A royal hydrangea

Took the day off to visit the royal greenhouses in Laken. Build by architect Alphonse Balat for Leopold II, the greenhouses are open to the public each spring for a limited period of time. Out of the more than 100 photos I took, I chose this delicate blue hydrangea, growing in a pot against a backdrop of banana trees and palms. The entire space you see in the photo is covered by a 60 m wide glass dome. It is called the Winter Garden and serves as a royal reception room. The architecture as well as the plant collections are very impressive. You can still visit the greenhouses tomorrow and Sunday, or ... next spring.