A visit to the Conservatory of Flowers

During the second week of my Orchid class, we went on a field trip to the Conservatory of Flowers. We got an excellent tour with some pretty great looks behind the scenes by one of the staff horticulturists, who happened to be a CCSF alumn. Touring the orchid greenhouse, where hundreds (and quite possibly thousands) of orchids are being grown and cultivated for display in the conservatory's galleries was amazing, it felt like being in a different part of the world. I have had the great fortune to see wild orchids grow in their natural habitat while traveling in Costa Rica a couple of years ago, which made my orchid class experiment so much richer. Having seen how they grow naturally gave a lot of context for the ways growers try to recreate their living conditions in a greenhouse or home.

The Conservatory of Flowers is one of my favorite places in San Francisco, although it had been a while since I last visited. What I love about taking classes or learning new things in general is how you end up seeing a familiar place with a whole new set of eyes.

If you're not tired of them quite yet, here are more pictures of the visit in floral paradise.