Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Gastonia, NC

Ethereal in Pink

I think its fair to say that one who visits a botanical garden on a chilly day in March with the wind blowing at 35-40 MPH  is truly a plant/garden geek.  Yes, that would be me.  I was reminded today of visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis a couple of years ago with David and my brother Alex and his wife Betsy on a frigid day in December.  We were delighted that day to be out of the car after many hours of driving to wander on a cold but sunny afternoon through the excellent collection of miniature evergreens, ancient trees and spectacular Japanese garden.

Today was similar as I visited the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden near Gastonia, NC where I am tonight and the next couple of days for two back-to-back conferences.  The DSBG is in the midst of an "Orchid Extravaganza" and the conservatory was the warm spot to be.

I loved this purple speckled beauty with the hairy palm tree in the background.

Placing the orchids in picture frames seemed a bit much, framing the orchid being a "gilding of the lily" so to speak.

 Not only were the orchids extravagant, but so were the tropical displays, like this weird spiny tree trunk.

I did venture outside despite the wind, and may I add I was the ONLY person wandering through the display gardens.  Being March, there wasn't much of anything in bloom other than some daffodils and a few pansies, but the bones were good, several water features spewed and sprayed and I could see the promise of spring and the merits of a return trip at a warmer time of year.

I'm glad I made the effort to get down here a little early today to check it out and I imagine I will come again, hopefully when there are flowers in bloom!