Projects
Join us for our first off-island bus tour!
On Wednesday, October 19, 2022 we visit Wright Park in Tacoma. This park consists of 27 acres of native and exotic trees with a botanical garden, glass conservatory. This historic conservatory has just reopened after a year-long renovation.
Next we walk across the street for lunch at the vintage Hobnob Cafe. Please pre- order either a turkey or vegi sandwich. After lunch, we reboard the bus and venture to the fabulous Portland Avenue Nursery for your shopping needs.
Meet at the Lutheran Church parking lot 8:00am sharp and we will carpool to the ferry. (Field trip fee $25 per person)
W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory at Wright Park
In 1908, W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory at Wright Park opened through a generous gift from William W. Seymour. This historic glass conservatory, with its distinctive twelve-sided central dome, is listed on the City of Tacoma, Washington State and National historic registers.
Today, it stands a beloved icon from Tacoma’s past and a brilliant venue for exotic plant displays. The W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory is a Victorian-style conservatory. Its wings and twelve-sided central dome contain some 3,500 panes of glass. Six sculptures created by former conservator Clarence Deming rest among the plants and reflect African, Māori, and Aztec traditions. The conservatory contains more than 550 plant species in its permanent collection, including agapanthus, azaleas, bromeliads, cacti, clivias, cymbidium, epiphyllum, ferns, figs, more than 200 orchids, palms, and rhododendrons. It also contains a rotating exhibit of floral displays that generally features between 300-500 blooming plants at any given time.
"Portland Avenue Nursery was first established in 1941. We have grown from propagating and selling only junipers and mugo pines into a full-scale four acre nursery. Plants are our specialty – it’s our passion. Single or grouped, prickly or soft, twisted or weeping, red, blue, short, tall, fat or narrow – we love them all and are proud to offer top-notch quality and selection."
