Flowers spring early - TwinCities.com

Flowers spring early - TwinCities.com

Jewel Of Como

Friday March 12, 2010

There is still a bit of winter left to curl up with a good book. ‘Jewel of Como, The History of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’ by Leigh Roethke and Bonnie Blodgett was published last September and recently nominated as one of four finalists in the 22nd Minnesota Book Awards, Minnesota category. Winners will be announced on April 17.

This unique narrative chronicles the early city parks and Victorian era glasshouses in Europe & North America, inspiring a deeper appreciation for those first conservatories still in operation from the late 1800’s – early 1900’s. Gardens or plant collections under glass in the northern latitudes enjoy a special appeal, and the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory rocks steady during the long winter season. An iconic Saint Paul destination since the doors first opened on Sunday, November 7, 1915, the conservatory has connected with millions of visitors through family events, art, photography, educational programs and in fulfillment of that intrinsic emotional need for beauty.

Photographs from the 1800’s to the present day highlight the people, plants, and quirky moments marking the passage of time. “Jewel of Como” will acquaint you with some of the early conservatory supporters to the more recent contribution from the Donald McNeely family in honor of Marjorie McNeely. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, Parks Superintendent Frederick Nussbaumer’s grandest proposal for Como Park in 1913, has a history to tell and a future to share with generations to come.

Orchids

This year the Horticulture Department displayed their Winter Carnival Orchid Show exhibit in the Parlor.
We used 81 plants in our exhibit. Of the 81 plants we entered 47 plants in 27 different classes. A maximum of three plants are allowed to be entered per class. There are 108 possible classes that are judged; including art, educational exhibits, photos, orchid arrangements as well as plants.

We were awarded the following:

1st place for our exhibit in the open competition: Orchid plants in flower, arranged for effect, more than 50 square feet.

1st place for best miniature orchid awarded to Epidendrum polybulbon .
1st and 2nd place for specimen plants awarded to Laelia (Schomburgkia) moyobambae and Angraecum eburneum respectively.

15 – First place ribbons
11- Second place ribbons
6 -third place ribbons
1 Best in Class (Misc. genera) trophy for Ludisia discolor
1 Best in Class (Class 10-26) trophy for Laelia (Schomburgkia )moyobambae

We also had one orchid this year that took a number of very special awards.
Laelia (Schomburgkia )moyobambae received:

First place class 14 (Cattleya Alliance)
First place class 102 (Specimen plants)
Best in Class trophy (Class 10-26)

Two AOS awards:
A CCE award with a score of 92. CCE stands for Certificate of Cultural Excellence. This is awarded to the exhibitor of a specimen plant of robust health and appearance with an unusually large number of flowers. This plant has 396 flowers on 22 inflorescences.

An HCC award with a score of 79. HCC stand for Highly Commended Certificate and the points are given based on the flower quality. The plant receiving this award is given a permanent cultivar name. The name chosen for this plant will be Greg McNeely. This plant and all the future divisions of this plant will be called Laelia (Schomburgkia) moyobambae ‘Greg McNeely’ HCC/AOS
Greg McNeely was introduced to the orchid which bears his name on Thursday Feb. 4, 2010!

February Thaw-Winter Flower Show

The Marjorie McNeely Horticulture Staff has just finished installing our latest Winter themed Sunken Garden Show. The plants you can expect to see in the 2010 show include azaleas, cyclamen, cineraria, freesia, oriental lilies, and pansies. We are also featuring some very fragrant shrub camellias.

One plant that we get asked quite a few questions about is Veltheimia. This plant is in the bulb category, and is native to the Eastern part of South Africa. A common name for this plant is Forest Lily. The leaves can be one foot long, are glossy, and bright to dark green. They produce a rosette of a dozen or more leaves, and have wavy margins. The flowers are on 1-2’ stalks, and resemble a spike on a red hot poker plant. They come in shades of pink, mottled pink or a green-yellow color. It is one plant that adds a sculptural element to the show.

The Winter Show runs from January 30 to March 21, 2010. The color scheme of pinks, reds, and purples would make a perfect backdrop for a picture of your Valentine sweetheart.

Orchid Carnival

The Conservatory’s Orchid Collection Staff, have been busy planning for the 2010 Winter Carnival Orchid Show. Preparation involves choosing the orchids, extra careful grooming, and then deciding on the way they will be presented. We have a loyal group of volunteers that assist with repotting, grooming, and special cleaning of the orchids.

The presentation, or the display, begins with considerable brainstorming and no reasonable idea is rejected in the decision process. The planning is creative, functional, & sometimes wildly entertaining. But throughout it all, we always remember to keep the orchids center stage.

The Orchid Show includes members of the Orchid Society of Minnesota. Vendors, hobbyists, and orchid enthusiasts make up the membership. Visit the Orchid Show on Saturday & Sunday, January 23-24, 2010. Each day the hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Paul chatting it up with Belinda

Pruning

The Winter pruning is underway once again at MMC. On Monday, January 4, Conservatory staff spent all morning pollarding the Giant Fig, Ficus carica, in the North Garden.

The Conservatory is 95 years old, and we believe the fig to be close in age, if not 100 years or more!

Pollarding is a pruning technique that removes all of the previous years growth. Sometimes it is used to promote the development of new fruits. In our case, we use the technique to promote the new seasons growth, and to create more light in the room.

Often times the terms heading back and pollarding are used interchangeably. You can really see the structural aspects of the fig after it has been pruned. The surrounding plant material will also be able to capture some of the extra light, now that our days are getting longer!

Uninvited Guests---Integrated Pest Management

In mid-December, five Conservatory Horticulturists began participating in an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Course. Our role is to take the on-line course to give a professional evaluation of it’s use as a secondary educational tool. It is proving to be a fascinating refresher for those of us that studied IPM years ago.

Integrated Pest Management, is a long-standing, science-based, decision making process that identifies & reduces risks from pests. Here at the Conservatory we practice various forms of IPM in our green spaces. We periodically scout for pests, monitor the extent of the damage, and assess our next control strategy.

Often times, biological controls, through beneficial insect releases, provide the control we are seeking. If not, we then may choose to use chemical insecticides. We also have good insect control measures with physical & mechanical maintenance, such as pruning, wiping, or simply rinsing the plants off with water, or a simple soap/water solution.

Our goal as an institution, is to make the best choice possible to maintain the plant collections, and displays with the least amount of impact on the plants and our visitors.

Holiday Flower Show on FOX-9!

Holiday Hits

The 2009 Holiday Poinsettia Show opened in the Sunken Garden, Wednesday, December 2.

A few of the poinsettias we are featuring this season in the garden are ‘Peppermint Twist’, ‘Eggnog’, ‘Cinnamon Stick’, ‘Orange Spice’, ‘Winter Blush’, and ‘Visions of Grandeur’ .

The horticulture staff is putting the finishing touches on the various planters that are placed within the Sunken Garden and around the Conservatory.

One of the varieties we are using is a new one called ‘Polar Bear’. The grower of this variety is the Paul Ecke Ranch. With each plant produced, the Ecke Ranch will make a donation to Polar Bears International. One hundred percent of their donations goes directly to research and education projects in support of polar bears. This is especially nice for us, as we will be opening our new Polar Bear Exhibit on Zoo Grounds in Spring of 2010.