| NEW EXHIBIT NOW OPEN |
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Food Goes Wild
in a New Exhibition
May 7 - November 1
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Visit Us |
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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.
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| Donate Now! |
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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. |
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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.
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| Save the Date!
Tropics, Treasures & Trains
The Golden Gate Express Garden Railway Gala
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 6:30pm
Raising funds for the Conservatory's youth environmental
education programs. |
| Read More and Purchase Tickets! |
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| CONSERVATORY
PARTNERS
Founding Partners |
| Urban Farmer Store
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Dear ,
On a recent American Airlines flight back to San Francisco following a visit to Michigan, I was so surprised but pleased to find their in-flight "AmericanWay" magazine that featured four outstanding public gardens in America. Low and behold, the Conservatory of Flowers was the first botanical treasure highlighted. Joined by the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Conservatory of Flowers was in excellent horticultural company.
Our beloved Conservatory of Flowers was featured with an appropriate emphasis upon our rare highlands orchid collection, aquatics gallery and special exhibitions wing. Mention of the significant $25.0 million restoration campaign, renovation work and re-opening of the Conservatory back in 2003 were also prominent parts of the descriptive text.
I was reminded of how important our public relations and marketing efforts are to the success and growth of the Conservatory. I have long thought that the "best kept secret" moniker that many museums, attractions or gardens often boast is actually quite an embarrassing trait to herald.
Our staff and volunteers' goal of sending every guest home with a very positive experience, filled with great memories and reasons to come back is the bedrock of most effective marketing...that being 'word of mouth' marketing. From the lips of an impressed visitor to the ears of a potential new guest, that is what is really the most valuable fruit of all our labor. Won't you too help us get the good word out and especially during the upcoming holiday season, make a point to share the calming beauty of the Conservatory of Flowers with your friends and family. Visit us often and enjoy!!!
Brent Dennis
Director
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THE CONSERVATORY IN A DIGITAL AGE!
Not only is our newly launched website a reality, the Conservatory is now communicating in a 21st century style, updating followers on Twitter and getting to know fans on Facebook. Join us digitally to receive updates regarding our plant collections, upcoming events, and volunteer opportunities.
Follow us on Twitter:
Please send your thoughts about our new web site and your suggestions for future improvements to our web site administrator. |
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A SUCCESSFUL CHOCOLATE EVENING 
In association with the current special exhibit, Edible Expeditions, the Conservatory of Flowers hosted 'A Chocolate Evening' presented by Seneca Klassen, founder and co-owner of Bittersweet.
An enthusiastic audience participated in an interactive lecture with Seneca Klassen on Thursday, the 17th. Participants explored the transformation of the cacao plant. After learning the history of the cacao plant's botany, Seneca discussed the Conservatory's fruiting plant. He then explained the social history of the plant as the group sampled a variety of tasty pieces, with varying percentages of chocolate, from around the world.
Fun Facts:
· 1879 is not just a keystone year for the Conservatory, but also for chocolate making! In this year in Switzerland, milk chocolate was invented and Rolf Lindt invented a machine that refined the particle size of chocolate to create a smoother texture.
· The Conservatory's tree is special because it can self fruit, which is a genetic mutation that is very rare: the only other tree Seneca has seen that does this is in the Field Museum in Chicago
· Current trends in chocolate include 'origin chocolate', which places a special emphasis on the specific flavor profile identified with a specific region, and infusing chocolate with odd additions, such as bacon!
Mark your calendar and purchase your tickets for the next evening presented in association with Edible Expeditions: join us for 'A Cup of Paradise' on Wednesday, September 23 at 6pm. Pualani Daniels, owner of Triangle J's 4 Coffee, grown in Kona on the slopes of Hualalai, Hawaii, will share the processes of creating the perfect cup of organic coffee. Click here to purchase tickets!
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WHAT'S IN BLOOM AT THE CONSERVATORY?
It has been and continues to be a spectacular year for our stanhopea collection. Thanks to the skillful care of our horticultural staff assisted by our dedicated interns and volunteers under the direction of Clare Cangiolosi, the newly divided and repotted specimens are growing and blooming with abandon. The are currently featured in the Aquatics and Lowlands Tropics Galleries.
Thanks must also be extended to our feline security team of Biffers and the late great Pongo who have kept the local rodent population at bay through their skillful acrobatics and watchful eyes.
Stanhopea is a genus of the family Orchidaceae. The flowers of this genus are often large and fragrant but as short lived as they are fantastic in their appearance. Fortunately, ours have chosen to bloom sequntially and several have produced more than one inflorescence this year, providing a breathtaking series of wonderous blooms. Their strong sweet scent appears to be an adaptation to guarantee reproduction assisted by bees. Unlike most orchids, the Stanhopeas send their pendant inflorescences downward below the promenant upright leaves and psuedobulbs, thus the common name "upsidedown orchid".
Their native range is from Mexico through Central and South America.
The genus is named for the Fourth Earl of Stanhope, president of the Medico-Botanical Society of London in 1829. |
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FIND A GIFT FOR YOUR BUDDING GARDENER IN THE GIFT SHOP
Fall is the time for gardeners to prepare for spring and summer crops. If you are a beginning gardener, Sheherazade Goldsmith's A Slice of Organic Life, available at the Gift Shop, is an excellent introductory how-to guide, for you or your budding gardening friends. To get started, visit the Gift Shop's new Botanical Interests seed rack, which contains a large variety of seasonal organic herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Adieu to our old rack which held 48 different kinds of seeds: the new rack holds 108 varieties, so come find something to plant this fall! |
NEW PALMS ADORN CONSERVATORY ENTRANCE
Thanks are due to the generous anonymous benefactor for the donation of two new plants. Visitors now admire the two Phoenix robelinii as they approach the Conservatory's entrance.
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Have you tried the new shuttle service in Golden Gate Park?
Additional Parking for the California Academy of Sciences, de Young Museum, Conservatory of Flowers, and SF Botanical Garden is available on the Great Highway. There is now shuttle service on Saturdays, Sundays, and major holidays from there to locations throughout Golden Gate Park.
From Westbound on Lincoln Way
Follow Lincoln west all the way to the Great Highway (approximately 1.5 miles), turn right and park along the beach. The shuttle stop is located at the Ocean Beach parking lot. Look for the large, green shuttle stop sign.
From Westbound on Fulton St.
Follow Fulton west all the way to the Great Highway (approximately 1.5 miles), turn left and park along the beach. The shuttle stop is located at the Ocean Beach parking lot. Look for the large, green shuttle stop sign.
Shuttle Service (Look for the black Bauer's shuttle bus.)
The shuttle costs $2.00 for an all-day, round-trip pass. Exact change is required. Children under 3 and those with ADA needs ride free. The shuttle runs between 9 am and 6 pm every 15 - 20 minutes.
This shuttle is ADA accessible and runs on alternative energy (CNG). The $2.00 fare cannot be applied to a transportation rebate at the California Academy of Sciences, the de Young Museum or the Conservatory of Flowers.
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