Greenhouse Inspiration: UW Botany Greenhouse

 

Over the Summer we were able to go on a tour of the greenhouses at the University of Washington. As expected the inside was full of amazing colors, textures and things that you may have a hard time believing is a plant. Greenhouses that you pass on a daily basis always have a little extra mystery to them; you can get glimpses of what could be inside but never really know until you get to go inside and look up close.

When we were making the greenhouse gingerbread house, we definitely used some of the details that we saw in the greenhouses as inspiration for the plants that we created for inside the greenhouse. We were lucky to get the chance to tour the greenhouse, because UW is in the process of building a new facility, so we were able to get some of that history that we love so much in the Logee's greenhouses. 

This one is in an academic setting, so there isn't as much of the neat overgrowth as there is at Logee's, but what it lacks in disheveled majesty it makes up for in unique specimens. The plants have had a long time to grow and each room has specific temperature and humidity profile. Its really a 4-D experience to walk into a room and not only see the amazing plants but immediately feel the affect of the heat and moisture. The diversity of the plants makes so much sense when you can approximate the conditions that it would naturally grow in.

I think our next trip will be to the Conservatory at Volunteer Park, which we hear is pretty spectacular. What greenhouses have you seen and would recommend a visit to?

Greenhouse inspiration: Logee's

This year we decided to take on a pretty big challenge in creating a Gingerbread house in the shape of a Green house. Before we do the big reveal we want to share a couple of the greenhouses that we've seen that inspired culinary version that we made this year.

Logee's is one of the most special man-made places I have ever been; of course it has had an awful lot of help from plants. Logee's Greenhouses are in Danielson, Connecticut and exist as an arm of their retail store. You can also buy plants  from them online or through their catalog, but plopped down in Connecticut are 5 greenhouses that are filled with great plants.

TERRACOTTA Pots ENGULFED by a root ball

 Logee's specializes in unique plants, and walking up and down th aisles is a one of a kind experience. Textures and layers of plants in every color and type will greet you on your explorations around their William Logee opened his greenhouse in 1892 and started collecting plants. Some of those plants are still in the greenhouse from the early days (think 1900) and add to the ambiance and the lush feel that can only come from plants that have been around for a long time and have had a chance to fully engulf the space that they are in.

I had quite a collection of Logee's plants that I gave away when we moved and I never see those types anywhere else. Since we moved, they are dispersed to many of my friends and I hope they are enjoying them as much as I did. If or when we move back east I am going to make a beeline back to Logee's for the wave of feeling you get in prescence of old, amazing plants, and take home a carload!

New City, New Apartment, New Garden

So what is new with all of you? We know we’ve been absent for a while, but moving cross country, and away from home, can knock you off your feet pretty easily! Looking back on our first few weeks here, I can feel a difference in my attitude and my outlook, it’s getting better but I still don’t feel normal.

We have good days and bad, and we miss people at home and everything familiar about it. We are trying to set up a life here, and beyond going out on frequent friend dates, that means getting back to the normal activities, like this!

So do you remember that really nice garden plan I came up with last winter? I was pretty excited about it; I was looking forward to see how my work the previous year panned out, and how my plants would expand, and of course filling it up with new plants. Pretty soon after that, the chances of us moving to Seattle were on the rise and luckily I didn’t go through with the plan of ordering all those seeds and filling my life with foxgloves, otherwise I would have had to find homes for many, many flowers. That is the risk in apartment gardening I guess.

In addition to saying good bye to my garden that I’d worked on for three years, I also had to give away, and find homes for my collection of house plants. I may or may not have cried when that happened.

 In Seattle so many things are different, including the gardening. The Summer just doesn’t get as hot and the winters are not as cold. Those pretty spring flowers bloom on forever, because the heat doesn’t come out and scorch them to death. Things that will die in the mid-Atlantic will stay alive through the winter here. Let’s just say that I am excited about the possibilities. One thing that is lacking are those hot weather fruits, notably tomatoes, these apparently aren’t that great in Seattle. 

However excited I am, the circumstances at our apartment are different from the last one. We’re in the city so I don’t have access to the actual ground, and we aren’t really sure how long we will stay in the apartment so things need to be temporary. Our apartment has a porch, which is great, and I feel so lucky to have it. These limitations lead us toward doing some container gardening, and me needing to step back from full-fledged landscaping plan, to thinking about a few pots at a time. What can I say? I think big.

I’ve never done containers outside, and the limits of them sort of make it more overwhelming; there is less open land to just try things out, your one decision makes a big impact. The plants in Seattle are different from what we’re used to, plus we have mostly full sun, which is very different from the last garden. We decided to go on an exploratory trip to a nursery. Back in May, we went to a program by Amy Pennington, a tv host and author here in Seattle, and asked for a good nursery recommendation, she recommended Swanson’s. A few weekends ago we reserved a zipcar and headed over to Swanson’s Nursery, which is an upscale, quality nursery in Ballard. It was a nice atmosphere, with plenty of options. I wouldn't go to find a bargain, but the plants are healthy and there is a lot of staff on hand to help you if you need.

It’s funny, you always want what you can’t have, at the last apartment I always wanted plants that would grow in full sun, even though we were lacking in that resource. At Swanson’s I was drawn to the shade plants.

I almost forgot the part I am most excited about: the sedums! If you’ve ever been to Northern California, you see these outrageous succulents that are huge, and amazing. It isn’t as striking as Northern Californian, but Seattle has its fair share of hardy sedums. They are just so interesting, with great shapes, and colors and textures.

I had trouble making choices here, are you surprised? What are your go to methods when choosing plants for a container garden. Check back on Thursday and I’ll share my selections and thoughts on plant combinations.