Right: Bright pink orchid flowers grow in the Volunteer Park Conservatory, providing a great escape from the SAD winter blues, in Seattle, Washington.

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Index to Washington:  Page 0: Highlights ~ map ~ 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7

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Left: Dew drops speckle the petals of a pink and white flower in the Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle, Washington.


Volunteer Park Conservatory (telephone 206-684-4743) is located at 1400 E. Galer Street, Seattle, Washington. The City of Seattle first acquired this land at the highest point (444 feet elevation) of Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1878 from a sawmill engineer. The Olmsted brothers, famous landscape architects, helped redesign the park. In 1901 City Park was renamed Volunteer Park to honor the volunteers who served in the Spanish-American War (1898-1902). The Conservatory was completed in 1912, and has been entirely renovated from 1980 to the present, showing 6200 square feet of public plant displays.The oldest plants on display now are probably the Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta) and the Jade Tree (Crassula argentea), both over 75 years old.


Below: Five yellow petals form each trumpet shaped flower in the Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle, Washington.


Left: Frilly ruffled pink orchid flowers in the Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle, Washington.

Below: A Bird of Paradise flower and leaves grow in the Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle, Washington. Strelitzia reginae is a monocotyledonous flowering plant indigenous to South Africa. Common names include Strelitzia, Crane Flower or Bird of Paradise, though these names are also collectively applied to other species in the genus Strelitzia. Its scientific name commemorates Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III.

Left: The Ti Plant (Cordyline terminalis) is native from Eastern Asia to Polynesia. For many centuries this plant has been used by the Hawaiian people for spiritual and psychic protection. There are approximately 20 species of Cordyline, which is in the agave family, Agaveaceae. Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle, Washington.

Below: Golden Barrel Cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) is native to central Mexico from San Luis Potosi to Hidalgo. Described by Heinrich Hildmann in 1891, it is popularly known as the Golden Barrel Cactus, Golden Ball or Mother-in-Law's Cushion. It belongs to the small genus Echinocactus, which together with the related genus Ferocactus, are commonly referred to as barrel cacti. Despite being one of the most popular cacti in cultivation, it is rare and critically endangered in the wild. Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle, Washington.