The Potawatomi Conservatories (also called the South Bend Conservatories) is a set of three indoor conservatories and

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

s in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

, in the United States: The Ella Morris Conservatory; the Muessel-Ellison Botanical Conservatory, and the Muessel-Ellison Desert Dome.

History

The original conservatory, the Potawatomi Greenhouse, was built by

Lord & Burnham Lord & Burnham was a noted American boiler and greenhouse manufacturer, and builders of major public conservatories in the United States. History The company began in 1849 when Frederick A. Lord, a carpenter, started building wood and glass gree ...

in the 1920s and was originally built as eight growing houses to raise plants for South Bend city parks and conservatories and floral shows in the region. The Ella Morris Conservatory and Muessel-Ellison Botanical Conservatory were built in the 1960s. The Desert Dome was built in 1973. Today, the conservatories are part of Potawatomi Park, which includes the Potawatomi Zoo. In 2006, the Conservatories were almost closed due for financial reasons, specifically government budget cuts and the costs for heating the spaces. In response, the Botanical Society of South Bend took over management of the facilities. The facilities closed for renovations in 2011, which cost an estimated $1.2 million. Renovations included updating the heating, plumbing and electrical systems. The facilities also received wall repairs, new paint, windows and floors,

ADA Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...

compliant bathrooms, a new potting room, and a mechanical room. The latter three updates added 1,600 square feet to the facilities. A new parking lot, sidewalk, and signage were also installed. The facilities reopened in May 2012.

Gardens

The Muessel-Ellison Botanical Conservatory has

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

including

birds of paradise The birds-of-paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. The majority of species are found in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. The family has 44 species in 17 genera. The members of ...

and

bougainvillea ''Bougainvillea'' ( , ) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o' clock family, Nyctaginaceae. It is native to eastern South America, found from Brazil, west to Peru, and south to southern Argentina. ...

. The Ella Morris Conservatory focuses on

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and subtropical flora. Finally, the Desert Dome focuses on cacti, succulents and other desert plants from the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...

, including a

monkey puzzle tree ''Araucaria araucana'' (commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, piñonero, pewen or Chilean pine) is an evergreen tree growing to a trunk diameter of 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) and a height of 30–40 m (100–130 ft). ...

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.potawatomiconservatories.org/ Botanical gardens in Indiana Buildings and structures in South Bend, Indiana Tourist attractions in South Bend, Indiana Greenhouses in Indiana

History

Gardens

See also

References

External links