Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Plants on plants, at Opryland

On Monday I shared a walk through the conservatories at the Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN. Today we're going back to Opryland as I highlight one of my favorite things, plants growing on other plants, like this creeping fig, Ficus pumila, growing up a palm trunk.

Just as exciting to me—maybe even more so—is when plants are mounted on a structure that would not otherwise have plants on it, like this metal support for an upper walkway.

Plants all the way up to the top!

There were so many mounted staghorn ferns at Opryland, I was amazed.

On rocks...

On metal pieces, I loved this birds-eye-view looking down on one and getting to see the interior structure...

Another one mounted on a metal...

Not to be left out, there were bromeliads squeezed in between metal posts.

And ferns tucked into palm trunks.

Ferns and tillandsia that is, there's a whole garden in there!



More tillandsia in another palm trunk.

I loved this! A larger bromeliad mounted with what looks like a piece of another palm frond?

And a similar piece at use here, but flipped the other way.

Finally an orchid tucked into the crotch of a cordyline. This kind of planting requires attention to detail and I love that the gardeners here were up for it.

All material © 2009-2022 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

16 comments:

  1. Absolutely, amazingly, beautiful. Must've been hard to leave... ≋;>

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    1. Well, no. After a few hours under glass I was ready to be set free.

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  2. I've never been a fan of palms (partly because I grew up surrounded by the ultra-tall ones that threatened to drop heavy fronds down on hapless people below). But I do love palm trunks planted with ferns, Tillandsias and other bromeliads. If I had a palm, I'd do that.

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    1. Your palm experience is very different from mine.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 21, 2022

    "tucked into the crotch of a cordyline"... cracked me up. Not a phrase one hears often. Palm trunks are such gracious hosts: I'm sure this part of the indoor garden sparked ideas and got your creative mojo flowing.
    Chava

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    1. It was fun to write, I am glad you appreciated it ;)

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  4. Not the exotic level of plants you in the past showed growing at the Amazon conservatory in Seattle, but very nicely maintained. Interesting that somehow got connected to Opryland.

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  5. AnonymousJuly 21, 2022

    Lovely display. Those palms trunks look like they were just made to host other plants! I like the use of the spent palm frond base as a support. Might have to nick that idea ;)

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    1. Hope you do, it's a good one to "steal"

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  6. AnonymousJuly 21, 2022

    Thant was Horticat btw

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  7. Is it just me, or does anyone else want to tuck a few bromeliads/air plants or orchids into the interior of the staghorn fern you viewed from the top. Just seems like a place that would host a little mini garden if it was occurring out in the wild somewhere.

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  8. I wonder how they water all these plants. I was there a few years ago and can't remember if the glass roofs opened or not. I just can't imagine how they do it otherwise! I saw a few gardeners working among the plants but not watering.

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    1. Oh I'm sure there's a ton of irrigation tubes and spigots hidden throughout. I don't think the roof opens and can't imagine the guests appreciating a sudden down pour even if that was possible.

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    2. AnonymousJuly 24, 2022

      Yes I am sure you are right. I should have thought of irrigation considering I live in Phoenix and and irrigation is a way of life.

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