The Greenhouse

Finally finished my web design class for the semester and have been busy running around for the holidays. I am hoping I will have more time to post to my blog now, though, with not having homework for awhile and (hopefully) with things slowing down a bit at work now, too, as we near the end of our busy season.

Around Halloween I started to move all of my potted plants into the greenhouse. Mind you, this can take awhile. When it comes time to move the plants in or out, I often find myself wishing the greenhouse had a door to the outside. The door is attached to the family room, which means lugging plants through the house to get them into the greenhouse. This was something I really shouldn’t have been doing since I had a cortisone shot in my rotator cuff just a few days before, but my plants come first and I couldn’t leave them out to die.

I love how the greenhouse looks with all the happy plants in it, such as these succulents.

Even though the Hens and Chicks in the succulent wreath are supposedly winter-hardy, I brought it inside just to be sure. If we have another winter like last winter I was afraid they wouldn’t make it. You can also spot my two vertical planters here, minus a few plants that had died.

The bakers rack on the left used to be dark green and had rusted with age. I spray painted it my favorite color, cobalt blue, about a week before I moved the plants in. Spray paint is a great thing. Looks like I will need to paint the fern stand in the spring – lots of rust there now, too. Although it kinda gives it character I guess.

My two bog containers that contain my carnivorous plants are in the greenhouse to protect the venus flytraps. The pitcher plants might survive the winter, but the flytraps would not. I also brought in the big, blue pot that has the Solanum quitoense in it. (See my post about that intriguing plant.) I just HAD to get that one in the greenhouse.

The three-tiered wood shelf came with the house. I think it must have been built in the greenhouse because it is way too big to every try to get it out. I’m glad it’s there because it can hold quite a few plants.

When I move plants into the greenhouse for the winter, I also do some re-potting as well as taking cuttings to try to multiply and extend the life of some plants. It takes extra time, however it is definitely worth it.

I hope my plant friends will be happy in the greenhouse this winter. A heating vent from the house manages to keep the greenhouse at a comfortable temperature for these lovelies. I sure am lucky to have this greenhouse. As I have mentioned before, it was a big selling point for us when we bought the house. I don’t know what I’d do without it now that I am so used to having it.