Cleveland Botanical Gardens

The Cleveland Botanical Gardens are the nation's oldest  gardens.  They were started in 1930, and cover over seven and a half acres.

The gardens include the Hershey's Children's Garden, which is the first public children's garden of Ohio.  It features a tree house, cave, dwarf forest, and herb garden.

The Japanese garden features a dry cascade with ornamental grasses, evergreens, and rock forms.

The Mary Ann Sears Swetland rose garden is especially beautiful.  It features over 50 varieties of roses.

The gardens are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10-5, and Sunday from 12-5.

Franklin Park Conservatory

The Franklin Park Conservatory, located in Columbus, Ohio, was built in 1895.  It houses over 400 species of plants and features a Victorian Palm house with more than forty different kinds of palms.

Throughout the year, there are many special displays.  One of the prettiest is the Victorian Garden Orchid display, held during winter months.  You can see hundreds of orchids and learn about how they were cultivated during Victorian times.

The Conservatory is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Admission is $11.00 per adults, and $6.00 for children.

Christmas Cactus

Some of you may have gotten a Christmas cactus over the holidays. I figure this is a good time to tell you a little about the plant, and to give some tips about how to care for it.

The Christmas cactus, or Schlumbergera, is native to the mountains of south-eastern Brazil.  It likes shade and high humidity.  It can be recognized by its leaf-like pads and pink flowers which flower only around Thanksgiving or Christmas (hence the name).

Here are some tips for caring for your Christmas cactus:

1.  Keep away from direct sunlight, drafts, heat vents, or fireplaces.

2.  Provide a source of humidity.  You can put a tray of water next to the plant, so that the water evaporates and provides humidity.

3.  Do not  overwater.  Once a week should be enough.  And if you can, don't water from the top.  It is best to put the plant in a tray of water and allow water to seep through holes in the bottom of the container.

4.  Prune your cactus one month after blooming.  

Before I go, I'd like to thank those of you who voted for my book, Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China in the cover contest. I appreciate it! There's one more day to vote in round two. If you'd like, please follow this link to vote for it:  

Krohn Conservatory

Krohn Conservatory is located in Cincinnati, Ohio.  It houses over 3,500 plant species from all over the world.  Inside, you can find a replica of a rainforest, a desert, and a conservatory with a beautiful collection of orchids. One of my kids' favorite seasonal displays is the Butterfly Show held from mid-April to June.  The Christmas display is also very nice.  Hours are from 10-5 PM. Cost of admission is $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children.

Before I go, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. I'd also like to let you know that my book, Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China is in a cover contest for the month of January. If you'd like to vote for it, here's the link.

Topiary Park

I don't know about you, but I've always found topiaries to be fascinating focal points of gardens.  If you like topiaries, the place to visit is Topiary Park, in downtown Columbus, Ohio.  The seven acre park is famous for its topiary interpretation of Georges Seurat's famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte.

The park was dedicated in 1992, but it goes back to the early 19th century.  It was once a part of the Old Deaf School Park. The concept came from artist, James T, Mason, who teaches sculpture at the Recreation and Park's Department of Cultural Arts Center. He designed and installed the frames and living topiaries.
  
The garden contains 54 topiary people, eight boats, 3 dogs, a monkey, a cat, and a pond, which represents the Seine River.  The largest feature is 12 feet tall.

The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Admission is free.  The best viewing is April through November, when the greenery is in bloom.

New York Botanical Garden

New York Botanical Garden is located in the Bronx, New York. It was established in April of 1891 on the grounds of the Lorillard Estate, which was owned by tobacco magnate, Pierre Lorillard. It covers 250 acres and contains 50 different gardens and plant collections. These include a 50 acre old growth New York Forest great for hiking through, wetlands, a rose garden, Japanese garden, children's garden, and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. 

No matter what time of year you go, it's always beautiful, and there are always plenty of activities going on. From November through January, there's a holiday train display that children and train enthusiasts will enjoy.

The gardens are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Grounds only admission for adults is $15.00 and children under 12 is $4.00. If you'd like to go inside the conservatory and see the special displays, the cost is $28.00 for adults and $12.00 for children.

Missouri Botanical Garden

The Missouri Botanical Garden is located in Saint Louis, Missouri. It is also known as "Shaw's Garden" for founder, Henry Shaw. Mr. Shaw began the garden in 1859. This makes the Missouri Botanical Garden one of oldest botanical institutions in the United States. Its 79 acres contain Henry Shaw's original 1850 Estate House, a Japanese garden, the second-largest herbarium in the country, containing 6.6 million specimens (New York's Botanical Gardens is first), and the world's first geodesic dome greenhouse, built in 1960.

The garden is open from 9 AM to 4 PM daily. Cost of admission is $12.00 for adults and free for children 12 and under.