Summer Means...Beautiful Flowers!

Summer is almost over...next week is "back to school" week in Minnesota.  But before summer ends, I have some summer photos to share with you.  I mentioned last month that I wanted to visit the summer flower show at the Como Park Conservatory.  Well, I finally did, and it was gorgeous.  Here are a few photos from my visit...  

 

This is the sight that greets visitors as they approach the Conservatory.  The glass building in the background is the rainforest room of the Como Zoo.  It provides an interesting backdrop to the colorful flower garden in the foreground, don't you agree?

Water gardens, filled with ornamental plants, surround the zoo buildings and the Conservatory.  I found this Mosaic Plant fascinating. 

Inside the Conservatory, the Sunken Gardens were filled with summer flowers.  This year, Como's gardeners featured plants from Impressionist paintings.  The sunflowers, of course, are an homage to van Gogh.

Children always love the North Garden in the Conservatory, because it includes fish ponds.  I love watching the fish, too, but this time I was most fascinated by this stunning pop of red foliage, glowing amongst all the greenery.

Como has five seasonal flower shows each year--spring, summer, fall, winter holiday, and winter.  I've already blogged about the spring flower show, and now I've covered the summer one.  I missed the winter show, which ran from mid-January to mid-March...but who knows, with any luck I'll be able to attend the last two shows of 2012.  If I do, I'll be sure to share my photos with you.  I love being able to give my readers a glimpse of Minnesota's beauty.  TFL!