Storing My Tropical Plants in the Hoop House
All my tropical plants are now stored indoors for the winter.
Caring for these plants means following a strict schedule, particularly at the end of the warm season. During the colder months, these tropical specimens are all gathered, moved and stored in a special greenhouse down near the chicken coops, where temperatures and humidity levels can be closely monitored and adjusted when necessary.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- Many of the tropical plants from Maine and East Hampton are returned here to my Bedford, New York farm because there is more room here to store and maintain them properly.
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- This is the heated hoop house where many of my tropical plants are moved to and kept safe from freezing temperatures. It has manual roll-up curtains on both sides for ventilation purposes.
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- The heater is checked a couple of times each day to make sure the temperature remains comfortably warm inside. Too cold, plants will freeze – Too hot, plants will rot. This greenhouse is always kept above 50-degrees Fahrenheit.
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- I have a large variety of special planters – antiques and reproductions, planters made of stone, lead, fiberglass and resin, and in a wide array of shapes and sizes.
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- Moving these tropical specimens is a tedious task – some of the larger potted plants weigh hundreds of pounds. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, uses a John Deere tractor to move them.
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- This greenhouse has three circulation fans. The crew makes sure no part of any plant is blocking the fans.
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- Moving such a large potted plant requires strength, care, and the right equipment. A moving blanket cushions the cement pot and an adjustable moving strap is tightened around it, securing the pot to the loader. This is an original “Watts Pot” made of limestone and concrete.
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- Phurba and Chhiring posed for this quick snapshot. They are both excellent tractor drivers, but don’t worry, the tractor was not moving when this photo was taken.
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- The most critical factor in moving houseplants is temperature. Avoid prolonged exposure to heat or cold, with temperatures below 35 degrees Fahrenheit or higher than 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit.
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- The plants are all arranged with enough space in between them, so they don’t touch each other.
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- On one side is a row of bird’s-nest ferns, Asplenium nidus. Bird’s-nest fern is a common name applied to several related species of epiphytic ferns in the genus Asplenium.
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- It’s identified by the flat, wavy or crinkly fronds.
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- Farfugium japonicum ‘Crispatum’ has gray-green flowing leaves. It forms a dense clump with upright arching foliage and grows up to two feet tall.
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- The leaves are round and ruffled, giving it a most interesting texture.
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- Its cousin, Farfugium japonicum ‘Aureomaculatum’, known as a Leopard Plant, forms an evergreen mound of large, rounded leaves, dark green in color, with unusual bright yellow polka-dots. Short spikes of yellow daisies may appear in late fall.
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- This is a banana plant, Musa. Though these grow as high as trees, banana and plantain plants are not woody and their “stem” is actually made up of the bases of the huge leaf stalks.
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- Colocasia, or elephant ear, will switch energy resources in colder temperatures from producing leaves to flower and corm production.
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- Ryan adjusts the plants, so every specimen has ample air circulation. The tree stumps help vary plant levels and save much needed space in the structure.
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- Lady palms have broad, dark green, fan-shaped foliage on tall stalks. They need to get east-facing exposure, out of direct sunlight, and thrive in comfortable indoor temperatures around 60-degrees to 80-degrees Fahrenheit.
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- Fatsia japonica is the most distinctive of all evergreens with large palmate leaves. The lobed leaves can reach 16-inches across and provide contrast in the shade garden. It can be grown in mass plantings on larger sites or as a specimen in smaller spaces.
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- The sago palm, Cycas revoluta, is a popular houseplant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. This very symmetrical plant supports a crown of shiny, dark green leaves on a thick shaggy trunk that is typically about seven to eight inches in diameter, sometimes wider. I always look forward to when these precious plants come out of hiding in spring.
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