A Visit to Logee's Tropical Plants
Recently, Shaun Kass, my gardener, paid a visit to our friends at Logee’s Tropical Plants, located in Danielson, Connecticut. Logee’s was founded in 1892 by William D. Logee. He started the business as a cut-flower shop and then expanded into begonias and tropical container plants. Over time, Logee’s became well known for its hybridizing achievements in the world of begonias and then began selling herbs and scented geraniums by mail in the 1930’s. Today, Logee’s is owned and operated by Williams’s grandson, Byron Martin and his business partner, Laurelynn Martin, who have turned their attention to beautiful flowers, fragrant tropicals, and fruiting plants in containers. Together, they work to expand the company and still maintain the small town feel. If you find yourself in the Northeast part of Connecticut, you can visit the Logee’s greenhouses, where you can choose from more than 1,000 varieties of plants, most of which are all propagated right there. If mail order is more realistic for you, the colorful Logee’s catalog boasts over 500 beautiful and unusual varieties. Please enjoy these photos of Shaun’s visit.
4 This is the main part of the store with Ficus growing on the ceiling and photos of visits with me.
7 The Long House was originally constructed for cut flowers. In the center bed, plants grow directly in the ground.
9 Logee's greenhouses are packed with plants. Shaun and Byron discuss Stongylodon, one of the only flowers in the world that is the color jade. There were only buds on this vine.
12 Here is a selection of Streptocarpus. Visitors can wander Logee's greenhouses and choose plants to buy as they stroll.
14 Byron and Laurelynn are in the process of writing a book about growing tropical fruits. Here is a beautiful papaya.
15 Logee's also has many different varieties of Citrus. Many of the plants in my collection have come from Logee's over the years.
18 Logee's utilizes all available space. Here a crop of Blechnum gibbum, or Dwarf Tree Fern, hangs from the rafters. Each pot has an individual drip irrigation tube for automatic watering.
20 We were fortunate enough to go into the propagation and growing houses, which are not open to the public. We found many hidden gems - here is an unnamed aroid.
21 This is a vibrant Heliconia, or Lobster Claws - Shaun had not seen one of these since a trip to Panama in 2008.
29 A giant specimen of Begonia - 'Richardsiana' - it develops a swollen truck, or caudex. Shaun brought of of these back, also.
30 This is a large-leaf Vanilla orchid that was growing out of the wall at a gable end of a greenhouse.
32 Here is a beautiful specimen of Sanseveria 'Desertii' or rhino grass, which is listed in the Logee's catalogue.
36 The fruit of the miracle berry - Synsepalum dulcificum. After eating the flesh, the phenols from the fruit remain in your mouth for up to an hour and anything you eat, including very sour lemons, will taste sweet!
39 Lithops, or living stones - these small, button shaped succulents only need to be watered 4 times a year!
44 A gardener is certainly over-stimulated in Logee's greenhouses - there is such a huge variety of plants!
46 One of Byron and Laurelynn's major interests is citrus and can be found throughout their greenhouses.
48 These tags indicate three different grafts that Byron made on one citrus tree - a tangerine, a blood orange, and a navel orange.
49 These beautiful flowers are Acocanthera oblongifolia - a vine Logee's grows, but does not sell because it is used in South America to make poisonous arrows.
50 This a a great perspective showing how completely packed the greenhouses are from floor to ceiling!
51 Logee's greenhouses have a lot of personality and history. For example, this citrus tree outgrew its pot many years ago and took root in the middle of the aisle.
53 Shaun brought back one of these succulents, Sansevieria cylindrical. They are propagated in Costa Rica from the plant's tips and grow up to 5-feet in height!
54 This board, proudly displayed at the main entrance, displays all of the plants that Byron has shown on my television show.
55 Laurelynn and Byron came to visit my farm last summer and these are photos, also on display, from that trip!
56 Here is the shipping area where plants are brought from the growing houses to be boxed and shipped.
57 This was the day's shipment, all packed and ready to go! In peak season they can handle 400 boxes a day!
58 Here is Logee's communications center, staffed with friendly workers who process online orders and assist with phone inquiries.







What a great trip for Shaun and Jen! Spring must be coming....the temperature rise in the Philadelphia suburbs since Saturday has been so pleasant.
Posted by: Teresa Touey | March 11th, 2010 at 8:03 am
I am amazed to see citrus and papaya. Crazy form of citrus, finger lime...looks like a green squash. Ahh, nice Staghorn. What a fantastic day trip. Exit 91, here I come...next I am on the east coast. Matti
Posted by: Matti | March 11th, 2010 at 9:49 am
These beautiful flowers, fragrant tropicals, and fruiting plants in containers are just what is needed here in Dakota as this winter and overcast skies drag on and on.
Spring always comes.
Posted by: ann | March 11th, 2010 at 10:22 am
Thank you so much for these beautiful photos from Logees! I have been ordering plants from them since the 1980s, but have never been there in person. It's great to see where all of my beautiful plants come from!
Posted by: Lilly | March 11th, 2010 at 10:51 am
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On your show today----
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You mentioned SHUDDER ISLAND! I hope you went home to a comedy on TV to finish your evening with ease!!
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Some of the most nerve decapitating scenes of this movie were shot just behind my property in an old World War Two army camp and defunct 1920s factory.
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Amid the barbed wire prison of minds, was me and my media hounds, literally. I got a call that my 6 Weimaraner performers needed to get to the set for some rabid and tooth dripping acting.
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I arrived with them at 5 a.m., ready to cast each as the German guard dogs at the dungeon gates of insanity hell. Crew and cords were everywhere in the wet, grey ugliness of broken glass and maudlin masacre of daybreak.
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A miscommunication in camera time squelched their shot at shooting. The cameras involved in a vicious dog scene at the gate left at 3 a.m. How proud I would have been to see my 6 beauties, the ghosts of Germany in this mindbending film!
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I hope the movies you choose in the late of tonight bring you springtime and tippy toes instead of the gnashing of souls! Try Light in the Piazza with Yvette Mimieux and George Hamilton!
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Posted by: andyjspencer.blogspot.com | March 11th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Hi Martha, Thanks for another beautiful, colorful blog about a great trip Shaun took to Logee's fantastic Greenhouses. These photos are superb and it is always wonderful to see all of the great plantings that Byron and Laurelynn come up with over the years. I love all of those plants that they have and would love to visit them in Connecticut sometime. It is always great when Byron visits you on your TV Show. I learn so much by watching him and of course by watching you. Thanks again. Love, Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | March 11th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I think it's just wonderful how you've promoted Logee's over the years...I've known about them for at least 20 (years) and know that they are one of the very best in the plant/greenhouse/nursery business!
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Seeing all the greenery and vibrant colors surely does whet my longing-for-spring appetite! Maryland has been blessed this week with beautiful blue-skied and sunny warmish days in the low 60's...there DOES seem to be promise that spring is on it's way!
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Sunshine, my Martha friend!
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=^..^=
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | March 12th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Next time you should go to his grandfather's greenhouses that are down the road from Logee's. It's run by his granddaughter, I believe, and considered a Florist but behind that, AMAZING jungle of plants.
Posted by: Maureen Kenefick | April 13th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
So nice to see these plants. They grow outside here. I may be back with questions, unless you can direct me to a better site for such things...Any input would be appreciated.Ta!
Posted by: Layla Wafiyyah | April 23rd, 2010 at 7:48 pm