Shall I or shall I not have a greenhouse?
This question, teasing its way back and forth through my thoughts for many months, suddenly resolved itself.
I would have a greenhouse I thought, and decided on an aluminum lean-to type, 7′ by 14′ feet, with an outside door at one end.
Cool House for Proper Ventilation
Operated as a cool house (50° F. at night and about 65° during the day), it has two vents running the length of the house, one manual and one automatic, to provide the proper ventilation.
Fortunately, our choice of location, facing southwest with early morning sun, proved a good exposure.
The greenhouse, we felt, should be attached to the house for full enjoyment, where it would be easily accessible, day or night. Could I have foreseen to what depth the mercury would drop in January, I would have been firmer on this point.
Easily Accessible
By happy chance, we decided on a spot outside our living room, where a window would be replaced by French doors opening into the center of the greenhouse. Here it was possible to produce an attractive drop in level.
The floor of the greenhouse would be filled to within 1 ft below the sill of the French door.
A tile step, 6” inches deep, four and one half feet long, and 19” inches wide, would make a solid and pleasing entrance, with another 6” inches up into the living room.
The ground was broken on October 1st, and construction was completed on November 4th. I shall not forget that morning.
Pale winter sunshine streamed through the glass, dappled by branches of hickory and copper beech which later promised welcome shade in spring and summer.
First Step: Build Benches
The first step was to build the benches. These were designed to run on three sides, with a six-inch section at the front. Backed with redwood, when packed with soil, they were intended for hanging vines.
Also, at the eastern end, a section, 18” by 44” inches, was divided off and filled with the potting mixture for seedlings and other plants.
Second Step: Place Stone and Fill Grave on the Ground
After the benches were completed, I spread an inch layer of stone dint, obtained from a quarry. This was topped with an inch of Michigan peat, which makes for good drainage and is, I think, more becoming to plants than cold, grey pebbles.
Since the area Under the bench is apt to become an eyesore, I took care to space upright supports so that the view from the house was not obstructed.
Third Step: Spread a Thick Carpet of Pine Needles
After placing stone and grave fill on the ground, I spread a thick carpet of pine needles, using those of the umbrella pine (Sciadopitys verticillata), because they are larger and redder than those of white pine.
Fourth Step: Place A Bowl Of A Large Bird Bath
In the center, and resting on the pine needles, I placed the bowl of a large bird bath. This is kept filled with water and holds long sprays of ivy. On either side of the bird bath are potted ferns.
For many weeks I had been caring for some 200 plants, of all sizes, which were crowded into every available place in the house.
I scrubbed all the pots, sprayed the plants against possible insect pests, and then dunked them in a weak solution of liquid fertilizer to give them a boost.
During my first year, I decided not to be too ambitious, but to start with perennials and annuals, including petunias, foxgloves, lupines, nicotianas, and others taken from the garden.
Bulbs of various kinds had been potted and were rooting in a cool, dark corner of the cellar.
Unusual Plants
- Night-blooming jasmine (Nycianthes arbor-tristis)
- Stephanotis, bitter-root lewisia (Lewisia redivira)
- Coral ardisia (Ardisia crispa)
- Yellow flax (Reintrarthia indica) An enchanting greenhouse plant, with its clear yellow flowers
- The exquisite zephyr lily (Zephyranthcs atamasco).
Several varieties of ivies and the cascading Italian bellflower (Campanula isophylla) soon made the border look long-established.
Rooted Cuttings From Plastic Covered Greenhouse
In addition, there were numerous rooted cuttings from my plastic-covered “greenhouse” propagating unit, such as common or English boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), Ilex crenata latifolia, and others, tucked in where space allowed.
Many well-rooted cuttings of dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), taken from our tree, were brought in, while large pots of chrysanthemums, provided plenty of riotous color from the beginning.
Impractical Potting Bench and Work Area
In this small space, a potting bench and work area are impractical. Fortunately, in our rambling Victorian house, a convenient room was easily taken over for this.
Stacked against the wall are large trash cans labeled;
- Basic Potting Mix
- Sifted Loam
- Peat Moss
- Leaf Mold
- Fibrous Loam
- Sphagnum
- Sand
- Broken Crock
Cleared of laundry equipment, a wall cabinet is used for plant foods, sprays, labels, and other necessary materials.
From the first, I had been aware that there was not a single place in the greenhouse for hooks or pegs for hanging plants.
To solve this problem, I put up a shelf at either end, but not across the length, as this would cut the light from the plants below.
More Space
To take care of the long side of the greenhouse, I acquired 6 aluminum strips, like those used to edge kitchen counters, and fastened them at intervals along the length of the greenhouse.
Security of Plants
To secure them, I simply slipped one to the end of each strip and curved the strip down to where the other end was nailed to the bench.
Then a strong, green-covered wire was stretched along the length by fastening it, at both ends, to a shelf and to the top of each aluminum strip.
Plants Dangling in the Full Sun
Soon a whole string of little 2” and 3” inches pots of fuchsias, ivy, geraniums, passion vines, and other plants were gaily dangling in the full sun.
These, of course, need more frequent watering than those that rest on damp peat, but they seem to thrive on their hanging trapeses.
Cup hooks, screwed under the eastern shelf, accommodate a dozen more of the small pots, making the most of the early sunshine. Wire hangers for these are easily made, and the plants can be shifted, if need be, from place to place.
I also devised a way to suspend larger pots to wires fastened to holes bored through the main support of the house. Freesias, ivy geraniums, gerheras, petunias, and begonias are especially happy in this location, where they miss dripping on the border plants.
Heating Problems
Every beginner has a heating problem to cope with. I was advised to use electricity, which though more costly, would be more dependable.
Two electric heaters were installed, and on certain memorable nights, when the mercury dropped down, finally reaching 200 F. below zero, I could hear both heaters, from my room just above, laboring on and on, hour after hour.
At last, at about 3 A.M., I crept downstairs and switched them off for a few moments. When morning dawned, crisp, clear and bitterly cold, not a plant was lost.
We lived through the electric bill, and I comforted myself with the thought that no other month could be as severe as this.
Problem of Snow
One serious menace was the fear of Ftssibie damage from snow sliding down from the roof above.
Our carpenter solved this problem by erecting 3 strong iron guard rails, running along the house roof, just above the greenhouse.
Effect of Heavy Storms
After several heavy storms, I heard great thuds from heavy piles of snow, which dropped harmlessly, at either end of the guard, on the ground ham.
Showering of Crystal Ice Chips
The icicles, however, were another worry. During one storm, when the wind showered crystal ice chips on the glass, I listened with alarm, though no damage was done.
The dripping from above, however, was another matter. When the icicles grew longer and heavier, I finally decided to do something about it.
Knock the Icicles into The Basket
With a basket securely tied to my left wrist, each morning, I would lower the upper sash on each of the three windows directly above the greenhouse and knock the icicles into the basket with a small hearth broom held in my right hand.
Three Months After Snow
After three months, it was amazing to see so much color in my greenhouse. There were hanging pots of pure white, yellow, lavender, and pink freesias. Large, ruffled white petunias, lifted from the summer garden, were again a mass of bloom.
Gay daffodils, crocus, grape hyacinths, scillas, and snowdrops made it seem Iike spring, while white nicotianas and foxgloves, potted in the fall as young plants as an experiment, were tall and thrifty.
Three hybrid clematis, Nelly Moser, Elsa Spaeth, and Fairy Queen had formed promising buds.
Extremely vigorous were plants of Passillora ithao-caerielea, while the broad step leading into the living room was decorated with large Mount Vernon pots of French or tree ivy (Fatshedera Lei), six feet tall, grown from cuttings, and large colorful geraniums.
In the living room, taken from the greenhouse for their fragrance, were heliotrope and daffodils. To illuminate my greenhouse at night, I have placed a fluorescent bar of light above the door.
Plants Within the Little Greenhouse
When the winds rage and snow piles up against the house, it is a thrill to look out from our fireside to the warmth, color, and beauty of the flowering plants within our little greenhouse.
Remember, if you have a greenhouse, you must make up your mind to spend some time in it.
My problem is the opposite, How can I make up my mind to spend time anywhere else?
44659 by Helen H. Arnold