The Rooms of Phipps

Those of you who follow this blog know that I absolutely LOVE Phipps Conservatory! I make it a point to visit at least once a month. I really do need to start supporting them via a membership. Phipps is so serene and place of beauty to roam around and enjoy horticulture at it’s best. The Phipps staff is awesome, many of times, they stop and talk with me as I’m taking photo’s. They offer their extensive knowledge and pleasant insights on all of the plants there. The gardens are maintained inside and out, and manicured with particular care. I’ve often showcased the beautiful architecture of the building itself. The Phipps Welcome Center is the first LEED certified Welcome Center in the United States…and they have a killer vegetarian cafe too! My most recent visit I wanted to focus on something other then the beautiful flowers and plants (as beautiful as they are!) I wanted to focus on some of the rooms themselves. The rooms of Phipps share the same beauty as the species they house. Each room is temp controlled for the best conditions of each plant to survive. Walking around the conservatory and visiting each room transports you to that region. It could be bitter cold outside, but inside you are taken to far off and exotic lands. One of my favorite and extremely beautiful rooms is the Broderie Room. It is based off of French gardens of Louis XIV’s time. Louis XIV manicured the gardens at the Château de Versailles. The style called Parterre de broderie is a french style knot garden. This style of gardening became popular in the 15th and 16th centuries. A Parterre Jardin (garden) is constructed on a level surface with planting beds that are slightly raised. The beds are lined with elegantly manicured hedging or stone and the paths are constructed to form a symmetrical pattern. The Parterre de broderie at Phipps is a beautiful and very true example of the style. I could spend hours in there day-dreaming.