Garfield Park Conservatory Part 1: The Fabulous Fern Room

On Saturday May 11, my husband and I visited the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago for the first time in about 6 years. I had forgotten how large and how stunning the place truly is. It was constructed between 1906 and 1908, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Fern Room is especially beautiful, and, I think, worthy of a post all its own. Here are just a few of the pictures I took.

The entrance of the Fern Room, which also houses a variety of cycads, fern allies such as Selaginella, mosses, and a few tropical flowering plants, such as Monstera deliciosa, for variety. Edited to add: Since this post was published, I replaced this photo with a larger version, which looks particularly detailed when clicked.

Plaque visible upon exiting the room

A view of the room from another vantage point, showing the indoor lagoon that forms the center of the display.

Asplenium nidus, in a bed of Selaginella

A cycad, Dioon spinulosum

Another Dioon spinulosum, showing new growth spouting from the "trunk"

Ferns and Cycads around a bench, with duct work in the background. Part of the beauty of the conservatory in general is the age of the structure, and the fact that the workings, are for the most part out in the open and unobscured.

Closer view of the area above the bench

Platycerium (Staghorn ferns) with other Ferns and mosses in the foreground

Showing off the epiphytic nature of Platycerium on a Fern "tree." I've seen this done before with Bromeliads and Orchids, but never with Ferns.

Cycad, with cone. I believe this is another Dioon, but I forgot to note the label, so I'm not positive.

Young Pteris and Adiantum ferns, emerging from looks like moss, but which are actually gametophytes, the life stage that comes between spores and mature ferns.

Edited to Add: There is some actual moss in the picture, along with the gametophytes.

Your blogger, Karen715, standing near the entrance to the Fern Room

View of the Asplenium which was behind my head in the previous photo. I was amazed at the small size of the container in comparison to the plant.

Part 2 will cover the rest of our trip to the Conservatory.

My Terrariums

Since I mentioned that I placed my Resurrection Plant in a makeshift terrarium in my last post, like so:

Selaginella lepidophylla in a large plastic pretzel jar. Since I took this photo, I placed some small stones in the bottom, turning it into a sort of enclosed pebble tray.

I thought that I would share some pictures of my "permanent" terrariums in this one. I placed the word permanent in quotes because in reality, no terrarium planting is truly forever. Plants die, or grow out of their space. Here is an example of the latter:

My Asplenium nidus sticking up out of its jar. This is a closed, though not airtight, terrarium. The lid had been removed for the pictures.

Looking down into the center of the plant. This show also shows one of the NoId Selaginellas that also grow in this terrarium.

View of whole jar, showing the second Selaginella.

I'm actually reluctant to take the Asplenium out of the jar, because years ago, I had another Asplenium that grew splendidly in a small terrarium. Once it outgrew its space, I tried transplanting it to a larger container, and it never recovered. So far, this one hasn't been harmed by bumping up against the lid.

Last year my collector's impulse took over, and I started looking around for different jars, and sources of plants. That is why I now have five other terrariums, although the plants in two of them are struggling. Here is a picture of three of those that are doing well.

Three terrariums, with a mix of Selaginella, ferns and mosses. I used a glass plate as lid for the tall vase in the back.

I love the look of Terrariums, and they allow me to grow humidity-loving plants I wouldn't bother with in the open air. Mine aren't as manicured or artistic as some, but I'm still pretty pleased with them.

Resurrection 2--The Unfurling

Life Among the Leaves has been more like Life Under the Weather the past couple of days, as I have been fighting a head cold. I've only had three colds in the past ten years, but they always knock me for a loop. Anyway, wherever life is located, it goes on, so here are some updates on my novelty plants:

Selaginella lepidophylla, aka Resurrection Plant, partially unfurled, about 4 hours after being immersed in water.

Resurrection plant, the day after the complete unfurling. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it at its maximum rehydrated state.

Though I put its roots in a pot of moist soil after removing it from the water, it had already started to dry up bit in less than 12 hours in the open air. Notice the curled leaves on the far left of the picture. I've since placed it in a makeshift terrarium, so that it is surrounded by moist air. We'll see how that goes.

In other goings on, Chia Kitty continues to put on "fur," albeit unevenly.

Pretty shaggy on one side...

...less so on the other, and still bald on top.

And as a reminder that January does not always equal dormancy, here is what my Philodendron bipinnatifidum has been doing:

P. binnatifidum has two new leaves about to unfurl

Now I'm off to take some leaves internally, in the form of a nice hot cup of tea.

A Case of Mistaken Identity, and Yet Another Plant Novelty

Last fall, I bought a couple of "Amaryllis" bulbs from a mail-order source. The bulbs I selected were Hippeastrum 'Benfica' and H. 'San Remo.' I've already written about 'Benfica' more than once. And I was looking forward to seeing 'San Remo,' and sharing that as well. This is what I got instead:

I am 99% sure that this is Hippeastrum 'Apple Blossom'

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful flower. But 'Apple Blossom' can be acquired, cheaply, from every big box and discount store around. I already have at least two of them, besides this one. If I'm going to spring for mail-order Hippeastrums, I want something special. If I'm going to spring for mail-order anything, I want to receive what I ordered. I'm considering writing to the vendor, and requesting a replacement bulb. If I do, I'll share the outcome here.

On to another, more pleasant topic. As if owning a Chia Pet wasn't enough in the way of plant novelties, I went and bought myself a "Resurrection Plant". This is the name given to Selaginella lepidophylla, a native of the deserts of Mexico. This plant dries up almost completely during the dry season, only to "resurrect" itself when moister weather arrives. Since I am a fan of the genus Selaginella in general, I thought I would give it a try. I am greatly amused that this species can survive desert conditions, while I have only been able to keep its relatives alive in a lidded terrarium.

A dried Selaginella lepidophylla, placed in a shallow bowl of water, as per the instructions on the package.

One is supposed to wait 24 hours for the plant to unfurl and rehydrate completely. I've also heard that they are short-lived as houseplants. As with Chia Kitty, I will post updates as things develop.