On the weekend of January 25, I drove up to Philadelphia to visit Jeff Vinocur. We had a lovely time eating great food, seeing a musical, and notably, visiting Longwood Gardens. This is an estate, open to public visitors, that is no doubt beautiful year-round. However, it was simply stunning in January. The estate boasts a huge glassed-in conservatory. To enter it is to step from from winter into a warm and humid spring, and to be inundated with a delightful burst of color and life.

This is the main entrance room to the conservatory. At one time, there were orange trees planted inside the grassy area.

The front room has many beautiful displays; I captured some birds of paradise, some daffodils, and a tiger lily.

There are several different rooms, each devoted to a different climate and botanical culture. The orchid room is particularly dazzling.

In one of the more jungle-y rooms, there are a couple of waterfalls and other interesting plants.

Naturally, I was quite drawn to the Silver Garden (desert garden).

		Jeff took this great carnation shot.			From the rose garden.
		These poppies were on display in the visitor's center. Wow.			This hibiscus was taken at full optical zoom (10x). Steady hand!

Last but not least, there were some fruit plants as well!