GREENHOUSE BASICS for New Owners: In the Greenhouse

摘要

It's January and as I sit at a makeshift desk in the greenhouse five African violets are in bloom on my right. Two orchids are in bud in front of me as are two amaryllis — one a deep maroon and one a variegated variety. Behind me several geraniums threaten to bloom, and two buds on a camellia plant give promise of blooms. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one.) Things were not always this way. All my adult life I have raised and cared for houseplants, hoping some day to have a real greenhouse.When planning my retirement after 39 years of teaching, I decided to treat myself, so I did. I purchased a 9 x 15 foot lean-to greenhouse, which fit nicely into an L-shaped space on our house. It's bounded on one side by the house wall and on another by an enclosed porch.