FROG POND

There is a large motionless Albino frog that sits in the middle of the Frog Pond. The Frog Pond is located across the street of the historic entrance of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory.

This frog was donated to Como Park's Conservatory in 1904 shortly after the World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. At this time also, the architect Stchikawa, designed a Japanese Imperial Garden in Como Park. The only remaining vestige is this large granite bull frog.

Most people come looking for the pond with the frogs in it, but in reality, there is only a pond with a stone frog and most likely ducks. Ducks like to live within the safety of the pond after their eggs have hatched. I have watched the mother ducks leading her babies towards the pond, sometimes coming from a few blocks away. When the ducks arrive at the pond the mother duck "tells" them to jump in and soon they are all in the water and out of danger. It is very cute to watch, but sometimes the babies tumble in instead of jumping in. Many times we find the adult ducks sunning themselves on top of the frog’s head, and the ducklings resting on the ledge around the frog.

Doreen Peterson, Gardener Intern

Schiller Statue

SCHILLER STATUE

At the entrance of Como Park, near Lexington Avenue, stands a large bronze sculpture. This sculpture is a standing figure of a man named Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller. The sculpture was created by the artist Ignatium Taschner in 1905. It was donated to Como Park by the German citizens of St. Paul in 1907 and is in its original location at the junction of Estabrook Drive and Nason Place.

Johann Schiller was a renowned German philosopher, poet, historian and playwrite. He was born November 10th, 1759 in Marbach am Neckar, Germany. He died May 1805 at the age of 45.

The first play he wrote was called, "Die Rauber". It was a story about a group of rebellious students who enter into a Bohemian forest where they become Robin Hood like bandits and conduct other similar schemes. Following the performance of the play, he was arrested and forbidden to publish any further works.

There are many more interesting stories to be found about Johann Schiller in libraries and on the internet. The German Society of St. Paul, has made plans for this summer to restore the statue to its original state. It has oxidized so badly, that it has taken on a green color, and is in danger of deteriorating further.

Doreen Peterson, Gardener Intern

Forestry at work

The City's Forestry Department is a great help to us here at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. They have the skills and equipment to deal with plants and trees that are out of our range; in the photo to the left a Kapok tree is being pruned to fit into the North Garden.

When a palm's growing point hits the ceiling in the Palm Dome forestry is able to take the plant out safely so that we can come in and replant a new palm

When a tree becomes a hazard, as this Box Elder tree became in the Japanese Garden next to the Tea House, the forestry crew was able to remove it before it fell.

Bromeliads, Orchids and the Jack Fruit

The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory has a wonderful collection of orchids, bromeliads and ethnobotanical plants that are on display all year round. When you are wandering around the Palm Dome you will come across a display of our blooming bromeliads. These epiphytic plants (you would typically see them in the upper canopy of the rainforest) have spectacular and colorful blooms that are are also potential homes for various creatures like tree frogs.

The orchid collection has over 800 different species of orchids so something is in bloom pretty much any day of the year. We display our orchids in the Palm Dome, North Garden and in a special viewing window that is at the end of the Orchid greenhouse. Our collection focuses on plants that are native to Central and South America. The MMC is a USFW Plant Rescue Center for confiscated orchids that have been illegally brought over international borders. Most orchids are protected under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

The

The Jack Fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) bears the largest fruit in the world; commonly weighing between 10 adn 60 lbs. Our Jack Fruit tree is in the North Garden and since it is a young tree the fruit is still fairly small. This fruit is edible and tastes a bit like a banana, though when it is ripe it has the smell of rotting onions so a person may need to acquire a taste for it! Come see our Jack Fruit and the many other interesting and unusual plants that are on display in the North Garden.

Spring continues

The Galapagos yard has been sodded and a few boulders (20 tons of field stone) were brought in to keep the Galapogos from going into the Bird Yard. No, the Gardeners did not have to lift or move those by hand, a front end loader was used. Mainenance was on hand to help with this large project

The Blooming Butterfly Exhibit is fully planted and is awaiting the arrival of the butterflies. Many annuals and tropical plants including palms and other trees were used. The "BBE" is scheduled to open June 19th, just in time for Father's Day weekend.

The Bird Yard wall has been completed and it looks great! First thing the Gardeners do is to prep the wall by bringing a tiller on top and tilling it well. Then they put in a slow- release fertilizer to promote lots of blooming. This year the garden was planted with St. Bernard's Lily, Cordyline, Verbena, Petunia and Sweet Potato Vine

Outdoor Gardener's finished projects!

The Gardeners have been busy with some big projects. Over at the Zoo Gardeners, along with Maintenance Staff, have been working in the Birdyard to create two new spaces for the Galapagos Tortoises. Currently they are putting in a boulder fence to keep the Tortoises from getting into the other half of the Birdyard, where they could potentially harm themselves. Above are before-and-after pictures of the Birdyard with the boulder fence and without.

Located at the Como Lakeside Pavilion is the Gates Ajar which has just been planted for the year. The picture above shows the finished planting and some of the Gardeners and Interns that worked on planting the Gates Ajar.

Azalea Pruning

Pruning the potted Azalea crop is one of the large projects during late May and early June. Over the next 2 weeks the ~500 plants will be pinched and thinned to improve their shape, structure and prevent premature flowering in the fall. Pruning the larger plants keeps them at a manageable size for yearly display. The Azaleas will regrow during the summer, receive a cool temperature treatment in the Fall and then be forced to flower during the Winter flower show in late January thru mid March.

Como Shuttle Ready For Action!

The new Como Shuttle kicks into gear THIS WEEKEND! Stop circling the parking lot looking for that elusive spot and hop aboard the super comfortable, super convenient shuttle. It will drop you off at the front door! It is wheelchair and stroll assessable. Pick up location is at the State Fair Grounds Parking Lot at 1736 Como Ave. It starts at 9:30am and the last run is at 6:30pm.

GET CLOSER WITH THE COMO SHUTTLE!

Gates Ajar Preparations

Preparation for Summer continues with work on the Gates Ajar near the Lakeside Pavillion. On May 1st 20 volunteers joined the Horticulture staff to take cuttings from 'Alternanthera ' stock plants. The 1" to 2" cuttings were stuck into small plug trays and put in the propagation house to root. The vertical Gates are being prepared for planting by mudding the gates with moist sifted soil to fill in the wire mesh surface. Starting May 15th the Gates will be planted with 'Alternanthera' and 'Echevaria', with plans to finish by May 25th. During mudding and planting the Gates need to be watered twice a day to keep the soil wet and until the small plants root into the wall

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