Asheville, Day 3 - Part 2

So, after our little break during the rain, we headed over to the Shrub Garden to continue our Chihuly viewing.  Red reeds, this time.  It was a little too muddy to venture too close, but they make for a nice addition to the space...

Next up was the Walled Garden, and as you approached, there were two more beauties to see!

It takes a pretty special plant to distract me from Chihuly...but how gorgeous is this coleus?  It was all around nearby and I couldn't stop staring at it.

Towers are really one of my favorites, and this one was quite vibrant!

I love the clear pieces in this one, particularly the ones that are half clear, half colored.  They made for a nice contrast and really picked up the natural daylight so well.

Nature was apparently still cooperating with me as I saw this moth hanging out on a single piece of glass...

Over on the other side was this beauty...and notice the stately wall in the background, too.

 

Just past the towers was the rose garden.  Most of them were pretty spent, but there were still some beauties, in every color.  Bonus points for rain drops!

Closer to the conservatory was this...

From the side

From the front

I found this one really hard to do justice in photos, but I think this is close.

So gorgeous...

Inside the Conservatory reminded me of my trip to Pittsburgh, as much of that exhibit was in a very similar type of space.  We were greeted with interesting flowers from the get-go.

 

But still more Chihuly - there were three of these in the main room.  With the bright background they were tough to capture, but here's my attempt...

So much color and texture in this one...quite a lot of stuff in a smaller package!

I could post dozens of pictures of cool flowers.  There were so many! 

Pitcher plant - a carnivorous plant

I thought my camera had a hard time capturing the vibrancy of these gorgeous orchids, but I think it depends on the screen.  They were such a vibrant purple, rather than bluish.

I dubbed this one the cross between a daffodil and an orchid...so pretty!

The spots on these were so fun!

I don't even know how to describe this one.  Those leaves were actually some sort of pod that appeared to have, at one point, something growing out of it.  I have no idea what it is, but it was cool.

A little piece of Hawaii

Passion vine...so interesting, isn't it?

Nature never ceases to fascinate me.  God's creativity--or maybe his sense of humor--is so amazing.  Speaking of amazing, how about one more?

The Conservatory was so pretty.  The flowers were enchanting and the Chihuly pieces were just the icing on the cake.  We finished off the afternoon session with a walk around the lovely Garden Shop.  We were all tempted to buy cool Chihuly-inspired garden décor, and there were so many other cool gifts to ponder.  Alas, my carry-ons were already going to be struggling!  After a long shop, we headed off the property and into nearby Biltmore Village to grab some dinner at a restaurant built in an old train station that was built to service the Biltmore Estate.  Another rain shower hit while we ate, and we hoped it would clear in time for Chihuly Nights.  We didn't entirely get our wish, but it didn't stop us from enjoying our night!  Stay tuned for the fabulous finale!