13 July 2026 Whimsical Franklin Park Conservatory

I had the pleasure of attending AmericanHort Cultivate’26 horticultural conference this weekend through the Sustainable Agriculture program at LCCC. I did learn a lot about production, but I also left the conference with a bit of dystopian sadness at the industrial/agribusiness feel to the show. Plants inspire me, not the profit that is made from them. Luckily however, my ticket came with a free pass to the Franklin Park Conservatory. 

Even the potted plants had a whimsical vibe!

For someone searching for the art of horticulture, Franklin Park Conservatory was the place. The conservatory holds the largest private collection of Chihuly glass, which is the perfect accent to the plants in every biome. 

Chihuly Glass bubbles in the Koi pond. Look at those Santa Cruz Waterlilies (Victoria cruziana)!

The Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanium) was just about to pop open when I visited on Monday. I’m actually fine about missing the 24 hour bloom because I don’t need the smell of death to complete my life. When I worked at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Voodoo Lily (Amorphophallus konjac) bloomed in the working greenhouse and I avoided that like the plague. Earlier this summer, their corpse flower, Cronus, bloomed. There is something deeply magical about these beauties. 

The Corpse Flower would pop open two days later! 

Even the outside gardens of the conservatory were inspirational. The children’s garden was full of ways for little ones to interact with the natural world. I sat in a chair and watched as kids ran from one station to the next checking out the straw bale house and the canopy walk and the play spaces. I absolutely love seeing how children interact in natural spaces. The model train garden was also a multi-generational whimsical space. It reminded me of the model train garden when I worked at Kendal at Oberlin. 

This kaleidoscope swirled around the flowers showing a mosaic of natural color and shapes.  

A little pool at a child’s height to catch their eyes. 

What’s more whimsical than an oversized mantis? 

Overall, the Franklin Park Conservatory added what my soul needed after so much of my attention was focused on the nuts and bolts of horticulture industrial production. I think I need to set my schedule up to see more botanical inspiration this summer. I have an open invitation to Phipps Conservatory with friends, so hopefully that’s next! 

Ahhh back in the tropical rainforest!