Saturday, August 18, 2012

Inside of the Lewis Ginter Conservatory

 

Is is just me or does every cold climate gardener secretly long to have a conservatory of their own.

Lewis_Ginter_Conservatory2

Maybe not on such a grand scale as the Lewis Ginter or Franklin Park Conservatory’s.

Lewis_Ginter_Conservatory3
But maybe a smaller version in the back yard or one built off of the side of the house?

LG_Statue

Where you could grow some of those brilliant colored Tropical plants that are found in the warm tropical climates of seas, sand, warm breezes and sun all year long.

LG_

  Just let the mornings start getting cooler and I start dreading winter even before fall has arrived.
Or maybe it is that with the early summer this year and the garden about all but done blooming for the year I get to longing for spring to arrive already when the garden is just coming alive again with its many blooms to look forward to for a new year.

LG_Conservatory_Hut

But with a conservatory of your very own the dread of fall with the end of another growing season and the cold of winter would not matter at all or maybe half as much. One could make believe they were on a tropical island of their own.
Well maybe not one so big that it could hold its own hut inside mind you.

LG_Conservatory_Room

But seeing green and variegated colored foliage all year long would be a pleasant change for us cold weather northerners.

LG_Hibiscus_Orange2
I would love to grow Tropical Hibiscus in one because of their gorgeous sherbet ice cream colors….

LG_Hibiscus_Yellow

or lemon yellows.

LG_Orchids2
Or maybe grow some orchids to brighten a winter day.

LG_Melastome 
or to grow a beautiful Melastome or two.

 LG_Tropical
These colors would certainly brighten up a winter day and just to smell the fragrance of the blooms when the snow and wind were slanting sideways across the lawns out doors would be divine.

LG_Tropical2 
Not practical here and certainly not in the budget and lets face it they are a lot of work, and my, all of those windows to clean.
But I would settle for a nice sunroom or porch one day to grow plants and enjoy the seasons a little better knowing I had a garden indoors and a warm spot to catch some winter rays when they did grace us here in Ohio.
What about you? What would you long to have?

Everyone have a wonderful weekend and….
Happy Gardening,
Lona

 

12 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

If I lived up north, I would want something like that for sure, right off the house so that I wouldn't have to go out at all. Keep thinking about it, dreams do come true.

FlowerLady

Patsy said...

It's good to dream! I think all gardeners are this time of the year as hot dry summer ends.

Diana LaMarre said...

Hi Lona,
Personally, I don't long for a conservatory. By the time summer ends, I am happpy to have a rest for six months.

Now a fully-glassed enclosed sunporch might be nice to sit in during the dead of winter... I might even learn to love house plants if I had one of those :)

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

The beauties you find in a conservatory are just wonderful!!! That frilly petal hibiscus is gorgeous. Yes, I would love to have something to keep those very unusual plants happy in.

Nadezda said...

Lona, thank you for sharing these photos! I love more the white orchids, they're beautiful.

Sunray Gardens said...

Orchids sound good to me, they are so beautiful.

Cher Sunray Gardens

RURAL said...

I'm feeling the winter dread already, and it's so hot here. We haven't had rain for like ever...

And the heat apparently is over the top, at least that's what the news says each night.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Leslie Kimel said...

These are gorgeous pictures, Lona! I want that melastome!

Kukkaiselämää said...

It's so depressing to think that we'll have such a cold and dark season ahead. I'd enjoy having longer spring and summertime.

Victoria Williams said...

A sunroom would be fantastic. Beautiful conservatory!
To be able to sit somewhere really warm during the winter and enjoy some colorful blooms, that would be great.

Alistair said...

I think I would have a large collection of Orchids Lona. Have you not noticed the regular conservatory's are no longer so popular, everyone now wants the ones with a proper roof, garden rooms they like to call these ones.

pogonip said...

I was fortunate enough to live in a semi-tropical clime for 13 years, but I now appreciate the 4 seasons and the return of springtime with special delight. But an easier way to overwinter my "delicate" lovelies--sign me up for my own conservatory, please!