Phipps Conservatory

The Phipps Conservator is an interconnected series of greenhouses, some quite large located in Schenley Park nearby the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History.

At the time of my visit among other exhibits, the conservatory was hosting a collection of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly.

The first greenhouse that you enter is the Palm Court, where among the many variety of palms you will fins more glass sculptures.






One way to exit is through the Serpentine Room, set up like a contemporary suburban garden with a water feature.




The Fern Room is a pass through between the Orchid Gardens and the Stove Room which was set up to house a myriad of butterflies.



The Orchid Gardens







The Stove Room with the Butterfly Forest exhibit.


The number and variety of butterflies was truly enchanting. At it not been to hot, I could have stayed longer and gotten more pictures.

The newest and largest and most complex portion of the conservatory is the Tropical Forest Conservatory presently set up with items to share under the title Headwaters of the Amazon. Complete with a waterfall that flowed into a stream and eventually a "river" with a glass partition over the distance of 3 stories, as the meandering pathway moved from one point of interest to another.





The Desert Room (with another Chihuly)





In what I assume is an effort to bring in visitors the Phipps Conservatory creates (I'm searching for an appropriate word to no avail) "things" for people to look at. I honestly didn't "get" them, and if I had one complaint this would be it. A waste of energy and I assume money.

The South Conservatory had this staging of a picnic with manikins garbed in leaves and other plant matter. Here's the Phipps' own description of the exhibit: "Fashionably Fresh: Designers Take On the Summer Flower Show. Designed by Bill Kolano, Jon Withrow and Lauren Gratchick with a collaboration of the Interiors Group at Kolano Design: Directly from the garden to the table, these edibles are prepared for a feast. The guests of this modern garden party are dressed in their fines "hort couture" eveningwear made of organic materials. The formal design of the edible garden lends an air of elegance to the scene while showcasing how beautiful vegetable beds and fruiting plants can be."

Another display of this sort was in the East Room. It featured faux flowers made from recycled stuff.

I guess I go more for the plants. Still an awesome place to visit!