Has March with its tease of bright sunshine got you down? The dull colors of winter, and the patterns etched by bare trees have their own serene beauty, but by March we long for bright colors and greenery.
A day in a tropical Eden is as close as an hour’s drive from Tiffin. Kingwood Gardens has a conservatory, or more precisely, an Orangery with an attached greenhouse complex. Not as tall or as grand as the two other conservatories in Columbus and Cincinnati, it nevertheless offers visitors a vision of early spring.
Kingwood has six conventional greenhouses arranged in a “U” with the orangery set across the mouth. Its French Provincial facade with double glass doors under radial head transoms was built in 1980. The orangery is a throwback to the Era of Louis XIV when the ruling classes longed for citrus in winter.
This orangery built with modern insulation materials is much more conserving of energy than conventional glass and steel greenhouses and may be the prototype of winter escape rooms of the future.
The heavenly scent of citrus and their white flowers permeate the air of the orangery in almost any season. Flowers and maturing oranges are found together at the same time. Surprisingly, the temperature in Kingwood’s orangery drops to 40 degrees in the winter. Oranges flourish under cool winter temperatures Besides the orangery, there is a desert house, an orchid room and a tropical house. A small assortment of houseplants are offered for sale.
Kingwood Center is located at 900 Park Avenue West on the west side of Mansfield. Admission is free and the conservatory is open everyday from 8 a.m. until sundown.
Traveling further afield, I rediscovered the Conservatory in Columbus’ Franklin Park which has been attracting visitors since 1895. The founding fiddle-leaf fig now reaches forty feet to the glass roof in the Palm Room. That room is so elegant that it is sometimes used for weddings.
Over 485 tropical plants create the illusion of an indoor rain forest. There are other rooms devoted to orchids, bonsai, and desert plants. A cool room houses a temporary Himalayan exhibit.
One of the main attractions is a large show room with changing displays. From March 1st through the 31st, there is a French Garden display. From March 16th through April 5th, spring lilies will be featured.
Admission to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Garden center is $4.50 for adults and $3.50 for seniors and students. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To reach the center from Tiffin take U.S. 23 to I-270 and go east. Exit at I-71 and continue through Columbus to the Broad Street Exit, go east on Broad Street until you see Franklin Park on your right. Exit into the park. The main entrance is on the east side of the conservatory.
–Mary