Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens - Orchid Board

jkofferdahl · #1 06-14-2008, 06:03 PM

I came to Charlotte for a long weekend so I could spend Fathers' Day with my daughters (they live here with their mother). Today we drove about 30 minutes south of town to Belmont, NC, to visit the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. Though Charlotte has been my home for most of my life, I'd never before visited.

Well, the first stop was the new Orchid Conservatory, which was absolutely wonderful. I can't even begin to remember everything we saw, though I tried to take pictures of all (I'll add them to my picture gallery when I get back to Atlanta). We then walked all through the gardens, which are spectacular. Of course, to me the best part was a nice afternoon with my girls, whom I see far too infrequently.

As a special, added bonus, my older daughter, "the College Girl", bought me an absolutely lovely Cattleya Summer Spot 'Carmela' at the Gardens. The plants is a really nice, vibrant, healthy one. It has but one flower on it now (again, a pic when I get back to GA), but several leads, so next year I can expect a nice blooming.

Ross · #2 06-14-2008, 06:51 PM

Sometimes kids can be so perceptive - more than we wish. Glad you had a good time.

khill · #3 06-15-2008, 07:27 AM

Sounds like a lovely day.

I have C. Summer Spot and mine blooms for me more than once a year. Hopefully yours will too.

cb977 · #4 06-15-2008, 08:00 AM

Happy to hear you had such a wonderful time with your girls

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your trip to the Gardens

jkofferdahl · #5 06-17-2008, 12:12 PM

As I mentioned earlier, Saturday was Daniel Stowe Gardens day. The DSBG have been there for at least 10 or 12 years, but they just opened a large (8000 square foot?) greenhouse for tropical plants and orchids. A lot of their orchids were in bloom. I've posted some of the photos I took, and you can see them all here.

I also included a few shots of the Cattleya Summer Spot 'Carmela' my older daughter gave me for Fathers' Day. The bloom left on the plant was nearing its end, but still showed lovely color. I'll know more about it when it blooms again next. As it happens, my lovely daughters also grace a few of the photos.