The Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory

The Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, or "The Domes" as it is locally known, is a refreshing oasis in the middle of the urban sprawl of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This beautiful collection of plants from around the globe provides a pleasant and peaceful experience for those who enjoy the calm and tranquility of the garden, the lush growth of the jungle, or the serene beauty of the desert landscape. The collections are in three connected glass domes, each with its own distinct climate.

The tropical dome is first, packed with lush growth and heavy with the scent of flowering plants. The humidity clings to you as you enter, and the flitting of tropical birds convinces you that you have left Milwaukee and wandered into a tropical paradise. Small paths meander through the jungle and around trees, which are covered with epiphytes. Bromeliads, orchids, ferns and countless other plants overhang the edges of the walkway, with towering trees and bamboo forming the background. The pathway passes a small waterfall, with rivulets of water and long vines trailing downward. The water runs under a tiny bridge and into a pool. Several benches are placed throughout the dome, so that one may watch the water flow into the pool, admire the scenery, or simply catch a breath. The pathway passes under an overhanging log, covered with smaller plants and, if you are there at the right time, a profusion of bright flowers.

Leaving the tropical dome, it is a just a brief moment through the main lobby to a doorway on the other side. This brings you from the tropical dome to the arid dome.

The humidity disappears as you enter the arid dome, replaced by the dry air of a desert. Thoughts of tropical growth leave the mind just as quickly, and you are suddenly transported to a quite different place, but not one of desolation. The arid dome is just as alive, although in a different way. Dry, sandy soil and stone dominate the landscape, covered by myriad geometric forms. Cacti, ranging from tiny species to the spherical, golden barrel cactus, glow in the sunlight. Sometimes brightly in bloom, sometimes not, but always beautiful. Larger cacti and succulents are spaced on all sides of the pathway, which dips down past a tiny pool, surrounded by several varieties of desert palms, both small and large. Trailing succulents sprawl over rocks. Just when you thought you have seen them all, you spot yet another strange-looking species, growing in a crevice or growing almost onto the path; an endless variety.

After making the final round, the path loops back to another doorway. Once again it is a step through the main lobby, and then on to the third and final dome; the show dome.

In this dome you never know qyuite what to expect. Perhaps a walk through a springtime garden, with what appears to be every variety of flowering bulb flowering at once! Or maybe you have come in winter, with a plethora ofpoinsettias surrounding a huge Christmas tree. Or maybe you've chanced upon an orchid exhibition, with a multitude of exotic exhibits. This dome has rotating themes, and one never knows what to expect (unless you check up on the show schedule, that is.)

Eventually, however, it is time to go; but not before having taken one last tour of your favorite dome, or frantically scribbling down the botanical name of some plant that you absolutely must add to your own collection later. A short visit to the gift shop, and then back home, planning the next trip to try and coincide with those large, as-yet-unopened blooms you saw on that cactus!

Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory
"The Domes"
524 S. Layton Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53215
USA

Phone: (414) 383-7769
Fax: (414) 649-8616

Open 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, 365 days a year
Admission: $3.25 Adult, $1.75 children 6-18, children 5 and under FREE.
$1.75 for Seniors living in Milwaukee County, or handicapped.
Milwaukee county residents, FREE Sunday admission from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM.

Web Site: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Biology/domes

-- Sean Riesch, Contest Winner

The Gardens of the World column is sponsored by the Seed Guild, providers of unusual and rare seeds.

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