THE ORANGERIE
The Marjorie Doyle Rockwell Orangerie is the older and warmer of the Garden’s two conservatories. The glass house provides cold weather shelter for a large variety of our subtropical plants, and its balmy temperatures (60-70 degrees) make it the perfect home for our collection of citrus trees and shrubs. Our orchids also enjoy the higher humidity maintained in this conservatory.
Completed and dedicated in 1999, the Orangerie mainly houses plants that live in containers such as planters and pots. This conservatory is home to seven Versailles boxes. It also houses two vines—giant Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia gigantea) and Jade vine (Strongolodon macrobotrys)—and a number of plants planted directly into the floor of the building such as the lacy tree philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum) and split-leaf philodendron (Monstera deliciosa variegata).
The Latin inscription on the Orangerie reads: “If there be heaven on earth, this is it, joy everlasting.” During the summer months, this conservatory is frequently used for wedding receptions. Like the Limonaia, the Orangerie is also emptied of its potted plants during warmer seasons, then filled back up when the weather gets cooler.
