Horticulture Center at Fairmount Park West

This was a fortuitous gem of a find in the Fairmount Park. I visited the Hort Center this past weekend for a volunteers' briefing with the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. I have not been to this part of the Fairmount Park so far and would not have except for this briefing. The Center is a fair-sized greenhouse and has a few large exhibition areas that seem interesting to visit and I made a mental note to stop by after the briefing.

Entering the viewing wing, I first came across a small pond and a whimsical sculpture of a cherub riding a sea turtle. The borders of this wing were lined with a small collection of various tropicals including palms, begonias, and hanging baskets. At one corner was a small fountain surrounded with an array of potted and herbaceous plants.

I was lured by a small sign saying "Plant Sale This Way" which is usually irresistible for me and so I entered a second viewing area that was much warmer and sunnier. Here, one section featured a variety of agaves, cacti, and other succulents plants. In the middle of the hall was another sculpture of a nude on dolphins surrounded by a lush arrangement of tropicals, shrubs, and a grapefruit tree! It did feel slightly out of place under the stark glass windows of the greenhouse, exposed plumbing, and concrete flooring. And surrounding the hall were brilliantly orange clivias in full bloom.

I spoke to Julian, the friendly and knowledgeable center staff who pointed me to the incredible selection of plants that were on sale. There were dozens of different Coleus varieties, scented geraniums, herbs, shrubs, small trees, tropicals, succulents, and much more. All for much less than a regular garden center. It definitely took a lot of restraint to limit my impulsive shopping of plant starts and I kept reminding myself, "There's no more space at home!" But eventually, I did manage to stick to "just" two trays worth of plants. Now I have to figure what where to plant these new babies...