Winter Escape – Greenhouse visit 1/31/2010

The last day of January feels like a Friday in some ways. Another month of winter is gone. The “Weekend” of Spring is in view. Of course February has plenty of cold days, but at least there are less days. When I grow tired of staring at bare trees and frozen ground I find solace and greenery at a greenhouse. The House By The Side Of The Road is a good place to start. They have a large variety of plants spread in a sprawling complex of greenhouses. What could be more tropical than seeing a Bougainvillea in flower?

Valentines Day

With just two weeks till Valentines Day there were row after row of Primroses and Cyclamens for sale. I always make a point of buying Primroses. They are bright and colorful and they can be transplanted outside for another bloom in fall. They are perennial and do very well in our zone (5).

Cyclamen are beautiful, but I’ve never been able to get them to bloom in the house. Nice idea for a Valentines gift.

The sign advertised Valentine Orchids and there was a nice selection.

Some Surprises

Over the years, I’ve had many Jade Plants (Crassula ovata). Most of them died, probably from overwatering. I’ve never seen one in bloom until this visit.

It is a bit unusual to see a Nepenthes pitcher plant, but there it was, hanging right over the turtles (yes turtles).

Succulents

Cacti are idea houseplants for me, unlike my other houseplants, they require no watering in winter. They spend their summers outside basking in the sun. This greenhouse has a nice selection of succulents and as a treat, some were in bloom.

Do you have the winter blues? Go visit a greenhouse.