Christmas under glass; the West's grand conservatories are at their best during the holidays

Sunset, Dec, 1989

Christmas under glass When victoria was queen, explorers brough tropical plants back to Britain in astonishing numbers. To house (and show off) these acquisitions, wealthy plant enthusiasts built huge greenhouses that came to be called conservatories. The idea took hold in the Western United States around 1900 and was revived in the 1960s and '70s.

Now there are eight public conservatories that you can visit in the West. All have special displays during the holidays, often reflecting the strengths of their regular collections. Most pull out all the stops. Take a camera and, if you have a greenhouse of your own, a notebook. You'll see greenhouse gardening at its best, and often be able to talk shop with the staffers.

A word about architecture

As you look at the conservatories pictured here, you'll see some mighty differences in architectural design.

The classic glasshouses at San Francisco, Tacoma, Seattle, and Spokane were built before 1913, and all but Spokane's are on the National Register of Historic Places. Built of lath in the same era (the climate made glazing unnecessary), San Diego's one-of-a-kind conservatory is also on the National Register.

The three others--at Denver; Corona del Mar, California; and Vancouver, British Columbia--are recent versions of the same thing, but none can rightly be called a glasshouse, since each uses clear acrylic paneling.

Plants and more

Most people amble through converatories at their own pace, but groups can have guided tours on request. Conservatory buildings can usually also be rented for private parties and weddings (you'll certainly save on flowers).

South to north, here's our list

San Diego. Balboa Park Botanical Building built its collection around foliage plants, but this month you'll see flowering anthuriums, impatients, poinsettias, and Rieger begonias as well.

If you garden in Sunset's zone 24 (along the Southern California coast), this place is a treasury of plants; anything you see growing here will grow in your garden, too. Most plants are labeled.

Hours are 10 to 4:30 except Mondays and Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day; admission is free; (619) 236-5717.

Corona del Mar, California. Sherman Library and Gardens Conservatory, 2647 East Coast Highway, was opened in 1973 by the Sherman Foundation (after M.H. Sherman, an early Southern California developer).

Built in the shape of a Greek Cross, this lath-covered conservatory has a new gesneriad collection, neon-bright bromeliads, flowering orchids, and a broad year-round collection of aroids and ferns.

To learn more about the plants of Sherman Gardens and gardening in general, ask about the weekend gardener series, held Saturday mornings.

Hours are 10:30 to 4 daily; admission is $2 for adults, $1 for ages 12 through 16, free for everyone on Mondays; (714) 673-2661.

San Francisco. The Conservatory in Golden Gate Park was designed for James Lick (as in Lick Observatory, Lick Freeway) in San Jose. Mr. Lick died before the conservatory could be put up, so public-spirited citizens bought the structure for the City of San Francisco, where it was erected in 1879.

This month you'll see North America's best collection of masdevallia and dracula orchids, new hibiscus varieties, and plenty of more traditional Christmas plants. Don't overlook the tree poinsettias; started just four years ago, they're already impressive.

For fascinating docent-led tours, call the conservatory auxiliary at (415) 666-7017.

Hours are 9 to 5 daily; admission is $1.50, 75 cents for ages 1i through 17; 666-7017.

Denver. Boettcher Memorial Conservatory at Denver Botanic Garden, 1005 York Street, specializes in plants of economic value such as coffee, papaya, sugar cane, and macadamias--but there's much more. Bromeliads and orchids housed in Marnie's Pavilion make up the two largest collections.

Before you tour the building, buy the Conservatory Guidebook ($1.25 at the gift shop); indexed to plant labels, it does a great job of teaching about the plants you're seeing.

Hours are 9 to 4:45 daily except Christmas and New Year's Day; admission is $4, $2 ages 6 through 15; (303) 331-4000.

Spokane. Gaiser Conservatory in Manito Park does a big job well in a compact space; its mix of foliage and flowering plants cuts across all classes of plants. This month, master gardeners plan free public tours of the conservatory and adjacent greenhouses.

Built in 1913, this classic glasshouse was reconstructed in 1974, and finally expanded and renamed in 1987 (it was previously Manito Park Conservatory).

Hours are 8 A.M. to 30 minutes before dusk daily except Christmas and New Year's Day; admission is free; (509) 456-4331.

Tacoma. W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park changes its floral displays monthly. This time of year, the fragrance of paper white narcissus fills the building, and a good collection of labeled poinsettias lets you see what's new.

You can also buy unusual plants and botanical gifts from a shop that just opened in the conservatory.