Showing posts with label Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. Show all posts

The Crown Jewel of DSBG

Upon stepping through the front doors of the glass-encased oasis, you don't quite know whether you are hot or cold. I suppose that it would be most accurate to say that I was on the brink of both, hot and cold, teetering somewhere in between. After the sweltering heat we encountered outdoors, I half expected to be greeted by a refreshingly cool blast of air as we walked into The Orchid Conservancy, but alas, we were not.



What we were greeted by, though, was a landscape of lush foliage, and around every corner we were met with the most engaging plant life. One of the most stunning displays in the entire exhibit were the Tillandsia Archways. We spent quite sometime time admiring those amazing little air plants throughout that corridor. So many varieties that I hadn't seen before.

Tillandsia Plants

Although, the real shop-stopper was just around the bend! Directly after the last archway, you run into a 16 foot stone wall with a cascade that is full of epiphytes. Unfortunately, the orchids in this display weren't accessible, which was a little sad because some of them had the best smells! I remember a few from our visit to the Fuqua Conservancy in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

Orchid Wall

As we slowly weaved our way through this horticultural display, we witnessed more than 14,000 plants and flowers. I went ahead and passed through twice just in case I missed something the first time--which normally happens. Now, I don't know how we missed it on the first walk through, but there was a little room off the back that was cranking out some bone chilling a/c! It was GLORIOUS!

Orchid

Reluctantly, we left the chill-zone to finish out our 2nd-time-around-tour. Even though we were eager to find refuge in the next cool spot, we still took our sweet time making our way around the 8,000 sq ft ecosystem. If you ask me, there really is no other way to appreciate this artistic representation of nature!

Well, this is it for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens 'Series' :)
If you missed the last post, you can view it here.

p.s. I finally set up my facebook page.

How we beat the heat at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

White Garden

After sitting in a classroom-like setting nearly all day on Saturday, for the NC Wildlife Federation Leadership Summit, we were dying to get out and about. Speaking of dying, the heat was unbearable! Nonetheless, I still managed to persuade Cody into making a trip to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens before retreating back to our beloved mountains.

West Pergola

Botanical gardens, for me, are all about unearthing new and fascinating plant life. Normally, during our usual treks through the woods, we are on the lookout for interesting and unusual flora, but being in an area where everything is in one place is like a FREE FOR ALL!

Sights and Scenes in DSBG

Armed with a map, we began our leisurely 'stop and stroll' through the lush landscape. Unlike most ventures when Cody is stuck waiting for me while I capture images, he actually joined in on the flower-photo-frenzy. Flowers are the most amazing subjects to study with their varying colors, smells, and designs. We spent hours appreciating them. In my eyes, they are works of art.

Daisy Look Alikes

One thing that was especially unpleasant, though, was how stiflingly hot it was in Charlotte! I really don’t know how I survived in Florida for all those years. The mild mountain climates have spoiled me rotten!

Lucky for us, it wasn’t hard finding flowing water throughout the gardens with various fountains spewing liquid gold. Occasionally, I would dip my hand in and splash myself for a few moments of much needed relief.

Fountains & Flowers

Imagine my delight when we crept up to this inviting canopy of geyser-like proportions shooting through the air from both directions. It was basically daring you to walk though the tunnel without getting wet. Nearly impossible. I don’t know about you, but my main objective was to time it just right for maximum soakage! Ahhh….sweet relief!

Tunnel of Fun

Another saving grace was the very friendly golf cart shuttle driver who was more than happy to give us a ride back to the front of the grounds. He even told us to come back and he’d take us on another breezy cruise!

Join me on Monday for Part 2:
Next stop: The Orchid Conservancy!