I’m frequently asked, “Why did the Garden choose to display only Madagascar and Costa Rica biomes?” At the time we were planning and designing the Glasshouse, it was decided that we would concentrate only on these two places because they had cool, endemic plants and we really wanted to give visitors an immersion experience. We wanted visitors to see not only weird plants, but also the animals and the geography of Madagascar and Costa Rica. This concept also set us apart from other botanical gardens, which have conservatories that tend to display plants from all regions rather than in a highly-focused manner.

Today, this still presents us with some challenges: how do we keep people coming back once they’ve seen the Glasshouse? In the winter, when Madagascar is dormant (yet still beautiful in my opinion) and visitors walk through on their way to see the butterflies in Costa Rica, how can we make visitors slow down to enjoy Madagascar? As a society, many have become numb to the normal, daily happenings in life. What people do not realize is that you don’t need constant change to be engaged. Each time you visit the Glasshouse, or any garden or zoo, take a few minutes to slow down and watch the plants and the animals. I guarantee you will have a different, wonderful experience every time.

 Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod

Two Heliconius butterflies diving into a Psiguria vine in search of pollen.

If you haven’t been in the Glasshouse recently, then you haven’t seen the new growth on many of the trees and herbaceous plants, especially in the Costa Rica biome. Plants respond very quickly in a greenhouse when the day length begins to increase this time of year. Numerous orchids come into bloom; many butterfly nectar plants (Hamelia sp., Lantana sp.) have new flushes and some of our fruit trees (avocados) bloom profusely. We also prune some of the fastest-growing trees (Cecropia sp. and Inga sp.). It always amazes me how fast-growing many tropical plants are. My philosophy has been to maintain the biomes as naturally as possible and not in the neat, antiseptic way that many conservatories display plants. Having neat, orderly rows of plants is not a realistic reflection of a rain forest. If you’ve ever been to a tropical forest, you know what it looks like: a beautiful, chaotic conflagration of all things living. That is what I strive to show our visitors. If you want to see leaf-shined plants arranged in an orderly fashion, go to the mall. Real paradise is yours to enjoy at the Garden.

Posted By Cynthia Druckenbrod

Recently, we placed a Chocolate tree (Theobroma cacao) on display in the Costa Rica biome of the Glasshouse. It had a beautiful seed pod on it almost 6 inches long. We included some interpretation next to the tree that talked about chocolate, its origins and other ‘fun facts’ about chocolate. Unfortunately, the pod was stolen within the first week we had the tree on display.

Coincidentally, another botanical garden in Asheville, NC, suffered much more serious vandalism to some of its trees recently. The vandals spray painted their nom-de-plumes in garish red paint on several large tree trunks. Our trade organization, APGA (Association of Public Gardens and Arboreta) sent an email out today asking for suggestions on how to treat the vandalized trees without jeopardizing their health.

Plant and tree vandalism really saddens me. I can’t imagine why some people would wantonly destroy or harm plants. The only explanation I can think of is that they simply don’t care or don’t have any respect for nature. What can you do? Install a love of nature into your kids. Never stop teaching them the importance of plants and that without them, we couldn’t survive.

Chocolate pods

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod