Conservatory of Flowers, some days it seems like I am always on the run between the San Francisco Botanical Garden, the Golden Gate Park Nursery, McLaren Lodge and the Conservatory.  The other day I entered the Lowlands Gallery behind a young family when one of the kids exclaimed, "WOW...we're not in Kansas anymore!"  Well, besides the Wizard of Oz being one of my all-time favorite movies, I found a humorous tone to her utterance.  Realizing that once one walks from the foggy coolness of the greater Golden Gate Park into the humid warmth of our jungle...this young visitor's comment fell right on the money.

Everyone who has fallen in love with the Conservatory of Flowers, has done so for a wide variety of reasons.  I believe that is one of the most magical and attractive qualities of this unique botanical treasure.  For a place to have the capability to touch an individual in meaningful, inspirational or sentimental ways is something we should bottle and send out to many drab, dismal or lifeless corners of our world.  But we can't and we should remind ourselves that this special place remains welcoming and life-changing to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The hardworking team of professional staff and volunteers of the Conservatory of Flowers creates and presents a signature horticultural experience that continues to draw people from far and wide to see, feel, hear and breath the unique aspects she offers.  As summer sets in, we invite you to visit us often during the fun run of Edible Expeditions, to witness innumerable 'grand openings' of our bountiful flowering collections, and create your own personal memories within our 1879 Victorian-era glass envelope.  It'll promise to be something important to write home about to all of your friends and family in Kansas, or wherever you call home.

 
Brent Dennis
Director

FAN MAIL 
 
Recently, the John Yehall Chin Elementary School, Room 306 4th & 5th grade students enjoyed a Jungle tour and sent us these delightful illustrations of their field trip.
 
Illustrations from John Yehall Chin School

More Illustrations from John Yehall Chin School
Look Closely for the Vanilla Orchid Flower
 
 Juan and the vanilla orchid
When our Vanilla Planifolia bloomed last week, Juan San Memes, friend and purveyor of vanilla imports, rushed to the Conservatory to hand pollinate the orchid. Each bloom is only open one day and must be hand pollinated. Keep your eyes on the vanilla orchid in the Lowland Tropics to see if vanilla beans appear.
Edible Expeditions 
 
Visitors to Edible Expeditions
 
Visitors to our newest exhibit, Edible Expeditions, enjoy learning about exotic fruit from the tropics.  Docent Susan Slavick offers dragon fruit, jack fruit, lycees and durian for the Mar family to touch and smell.