Tacoma’s W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory

We’ve tried to get into the
W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory several times in the last few months, only to discover that it was closed for remodeling, returned a month later to discover that remodeling had been delayed, and another time after it had reopened only to discover that it was closed several hours for a wedding.

Perhaps that was merely a means of guaranteeing that we would only see it under ideal conditions, and yesterday would certainly qualify for ideal weather as far as the Northwest goes. As you can tell, the blue skies provided the perfect backdrop for this gorgeous greenhouse.

Once inside, it’s easy to see why this 1908 Marvel might require consistent maintenance.

Although the plants are obviously the main appeal of the conservatory, many of the plants are set against an interesting backdrop of what appeared to be Aztec or Mayan articfacts.

Although the main lobby featured an amazing variety of lilies, I found myself most attracted to the lilies that seem to be part of the permanent collection.

While the brown and purple varieties quickly caught my attention, for some reason these haunting white orchids left a more lasting impression.