Since I'll be off on plant adventures with friends on Andrew's actual birthday, we celebrated a week early. Part of the celebration activities (food, museum, bookstore, fishing) took us to Salem, Oregon—about an hour south of home.
I'd made a note to visit the Bush Conservatory the next time I was in Salem, that was the first place we stopped. You can just barely see the conservatory building on the right side of this photo...
Here we are!
I'd read somewhere (
perhaps here) that this was the first conservatory in the Pacific Northwest, so I was surprised to see it billed as "second" on the nearby signage. But I guess the devil is in the details, "west of the Rockies" is a different designation.
The
Oregon Encyclopedia site has this to say:
In 1877, Bush began construction of a two-story Italianate house, located on top of a hill with a view of Salem and the Capitol building. Within a year, the house was finished, with a nearby barn and ice house. The conservatory for daughters Sally and Eugenia was built in 1882 on the east side of the house. The structure included a single-stem brick wall topped with glass, heated by a wood stove. It is believed to be the oldest conservatory in the Pacific Northwest. Sally, who was a vegetarian, grew flowers, vegetables, and mushrooms in the conservatory.
Even though the information I found online, and the signage on the conservatory door, both indicated the building would be open when we were there, it was not.
I was bummed, but not surprised. Places like this seem to always be understaffed (and under appreciated). Damn I would have loved to go in there (photo taken through the glass)...
Of course I walked all the way around the building, stopping to take this wheelbarrow photo at the backside. I love a good shot of the tools gardeners use to do their work.
Andrew commented that they really needed to clean the glass, I shared that the whitewash is used to mellow the harsh summer sun (and is sometimes just left on).
Peeking in the back of the conservatory I saw a nice big staghorn fern.
More from the Oregon Encyclopedia:
The conservatory underwent an extensive renovation in 2010-2011, with funds raised by the Friends of Bush Gardens. Iron pieces and wooden beams were replaced, walls and foundation renovated, and a new boiler installed, all with a careful eye to maintaining the integrity of the structure. The conservatory, which is open to the public, stands near the family home in the park named for the family.
You can see the family home rising up over the conservatory.
Along the south side there's a sunken planting bed/cold frame. The tops were open during our visit.
Walking the surrounding garden... Bergenia with no slug damage!
Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora' (I believe)
And some seriously chunky furniture!
Natures ornaments in the trees
And over near the house a simple, gorgeous Camellia.
Overall shot.
Later in the day I'd dropped Andrew off at a fishing spot and I was headed to
13th Street Nursery, when I spotted another conservatory at the opposite end of the park...
Actually it was part of the historic
Deepwood Estate, which I've always meant to visit.
And it was more of a greenhouse building than a conservatory. What's the difference? Here's one explanation I found
online: "Typically, a conservatory is a glass-enclosed living space for people in which plants exist. A greenhouse is a more rugged structure, a place that plants are nurtured and grow and people visit." Also worth noting, this building was much larger than the one we visited earlier.
Guess what, it was also closed (hence the "0 for 2" in the title). I took a couple shots looking inside, through the glass...
From the side...
Since I was there I took quick walk about the grounds.
Erythronium oregonum, our native fawn lily.
Did I mention what a beautiful day it was?
Seeing this vignette I thought "pretty"...
But then I saw the obnoxious signage.
Alrighty then. I guess they've had some issues.
Walking back to my car (only on the open and obvious pathways!) I spotted more Erythronium.
Pretty fabulous.
Maybe the next time we're in Salem I can actually step inside one of those glass houses.
The Bit at the End
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