A Zebra Longwing spreads its wings against a backdrop of Poinsettias in Butterflies & Blooms this month

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Conservatory of Flowers!

We hope 2013 has been a wonderful year for you. There's so much to look forward to in the new year that's just around the corner!

 

Get in the holiday spirit right now in our Special Exhibits gallery, as Butterflies & Blooms is bursting with red and pink Poinsettias covered in fluttering butterflies. On Tuesday, February 11, enjoy cookies and hot chocolate as you create unique Valentines using paper handmade from the pulp of plants harvested right here in the Conservatory! On Thursday, April 10, our beloved and FABULOUS Conservatory of Flowers Gala returns! This year's theme: "Dangerous Beauty". 

 

As you look ahead to 2014, please consider making a donation to the Conservatory in honor of a loved one. Your gift will keep on giving, through next year and beyond! As always, we thank you for your support of the Conservatory of Flowers.

 

Eric Andersen, Director

You will receive a letter from us in the mail, thanking you and acknowledging your donation for tax purposes. All donations to the Conservatory are tax deductible. Thank you.

A fresh coat of paint here, replaced shelves there, new light bulbs here...

Please note that the Conservatory of Flowers will be CLOSED for routine maintenance and upkeep from Tuesday, January 14 through Friday, January 17.

The Conservatory will reopen, snazzier than ever, at 10:00am on Saturday, January 18.

 

 

Put on your finest and head to Fort Mason's Festival Pavilion, to preview the 2014 Pacific Orchid Exposition at their "Orchids and All That Jazz" Gala!

 

A generous portion of each Gala Benefit Preview ticket sold will be donated to the Conservatory of Flowers. 

 

We here at the Conservatory always enjoy the POE Gala. It's a relatively casual and lighthearted affair full of orchid lovers, and a wonderful chance to view the POE booths before the weekend crowds descend. As always, our horticulturalists will have a fun and creative booth at POE, bursting with rare and beautiful orchids. Don't miss this fun and "jazzy" evening!

 

Musa, or banana plant

 

Location in the Conservatory:

In horticulture, parthenocarpy (which literally means "virgin fruit") is the natural or artificially-induced production of fruit without fertilization of ovules. The fruit is therefore seedless. 

 

Seedlessness is seen as a desirable trait in edible fruit with hard seeds such as watermelon, clementines, grapes, and grapefruit. Bananas are another example of parthenocarpy, which explains how the Conservatory's plantains and banana plants bear fruit without a pollinator being present. 

 

 

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 10am - 4:30pm (last entry is at 4:00pm)

Please note that on Sundays and holidays,
Golden Gate Park closes many of its roads to all vehicle traffic.

Admission: $8.00 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 SF 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 JFK Drive in front of the Conservatory. 

Strollers are not allowed in the Conservatory.

Information line: 415-831-2090