Gardening Topic for April 2005
Durfee Conservatory at UMass, Amherst

Provided by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
www.wmassmastergardeners.org.

 Among the many buildings at the University of Massachusetts there sits a world of beauty and peace.  Rebuilt in 1954, Durfee Conservatory consists of five different rooms.  Each is unique in terms of temperature and humidity. 

            The Camellia Room has the seven camellia trees, which came from Japan as seedlings in 1869.  They were part of the original greenhouse collection.  These camellias are the very ones that Emily Dickinson supposedly visited.  The exquisite reds, pinks and whites start blooming the end of November, and continue well into March. The delicious scent that welcomes everyone is not the camellias, but Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans).  The room has a temperate climate to accommodate the plants that need a change of seasons.  Here one will find the major part of the extensive bonsai collection as well as rosemary in bloom, hydrangeas, and even an orchid (Cymbidium, hybrid ‘Anita’).  One of the bonsai, the Olive Tree (Olea), is 100-125 years old.

            Moving into the next room one reaches a warmer climate. In the Orchid Room there are always a couple of orchids in bloom, some with smells such as chocolate vanilla.  Here are the Calomondin oranges (Citrus mitis) with their heavenly-smelling orange blossoms, and the Ponderosa Wonder lemons (Citrus limon ‘ponderosa’), the Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendron thomsonae), the Air Potato Vine (Dioscorea bulbifera) and numerous other finds.  

            The tropical climate room, named, “The Jungle,” is where most pause and maybe sit for awhile.  The pond in the middle, with its arched wooden bridge and fountain, has both koi and goldfish, and soon maybe a frog and turtles, which were there in the past.  Here there is the tendency to look up in order to see the Red Powderpuff Tree (Calliandra haematocephala), the Staghorn Fern (Platycerium bifurcatum), Star Fruit Tree (Averrhoa carambola), Banana Tree (Musa acuminata), Chicle Tree (Achras sapota), and Cocao Tree (Theobroma cacao), or down at the Shrimp Plant (Justica brandegeana) or Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae), to name a few.  Next to the restful stone garden in the midst of the bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) is a quiet  meditation haven with its bench made of Goshen stone.  Here are several plants that are descended from the 1867 original Durfee stock, including the Swiss Cheese Plant  (Monstera delicosa) and the Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla).

            When one gets enough of the humid heat the next room offers a mixture of plants along with more of the bonsai collection.  The Eucharist Lily (Eucharis) may be blooming, or the Walking Iris (Neomarica gracilis). One of the favorites is the Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica ‘morivivi”) always recovering from the many touches.  Not to be missed are the Painted Fingernail  (Neoregelia spectabilis), Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura) or Bougainvillea. 

            Then one reaches the cacti and succulent plant room, with its southwestern climate.  The night-blooming Column Cactus (Cereus peruvianus), Bishop’s Hat (Astrophytum myriostigma), Jade plant (Crassula argentea), and numerous other cacti and succulents are waiting.  Here is the propagation bed where many plants begin.

            The Conservatory is open to all from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,  Monday through Friday.  Armand Prevost is the interim director and can be reached at 413- 545-5234.  For more information, see the Durfee website http://wwwx.oit.umass.edu/~durfee/index.cgi

Camellias at Durfee

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Provided by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
www.wmassmastergardeners.org