Hints of autumn here in New England are everywhere – beyond the pumpkin spice everything at the market , the plants are definitely signalise the seasonal geological fault . Hummingbirds , which seem to be more legion than ever this hebdomad , continue to feed on the salvia and tithonia , but under glass in the nursery , the summer - dormant bulbs in the medulla seam which invite their first watering for the time of year , are quickly coming into prime . Maybe because I ’ve learned to inebriate them much more profoundly than I had been . knock a plant out of its slew , even after a five arcminute soakage from the hosiery , sometimes show up where the dry spots are . The entire pot must be soaked deep and completely if one wants a right antecedent system .
Every class around this time , I start thinking about whether I should heat the nursery home through the hail wintertime or not . Of course , it does n’t stop me from carry on to buy plant , or design on what plant to move into the nursery first ( once it is cleaned and sterilized for the coming season ) . What will terminate up happening is that even though I will eat away about heating cost , electric bills , how I will insulate the glass walls this winter and how will I ever haul the progressively heavy tubs of plant life back into the space , somehow it all number together in the end .
fall for me is when an entirely fresh gardening season get . I know I ’ve waxed on forever about how I choose greenhouse horticulture to out-of-door horticulture ( the command over the environment , the limitation that a smaller , confined space place on you , the magic of snow-covered day and jasmine , draw bulb and warm , moist air and sunshine in January ) , but true statement be told , I suppose it ’s really more about discover . In the wintertime , I can experiment a bit more , like a chef in his or her kitchen or a scientist in a laboratory , and artist in his studio .
The greenhouse allows me to set up project which are fairly controlled , build collections which can be displayed and appreciated at eye layer , tight and in item one can ghost about , and it provide me an platform on which I can step back and appreciate more – time to observe . A gallery , a studio , peradventure even a church building .
Maybe this is why the Victorians created ferneries – because plain , ol fern are nothing but forest weeds when coiffure out in the immense , generic shadowed nooks of an out-of-door garden , but when carefully collected , judge and displayed in a spy fernery – they translate into witching theater – museum - ilk because they are on display , yet more accessible since one can meet them and study them , comparing the various species and their differences .
I guess , it ’s all about experience then , some of us can just enjoy flora better when a frame is set around them . Pottery , the physical excogitation of both container ( pedestal ) and the “ wall ” of the gallery ( the glasshouse drinking glass , or grille . The intact , collective visual experience of ‘ presentation ’ . I like that sort of matter .
There is another thing about keeping a glasshouse collection that I ’ve touched on in the yesteryear , and that is the inevitable boredom of maintaining a aggregation one keeps year to year . Sure – plants are living thing , and they grow ( and grow , and grow ) , and one cares for them , and cares for them , and to be honest – some just grow less interesting . gardening is not just about observe things , it ’s about learning and discovery . One of my greatest fears is attain that point when I have grown everything , and then nothing means anything any longer . Over - familiarized I guess . To avoid this , I attempt to raise some raw thing each class . I desire that I do n’t lead out of new plants to attempt !
This class , I am planing both take over rite and discovery undertaking . Freesia are something I have not grow for a while , and Dutch Iris ( those from bulbs ) have never made it into my greenhouse beds . I still am seeking gillyflower ( source please ? ) to set out in a cutting bed , but I just may implant ranunculus , since last year , my anemone harvest was a bit disappointing .
One thing I am attempt which is fresh , but which has been on my bucketful list for many years now , is trying winter yearly – species which were once so popular in the 18th and 19th century in cold greenhouses , but which today are never grown ( belike because few hoi polloi bother with keeping a nursery ) . These annuals , at least here in the Northeast , are often those which might be mutual in California or in cool winter horticulture expanse where some tender plant can be uprise , but which could never be grown in the summer , since our summers are too red-hot and humid .
My seed orders arrived this week for salpiglosis , nemesia , swan island daisies and other cool - loving annuals which reportedly were once s standard potted plant for winter greenhouse displays a hundred and fifty years ago . Sown in late August or September , they prognosticate to make flowering plant for mid to previous wintertime and early springtime . We ’ll see .
So , yes – it looks like I will at least begin to heat up the glasshouse this year ! The reasons are many , including ALL of those chrysanthemums which will want to come in for display in November . I may start moving plants in afterwards this workweek , of course , while Joe is away conveniently at the national terrier shows in Montgomery County , PA for a week . Funny how he times it perfectly every class !
Share this:
Related
