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OPENING MAY 7... beware! |
Visit Us |
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NEW Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday
10am - 4:30pm (last entry is at 4:00pm)
The Conservatory is closed Mondays.
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:
$7.00 for Adults
$5.00 for Youth 12-17, Seniors age 65 & over, and College Students with ID
$2.00 for Children 5-11
Free for Children 4 and under
Discounts available to all San Francisco City and County residents with proof of residency
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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This ANNUAL PASS provides membership to the Conservatory of Flowers and supports our education mission.
UNLIMITED VISITS
The Jungle Pass admits two adults and two children for unlimited visits to the Conservatory, as well as discounts to Conservatory events, and entrance to other gardens around the country. To purchase your pass, click here.
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SAVE THE DATE!
June 16, 2010
Annual JUNGLE PASS Member's Night!
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Join us for a summer evening of local delights!
Reconnect with old friends, make new ones and meet the new members of the Conservatory's ever-growing community!
June 16th, 2010 6-8 pm Conservatory of Flowers Jungle Pass Memberships will be available at the door, or to purchase your pass online, click here.
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Help us Grow...
digitally!
Upload Photos and Share your Experiences!
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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. | | HOLD YOUR SPECIAL EVENT AT THE CONSERVATORY
OF FLOWERS
Weddings, Corporate Events, Children's Birthday Parties... See how our event spaces will work for your private party. Visit the website for more information or contact Event Coordinator Morgan Davis at mdavis@sfcof.org.
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| CONSERVATORY
PARTNERS
Founding Partners |
| Urban Farmer Store
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Dear ,
"Mother Nature"
We are quickly approaching that very special Sunday in May when we pause to remember and celebrate our mothers. I believe the tandem link of the words Mother Nature is so pure and symbolically appropriate. It seems to be a maternal moniker that exudes the loving provision of all the essential things we need.
For me, my mother, Marge, often quietly sacrificed much to provide for many things that met our family's needs.
She supported my interest in plants and gardening. She went to work to save money to help me attend college and attain my degree in landscape architecture. My mother's nurturing nature helped shaped the person I became over time.
Her favorite way to spend time with me when she would visit was to stroll through the conservatories or public gardens I have managed over the years. We share many wonderful memories of time spent in gardens surrounded by colorful and fragrant flowers.
Certainly the Conservatory of Flowers can be an exceptional experience to share with your mother, grandmothers or friends who are mothers.
I invite you to include our 'flowerific' Conservatory to create a memorable day with the special ladies in your life.
Happy Mother's Day!
Brent Dennis
Director
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WHAT'S IN BLOOM AT THE CONSERVATORY?
Spectacular Species! Odontoglossum cordatum
When most people think of the genus Odontoglossum they think of some of the showy colorful plants that grace garden centers and orchid shows. Odontoglossum, first described in 1815, has been the proud parent of thousands of hybrids. Often being crossed with other genera such as Oncidium, Brassia, and Miltonia, the beauty of the Odontoglossum hybrids is diverse and undeniable. Less seen but no less spectacular are the Odontoglossum species. Currently blooming in the Highland Tropics Gallery is Odontoglossum cordatum, a mist-dwelling species that grows at elevations ranging from about 5,000 to 10,000 feet. A new acquisition for the Conservatory of Flowers, Odontoglossum cordatum was first introduced into cultivation in 1838 and has remained a prized plant in collections since that time. Come to the Conservatory, welcome one of the old time friends of the orchid world, and see yet another spectacular species.
The Odontoglossum cordatum in our collection will be on view in the Highland Tropics Gallery, blooming through the first week of May. You can find it at eye-level, potted, and resting in the display case on the West wall, in the North Corner of the gallery.
Written by Eric Imperiale
Photo by Morgan Davis |
CARNIVOROUS PLANTS INVADE THE CONSERVATORY!
 Bzzzzz....CHOMP! Crunch! Yummm! On May 7th, a very special exhibit takes over the West Wing of the Conservatory of Flowers... it will become a Little Shop of Horticultural Horrors with a sequel to its 2007 exhibition "Chomp!". On view through October 31, 2010, "Chomp 2! Return of the Carnivorous Plants" features expanded displays of these natural born killers with dazzling, new additions like the Dionaea B-52, the world's largest Venus flytrap with traps up to two inches square, and the aptly named (for a bug, that is) 'Abandoned Hope,' a pitcher plant hybrid that can grow up to two feet tall.
Visitors can feast their eyes on hundreds of multi-colored, meat-eating plants arranged in swampy, living bogs that showcase species both by their trapping strategies and by their native regions and countries.
Surprisingly, the United States is home to the largest number of carnivorous plant genera, so four new mini bogs highlight the beauty and diversity of homegrown killers. Visitors will be amazed to discover the unexpected treasure trove of purple pitcher plants that hail from chilly New England. Their carnivorous cousin, the white trumpet plant, is featured in the Gulf Coast bog. Some botanists speculate that these luminous plants may be adapted to lure in a bumper crop of bugs on full moon nights, particularly the Harvest moon. A North Carolina bog highlights the fact that this state is the one place on earth where Venus flytraps are native. And locals may be surprised to discover that California is home to the sinuously curved cobra plant (Darlingtonia californica) whose bulbous green head and twisted red "tongue" make it a dead ringer for its namesake.
Other regional displays feature plants from South Africa where the widest variety of sundews can be found including Drosera regia whose leaves can grow up to 2 feet long; Eastern Australia, known for its forked sundews that resemble living spider webs; and Mexico, home to the largest number of butterworts on the planet.
Families will enjoy some of the many kid friendly amenities in the exhibition such as magnifying lenses that allows young ones to get a bug's eye view of these peckish plants. On Saturdays and Sundays at 12 and 2 PM each day, The Flytrap Theater features daily volunteer-led demonstrations and plant dissections. Available at all times for just $3 is a special Chomp! field guide, a great hunt and find activity that sends kids on a mission to search the globe for killer plants.
A new highlight this year is a stunning display of 25 botanical watercolors by Mary Harden's Master Artists of the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society's Illustration Program. The superb collection of watercolors beautifully reveals some of the structural details that make these plants so alluring.
Behind the scenes at the Conservatory, while Chomp! 2 comes to life...
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Keep your eyes peeled for the May Conservatory Chronicles to hear more about the exhibit from key contributors! In the meantime, visit the Chomp! page on the COF website to learn more about carnivorous plants and to view more species!
Exhibit text by Nina Sazevich
Photo of Utricularia dichotoma by Conservatory fan Scott Hollingsworth
Photo collage by Morgan Davis |
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PARTNER PROMOTION.... FROM ONE CONSERVATORY TO ANOTHER!
Our friends at The American Conservatory Theatre are happy to offer the Conservatory of Flowers community a generous discount to their upcoming production!
Round and Round the Garden
by Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by John Rando
April 29-May 23, 2010
In the "explosively hilarious" (London's Guardian) third installment of Alan Ayckbourn's acclaimed trilogy The Norman Conquests, librarian Norman, to whom family members refer as a "badly built haystack," channels his inner Casanova in fervent attempts to seduce his two sisters-in-law, as well as his estranged wife, during a weekend family gathering. In this British farce full of unfulfilled desire, Tony Award-winning director John Rando (Urinetown, the Musical) allows us a satisfying voyeuristic gaze into Ayckbourn's "gleefully torrid little world" (Entertainment Weekly).
As a thank you for supporting the Conservatory of Flowers, we would like to offer you $40 off a pair of tickets! Use promo code GARDENS online or call 415.749.2228. At the theatre, be sure to take a look at the CHOMP-inspired carnivorous plant arrangement in the Main Lobby!
**Offer only available for orchestra and dress circle seats for performances April 29-May 23. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. Subject to availability. |
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IN THE GIFT SHOP!
With the opening of "CHOMP! 2: Return of the Carnivorous Plants", the Conservatory's Gift Shop will now sell a variety of carnivorous plant goods, including: CHOMP! 2 themed t-shirt, magnet, water bottle, hat, informational books by carnivorous plant experts Peter D'Amato and Barry Rice, children's exhibit guide and the little bug eaters themselves (in 3" pots).
Jungle Pass members... don't forget! You get 10% off in the Gift Shop with presentation of your Jungle Pass card!
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MAY 7 - NATIONAL PUBLIC GARDENS DAY!
The American Public Gardens Association has deemed Friday, May 7th National Public Gardens Day. Visit your favorite public garden, with your favorite gardener! Visit our website before you come, for more ideas about what to expect when you bring them! Make a donation to the Conservatory of Flowers to show your support of public gardens, and to keep your local community educated about Conservation and the importance of plants! |
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ON THE WISH LIST
The Conservatory is in need of two 48" flat screen monitors for volunteer trainings this summer and future meeting rentals! If you are interested in donating these items, please email Erika Frank, Director of Volunteer Services. Visit the online Wish List to see more needs. Thank you! |
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CONSERVATORY IMPLEMENTS NEW HOURS
The stark realities of our current economic challenges are settling in and unfortunately the Conservatory is not immune from the market dynamics affecting everyone. The Conservatory is taking many prudent and economically-sound steps to address these challenges head-on in a timely manner to end the year with a balanced budget.
One of the most important facility management changes is our reduced hours of operation. Beginning on April 1, 2010, the Conservatory of Flowers will be open to serve the public at 10 am and close at 4:30 pm with the final tickets sold at 4:00 pm. This adjustment recognizes and corrects for the low ticket-selling that occurred in the historic first hour of 9 am to 10 am. Please make note of this change in hours of operation.
In answering many questions as to how to help the Conservatory during these challenging times, we encourage making a donation. A link has been established within the Conservatory website for a convenient and secure way of support through financial gifts. Click here or click the "Support" tab on the Conservatory's website, or call Director of Development Jane Scurich at 415-831-2093 to make your gift today. |
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SPECIAL OFFER FOR NEW OR RENEWING JUNGLE PASS MEMBERS!
Join or renew your Jungle Pass Membership before June  15th and receive a one-year
subscription to Better Homes and Gardens magazine, thanks to the American Public Gardens Association. Already a subscriber? Better Homes and Gardens will add one year to the length of your subscription.
As a member of the American Horticultural Society, the Conservatory of Flowers is pleased to provide our members reciprocity with other Gardens. Visit the AHS website to learn more. Jungle Pass Membership at the Conservatory entitles the holder special admission privileges at more than 250 horticultural organizations throughout North America, as well as the local member benefits:
*Unlimited admission to the Conservatory for 2 adults and 2 children for 1 year
*Admission for two to our annual Jungle Pass members only event
*Discounts for select special events
*Monthly enews subscription
*Knowledge that you are an important steward of the historic Conservatory of Flowers
*10% discount in the Conservatory Gift Shop
Enjoy the unique botanical beauty and architectural majesty of the Conservatory of Flowers in the coming months. Please consider a Conservatory of Flowers Jungle Pass gift membership to a friend or family member as a fun way to celebrate birthdays, Arbor Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day! What a fun way to give flowers! Visit the Conservatory's website to join or renew online today. |
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