April visit-PGH, what to see?

17 years ago

Hello

I grew up on NE Ohio and went to college in PGH--(oh, my ummm, some 40 years ago, whew, that is hard to say).

I'm returning for a reunion April 22ndish and have several days to spend.

Are there any good botanical gardens to see, nurseries to visit, etc. within an hours drive of Oakland?

I will probably get to Phipps conservatory. But would love to see gardens I never knew about when I lived there.

I would also love to find some Claytonia virginica, spring beauty and Houstonia--mountain bluets--I think those are the wildflowers I remember growing up with there.

Thanks for any recommendations.

PNWJudy, aka plantknitter.

now of Seattle.

Comments (5)

rhodyman
17 years ago
Let me try to decrypt this.

Apparently Oakland is not the city in Susquehanna County but the neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Apparently PGH is not the airport PGH, nor Pittsburgh General Hospital but the University of Pittsburgh or maybe part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center which has facilities all over Oakland. The University of Pittsburgh is usually called Pitt, not PGH, so this is very confusing. In any case I will assume the city is Pittsburgh.

By the way, you have some fantastic gardens in the Seattle area. Most notably for me are the University of Washington Arboretum and the Rhododendron Species Foundation in Federal Way. And across Puget Sound you have Whitney Gardens in Brinnon. All great.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pittsburgh Tribunes list of Gardens to Visit
marcydaisy
17 years ago
Pittsburgh has OAKLAND area! We love to visit the PHIPPS CONSERVATORY at Pitt Campus. The place is AMAZING all time in the year.

We accidently hit a day with free guilded tours and as we were the only ones there-we got a PRIVATE tour that was GREAT and I learned a lot!

Don't miss this place--it's for any and every gardener!
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bethjedi
17 years ago
Please do not miss Phipps! It is not what you remember, unless you have been here within a year. Sadly, your visit will be after the Spring Flower show, and before the Butterfly Forest debuts, but there is PLENTY to ooh and aah over. There are docent led tours and free public programs on the weekends. You can enjoy the outdoor garden for free.

The National Aviary on the North Side is another suggestion. How about the zoo in Highland Park? Beautifully landscaped, but the real stars are the new baby tigers and elephants. They have also brought back polar bears, which were missing for quite a few years.
These are all easily reachable, even on a bus!

Remember, our last frost date in mid May, so gardens and nurseries are only going to be beginning to open the weekend you are here. Here is a partial list of nurseries from last season.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nurseries List
mamabirrd
17 years ago
I was going to suggest the National Aviary too. One of my favorite places in the world. : )
scully931
17 years ago
I agree with all the above posts. The zoo is looking really good these days. Besides the polar bears, I believe there are tiger cubs as well. I always thought I liked the African section, but I have to admit, the aquarium is pretty darn cool.

Also, Phipps has the new Thailand exhitbit, which looks SO cool. Oh, and the Carnegie Museum of Science has one of the best dinosaur exhibits in the country. :-)

Have fun!