BLOEDEL FLORAL CONSERVATORY

Description

Essentials about the Bloedel Floral Conservatory in brief

Vancouver is known to be neither in the tropics nor in the desert. Nevertheless, in the city you have the opportunity to experience both the tropics and the desert at the same time – namely at the Bloedel Floral Conservatory. The Bloedel Floral Conservatory is a large greenhouse on a hill in Queen Elizabeth Park, where three different climatic zones – the tropics, the subtropics and the desert – are combined under one roof. Amateur botanists and birdwatchers will be in their element here, as the greenhouse houses more than 500 different plant species and is home to over 100 free-flying exotic birds.

The history of the Bloedel Floral Conservatory

Historically, the Bloedel Floral Conservatory dates back to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Canada in 1967. At the time, Canadian cities were encouraged to organize special projects to celebrate the anniversary of independence. The city of Vancouver had a plan to create a place for the population that would not only be beautiful, but would also contribute to their education. Thus, the idea of a tropical greenhouse was born. Funding was secured by forestry entrepreneur Prentice Bloedel, whose name the Conservatory bears.

The building of the Bloedel Floral Conservatory

A very special location was chosen as the site for the Bloedel Floral Conservatory: It is located both in the geographic center of Vancouver and at the highest point in the city. The greenhouse’s domed structure is a truly impressive design. It consists of more than 2,300 aluminum rods encompassing nearly 1,500 bubble-shaped Plexiglas panels. The Bloedel Floral Conservatory is nearly 43 meters in diameter and 21 meters high. Interesting side note: Due to its futuristic exterior, the greenhouse has been used several times as a backdrop for science fiction films.

Plants and bird at the Bloedel Floral Conservatory

On an area of over 1,500 square meters, amateur botanists can marvel at over 500 plant species from all over the world, including an impressive variety of fig trees, palms, cacti and tropical ornamental plants. Birdwatchers will also enjoy themselves here, with over 100 birds fluttering freely around the greenhouse, including macaws, turacos, parrots and cockatoos.