\nLarge yellow incurves and other mums are blooming, but I am fussing a little less with them this year. Just trying to get a few varieties which I have not grown yet, to bloom.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\nPeople often ask “Why do you bother?” when they see or read about these plants hidden behind the hedges and fences where I live, but these are all simple the rare experiences I seek. I suppose I don’t need to defend this luxury, for I truly can barely afford it. The sacrifices are many. A house peeling without paint, weeds and trees which need to be cut down, older used cars and a never ending heating bill which keeps one storing ramen for those ‘just in case’ overdraws at the bank. Greenhouses are not cheep, but they do offer more than just flowers. I suppose the cliche is that they are medicine for the soul. Maybe so so they can also be stressful, a constant worry that the fuel will run out, as it undoubtedly will often on that coldest night of the year, but somehow, their therapeutic benefits out weigh the negatives, in so many ways.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nOne of the shaggier giants from England will hopefully open before mildew gets the best of it, but if not, I think it is quite nice as it is. It’s almost 7 feet tall, and this bud is larger than a softball already.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nNerine sarniensis seedlings are so colorful, not one is ugly. They grow from bulbs just like amaryllis, which they are related to – a bulb which sits halfway into the soil in pots, but these are a bit more challenging to grow well. Rarely seen today, even at botanic gardens, each year I cherish my collection which now has grown to over a hundred bulbs which originally came from both the Exbury collection in England, as well as from Sir Peter Smithers in Switzerland.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nEven though the idea of a conservatory may seem to be a relic of the past, I can’t help it but try to recreate this experience in my own greenhouse. It’s a constant journey, an exploration, really. Sourcing antique and old plant material can addicting, as all collecting can be, but keeping such collections and watching them grow, both in rarity and in number, is very special. It’s true, I sometimes am embarrassed to share these oft repetitive experiences here on these pages, but I feel that someone you really don’t mind. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nHere are a few pictures of what is now blooming in the greenhouse if only because my post on digging and dividing a growing collection of dahlias, is still being composed.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nThis neuron is nearly purple, and so bright, that the color is difficult to capture with a camera.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nIf you’ve never seen Nerine sarniensis before, don’t feel bad. This insanity of color,mostly in the pink, salmon and coral range, is special. Only a handful of collectors seem to have any of the named varieties, so I am reluctant to share or sell any (for now!). <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nA blush toned Nerine sarniensis is an old estate variety from the well known DeRothchilds. The name, now lost only adds to it’s romance, like a lost painting or a rare wine with a label which has decayed. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nWhile visiting Longwood Gardens one time, I saw a large clay pot in one of their conservatories with an X Amarcrinum planted in it. An artificial cross between an amaryllis and a Crinum. Now, I have one and it blooms every autumn in a large, Guy Wolf pot in the greenhouse. So fragrant, it’s a bit like cotton candy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nIt’s been a bit of a mad rush to try and get everything moved back into the greenhouse this year, but the camellias can stay outdoors for another month or so. They can handle freezing temperatures, sometimes as low as 20 degrees F, but I do want to avoid the pots from freezing, as this is often the thing that kills potted camellias. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nI know that I shared this Narcissus serotinus in bud, in my last post, but I can’t help but show it again – reserved only for the supergeeky, this native of southern Europe is a bulb so rare in the trade, that is is only available from one or two sources overseas. Now, after ten years, I have three buds coming from my two bulbs. Does this mean seed, perhaps?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nOutside the greenhouse, some self seeded annuals are still blooming near the foundation such as this Nicotiana langsdorfii, which has been self seeding now for nearly 12 years. There are many selections, some with larger blossoms and perhaps worthy of propagating, particularly one which is still in bloom, and 5 feet tall.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nOutside, woody culinary herbs can remain which includes all of the sages, thymes, lavender, rosemary pots and bay laurels. These will be moved back into the cold greenhouse around Thanksgiving, in late November.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nThe harsh violet Callicarpa is fine for some, but I’m just not a fan. It;s color is magical, but a bit too Las Vegas for me. Don;t worry, I grow it too, but it’s difficult to work into most schemes. My choice is this, the all white ‘alba’ form. If we get a late freeze, it remains white well into November. If not, it does turn brown.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPlanted along with the Japanese bamboo, Sasa veitchii ( it’s a runner – beware! But since I can’t get rid of it, I have to pull a Tim Gunn and ‘make it work’). Together, this combo looks stunning. The edges of the foliage on this low growing bamboo dies back a half inch or so, to a brilliant white, which starts around November first. \nIn a couple of weeks, this motif will look amazing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shaggy elegance or shabby chic? This exhibition mum which I’ve been training all summer by pinching and removing side shoots to allow only a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
Autumn Portraits in a Conservatory - Growing With Plants<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n