golden gate park | Far Out Flora

SF Botanical Garden is Blazing

February 9, 2012 by Matti | 17 Comments

Bomarea sp. - Climbing Alstroemeria

Taking advantage of our warm weather here in SF, we headed to one of our GoTo spots for dazzling displays of color…the SF Botanical Garden at Strybing. Speaking of gorgeous, this yellow bell-shape bloom above is a Bomarea species. It seems to meander in and out of the other cloud foresty shrubs while showing off its dense umbel of flowers.

Bomarea sp - Climbing Alstroemeria

Here’s another Bomarea buddy in a shade of reddish-orange. They have tuberous roots and belong to the Peruvian Lilly Family (Alstroemeriaceae). Odd tidbit about Bomarea, the leaves are resupinate…that is, each leave twists from the base so that the top of the leaf is actually the underside.

Colletia ulicina - Cunco Rojo

Colletia ulicina is another cloud forest bloomer found in Chile where locals call it Cunco Rojo. Those aren’t lime green leaves you’re seeing, they’re short spiny thorns…ouch. Oh…check it out, J.G. in S.F. has the sweet pic of Colletia ulicina. Wow!

Ribes - Flowering Currant

Ahh, the Ribes are starting to pop…Cactus Jungle has a recent pic. It’s a sure sign that spring is just around the corner.

: Roldana chapalensis – Groundsel

Roldana chapalensis is an intriguing shrub. Frankly, I can’t remember ever seeing it before, but the large-scale blooms and odor caught my attention. It had one of those guilty pleasure scents…I thought it smelled a little off, but couldn’t stop sniffing it.

Puya coerulea var. violacea - Dark Purple Puya

The succulent section was looking glam. These Puya coerulea var. violacea (Dark Purple Puya) were standing proud with their stiff, sharp and silver leaf blades.

Agave parryi var. parryi mescal and friends

Can’t get enough of this Agave parryi var. parryi mescal (on the bottom right). Yes, the drought tolerant peeps are looking lush.

Wollemia nobilis - Wollemia Pine

Okay, we’ve searched a couple times at Strybing looking for this Wollemia nobilis…aka the Wollemia Pine. Well, we finally found it! Yeah, we could have asked for directions, but that takes all the fun out of it. BTW, the Wollemia Pine is pretty rare. Check out an early post of one we found in the East Bay.

NOID

One last adorable show of color during our hike. We couldn’t find an ID for it, but thought somebody probably knows what it is. Any guesses on this purple bloomer? Before we forget, Strybing is having a plant sale this Saturday Feb 11, great time to load up.

– Far Out Flora

Playland at SF Conservatory

December 26, 2011 by Matti | 4 Comments

Original Playland at the Beach Sign

We popped in the Conservatory of Flowers to check out Playland at the Conservatory. Half blast from the past…half mini landscapes, 100% fun. Back in the day, a ton of attractions started springing up near the Sutro Baths down in our hood. Officially becoming Playland at the Beach in 1926 this boardwalk-esque amusement park peaked around the 50s and finally shut down in 1972. SF Conservatory does Playland proud bring back the essence of the fun and games.

The Fun House

Most of these miniature buildings and rides are created using found objects and reclaimed materials. Take a closer look at the Fun House. Looks like a couple of board games, including a chess board and a game of backgammon were used for the facade.

The buffalo and Windmill

These are two of my fav things you can still see in Golden Gate Park (GGP). First introduced to GGP in 1890s, you can still see bison hanging out in the Buffalo Paddock. It’s one of those bizarre sites when tromping around the park, and a great stop if you have visitors as it’s a mellow and always fun stuff to see. The Dutch Windmills are just down the road from the bison. One of the two has been standing in the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, but they just finished restoring the second windmill a couple blocks from our place.

The Cliff House

Pretty sure this is originally how the Cliff House used to look. Nice traveling tip, you can still explore the Giant Camera Obscura, which is adjacent to the Cliff House.

Big Dipper Roller Coaster

Gorgeous pink Cryptanthus and an assortment of Tillandsias popping out in the foreground of the Big Dipper roller coaster.

Ferris Wheel

Can’t have an amusement park without a Ferris Wheel. Oh, forgot to mention all the toy trains and cable cars buzzing around too. We visited last year’s Garden Railway tour, and the Conservatory of Flowers did a great job changing it up since then.

Zoltar and a Laffing Sal

Bring a handful of quarters and dimes cuz there are games to play, including the Zoltar (I wished I was a kid again).

Matti in the Dodger Bumper Car

…and it came true. Hey, when you sit in this original Dodger bumper car, put the pedal to the metal…you’ll get a big treat. The exhibit runs until Apr 15, 2012. As you know time flies, don’t let this one get away.

– Far Out Flora