Lowland Tropics Natural Beauty – in Golden Gate Park

I re-edited some photographs for this post, taken over 10 years ago, as I had produced some greeting card products from them in the past, but had not revisited my editing process thoroughness or the tools I included. I thought I had reached a good final edit for each one, but going back and re-editing originals makes you see that digital tools have advanced with more nuances or power, to bring more dynamic elements out that had been visually buried, or it makes you realize that you skipped some tools that could have been applied when you originally edited.

The photos I am showing here are from the Conservatory of Flowers within Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. I went there on a summer trip with some family members to see a temporary/seasonal orchid exhibit, but the photos that turned out the best were from a permanent exhibit focusing on lowland tropical plants.

The building, according to the Golden Gate Park web site, is the oldest remaining municipal wooden conservatory in the United States, and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The exhibit that caught my eye the most included plants from lakes of the lowland tropics.

Some notes on getting around San Francisco, if you have not been there before… Golden Gate Park, to simplify somewhat, is on the northwest side of the City of San Francisco. (A little bit of trivia…San Francisco is both a California County and City, and these two agencies are the only in the U.S. that have completely concurrent boundaries). I always thought that was interesting, but yes I digress.

U.S. Highway 1 runs in a north-south manner through the park, and to the north on the same highway at a distance of about 2.5 miles is the Presidio, which is the general location of the south abutment of the Golden Gate Bridge at the mouth of San Francisco Bay.

So, Golden Gate Park includes the Conservatory plus cultural facilities such as the de Young Museum (fine arts), the Japanese Tea Garden, the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Stow Lake and Boathouse, and lots of undulating open space and California tree groves.

I read that these flowers require temperatures above 80 degrees for three or more weeks for the flowers to open up and bloom. It is indeed warm and moist inside the exhibit, the curators simulating the perfect environment for these exotic specimens. When you think about the foggy and cool San Francisco months, you realize this takes some effort in the winter and spring.

I have always been drawn to water elements, ornamental gardens, and find the variations in life between climate zones truly fascinating. The great park setting with the peaceful and green surroundings, the character of the building itself with its ornamentation and so much glass, and the high quality of the ornamental plant arrangements make this such a memorable place for me. The building itself is historic, and in 2019 the organization is having a 140th anniversary celebration.

There is a fee to enter the Conservatory, but I would say it is worth it if these photos appeal to you. There is also so much else to see in Golden Gate Park and its surroundings, that its worth adding this stop during a trip to the city.

conservatoryofflowers.org