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. is ...

s in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

, 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 green ...

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: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

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 45 species in 17 genera. The members of this ...

and

bougainvillea ''Bougainvillea'' ( , ) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the family, Nyctaginaceae. They are native to Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Argentina. There are between 4 and 22 species in the genus. The i ...

. The Ella Morris Conservatory focuses on

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

flora. Finally, the Desert Dome focuses on

cacti A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

s and other desert plants from the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert () is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It ...

, including a monkey puzzle tree.

References

External links

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

History

Gardens

See also

References

External links