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Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Let's Go to the Botanical Gardens!

Hello Ladies!
It's been a dreary, cold & somewhat rainy day here in Michigan.  The perfect kind of day to visit our local Botanical Gardens!  We are so fortunate that we live just a few minutes away from this amazing place; we are members there, so we visit often.  There are miles and miles of hiking trails, gorgeous landscaping, and a beautiful conservatory.  Today we took our dog for a walk there, dodging raindrops.  Then, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to the conservatory! Come join me!


There are three different rooms here in the conservatory.  First we'll check out the tropical dome.  The second you step inside, you truly feel as if you are in Hawaii!  It's warm, very humid, and full of gorgeous lush plants, like the bird of paradise that I've pictured in the first photo.  Check out this huge papaya tree below!

I love anthuriums!


Huge fan palm, and a pretty pink flower that I'm afraid I don't know the name of!

Next, we are heading to the arid dome.
This prickly pear cactus is huge!
Love this big agave plant.



More prickly looking plants. Ouch!

Next we head to my very favorite, the temperate house.




The great thing is that there's always something different blooming each time we visit.




Love this camellia. It's so perfect, it doesn't even look real!





 Gorgeous orchids!


I love these fuchsia plants.  They always make me think of ballerinas!
There are also some amazing bonsai.  They are just so fascinating, I think!


Well, that wraps up our little tour for the day!  Wow, it almost feels like a mini vacation!  Some day I'll share with you photos of the grounds, which are equally stunning.
Hope you are having a great night!  Now I need to get caught up on everyone's blogs and see what you've been up to!

9 comments:

Erin said...

Thanks for the tour Donna, it was a nice reprieve from the coldness of this evening:)

NanaDiana said...

Donna- That is beautiful. It is sooo similar to the Domes in Milwaukee...it makes me wonder if they were developed by the same firm. It's like Wonderland,isn't it? I haven't visited the ones in Milwaukee in several years...after seeing this I think I need to do that. Hugs- Diana

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Beautiful photos, Donna, especially the Temperate House~ it was my favorite, too! Just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

beautiful garden and photos!!!

Kisses and nice weekend.
Zondra Art

Musings from Kim K. said...

This is one of our favorite places to visit too. I can't wait to see all their beautifully decorated Christmas trees in the near future too. Have a super weekend!

Donna said...

Gorgeous pics!!! Looks like you had an amazing time!!

Karen said...

Gorgeous pictures, Donna! Everything looks beautiful. Such a nice way to spend a rainy day!

Have a great weekend!

Debbie said...

Hi Donna~~what a feast for the eyes! After all of the crazy weather up here, seeing all this beauty helps calm things down. Are these the Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids? My nephew was married there.
Debbie@houseatthelake

mizdarlin said...

Good Morning Donna!
On a cold dreary day (here, too) it's wonderful to at least peruse a beuatiful blog full of flowers..and my absolute favourites, the cacti..
Might seem strange, but I didn't appreciate how cool they are when I lived in SoCal..now I do and have two teensy little planters in a sunny window..but it just isn't the same..thanks for the pics!♥