Thanks FOX-9 & Dale K. for stopping out! The Winter Flowe show is on now through March 20th. The Sunken Garden will be closed March 21 – March 25 to prepare for the Spring Flower ShowMarjorie McNeely Conservatory Tour: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com
Forestry in Tropical Encounters
Recently the horticulture staff received some help from the City’s Forestry Department to do some tree maintenance in the Tropical Encounters exhibit. Some of the large trees in the exhibit were beginning to out-grow the space and needed to be pruned back or removed completely. The horticulture staff typically does plant maintenance in the exhibit…
See What’s Cooking For Valentine’s Day Dinner
Chef Art appears on KARE-11 preparing the delicious Valentine’s Dinner.
Garden Guy Dale K. takes you on a tour of the Conservatory
Garden Guy at Marjorie McNeely Conservatory : MyFoxTWINCITIES.com
Pruning The Palms
This past week three horticulturists spent a day pruning some of the largest palms in the palm dome. We have a geni lift that can extend our reach to over 20 feet. We then can use pole saws to extend up to another 20 feet. The first palm we pruned was the Desert Fan Palm,…
Holiday Flower Show From KARE-11
Bobby & Belinda Visit the Sunken Garden!
Triangle Palm
This past week the Horticulture staff transplanted a Triangle Palm, Dypsis decaryi into the Palm Dome. There is currently an older Triangle Palm in a nearby location which is almost touching the ceiling. Triangle Palms can grow to about 50 feet in height. At some point the older Triangle Palm will need to be cut…
Inga
It has been a couple of years since the Inga Tree has been pruned in Tropical Encounters. Pruning is an involved process because we have to bring out tall ladders and extendable pruning tools. It is sometimes difficult to maneuver ladders in the plant beds because of plant material in the beds and the unlevel…
Association of Zoos & Aquariums Grants Accreditation To Como Zoo
The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) announced that the Como Zoo was granted accreditation by AZA’s independent Accreditation Commission. The President and CEO of AZA, Jim Maddy, will make a special presentation on December 15th at 3:30pm to Mayor Chris Coleman & the City Council in the City Council Chambers to recognize the honor….
Brrrrr!!!!
Well, in case you didn’t notice, it seems as though winter is here to stay! We had a wet heavy snow move through on the 13th that caused quite a bit of damage to some mature trees around campus. We filled 5 or 6 dump trucks full of debris to be hauled away to compost….
Exhibit Featuring Ultra Close-up Photography to be Displayed at Como
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory proudly presents ‘A Journey into the World of Insects from their Perspective – Up Close & Personal’, a photo exhibit featuring dramatic close-up images of insects and plants by Minneapolis artist Bill Johnson. The exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, December 11 and run thru Sunday January 23….
What’s happening with hydrangeas?
This week horticulture staff are begining to remove all the leaves from next spring’s hydrangea crop. You may be wondering why we would remove all the leaves from perfectly healthy plants. Hydrangea plants need to undergo a dormancy in order to flower. Outside, they would go dormant in the winter when temperatures drop. In the…
Reacquaint Yourself with a Distant Cousin at Como
Orangutan Awareness Weekend November 13 & 14! Orangutans are considered one of the closest living relatives to humans, sharing 97 percent of the same DNA, yet experts predict wild orangutans could become extinct as natural populations in ten to twenty years. On November 13 & 14, find out how to help these magnificent animals during Como…
Good Question! How do zoo animals sleep at night?
WCCO-TV was out last night to do a fun story on zoo animal sleeping habits. Check it out!