Storing All My Tropical Plants
All my tropical plants are now stored indoors for the winter.
Caring for these precious plants means following a strict schedule, particularly at the end of the warm season. Plants that spent the summer at Skylands, my home in Maine, or at Lily Pond in East Hampton, are picked up and brought back to Bedford for storage. Together with all the tropical specimens here at the farm, everything is organized and stored in a special greenhouse down near the chicken coops, where temperatures and humidity levels can be closely monitored and adjusted when necessary. It’s a tedious process to put all these container plants away, but a very important one that keeps all my plants healthy.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- Moving these tropical specimens takes time. Our John Deere tractor comes in very handy when moving them – some of the larger potted plants weigh hundreds of pounds, such as this 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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- This is the heated hoop house across from my chicken coops and vegetable garden where most of the tropical plants are kept safe from freezing temperatures. It has roll-up curtains on both sides for ventilation purposes. The propane run 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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- Many of my tropical plants from Maine and East Hampton are returned to my Bedford, New York farm at the end of every summer season because there is more room to store and maintain them here. Right now, I have five greenhouses at the farm.
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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 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
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- I love displaying my tropical plants around the farm during the warm season – in the courtyard behind my Winter House, on the terrace behind my Summer House, in front of the stable, by my front gate, and various spots along the carriage roads.
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- As you know, I have a large variety of special planters – rare antiques and reproductions, planters made of stone, lead, fiberglass and resin, and in a wide array of shapes and sizes. I now also have my new expanding collection of planters that I sell on QVC. My planters make wonderful gifts and can be used both indoors and out. goo.gl/SWpgof
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- Before anything is brought inside the hoop house, all the plants are organized outside, repotted if necessary, and then brought in one by one depending on size, type of plant and its indoor storage needs.
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- Many of the plants can be transported by hand truck. Here is Pete bringing in a bird’s nest fern.
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- This section is designated for several bird’s nest ferns, Asplenium nidus. Bird’s-nest fern is a common name applied to related species of epiphytic ferns in the genus Asplenium. These plants fit perfectly on our tiered shelving.
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- Here is Pete with a Lady palm. 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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- Next, the crew wheels in another large, very heavy potted palm, and moves it to the back of the greenhouse.
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- This is a Bismarkia palm, Bismarckia nobilis, which grows from a solitary trunk, gray to tan in color, and slightly bulging at the base.
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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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- The plants are all arranged with enough space in between them, so they don’t touch. Keeping them separated prevents any diseases that could possibly spread during the storage time. Fortunately, all my plants are in excellent condition.
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- This is a sago palm planted in one of my refurbished antique lead pots. Yesterday, I shared photos of how we used heat to restore several of these pots to their original shape. Lead is a very soft metal that is very malleable when warm.
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- Ryan adjusts the plants, so every specimen has ample air circulation moving around each plant and from the front to the back of the greenhouse.
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- While plants are being brought inside, Chhewang stands by to repot. Here he is repotting a plant into one of my Basket Weave planters from QVC. This crew has gone through this process many times and gets the job done efficiently and quickly.
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- Moving such a large potted plant requires strength, care, and the right equipment. An adjustable moving strap is tightened around the vessel, securing the pot to the bucket loader of the tractor. This agave is in an original “Watts Pot” made of limestone and concrete.
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- The potted plant is slowly lowered into position on the gravel floor and then Pete removes the strap securing the pot. These straps are very helpful for a variety of tasks.
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- Here is another agave on its way inside. Agaves are so beautiful, but they should be kept in low traffic areas, as their spikes can be very painful.
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- These plants actually spend about seven months of the year in this heated shelter – but they definitely thrive.
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- My collection has grown so large, it takes many, many trips to and from the hoop house. Here is Chhiring bringing in another sago palm. 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.
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- This greenhouse filled quickly. Look how organized and tidy it looks – so great! I always look forward to when these precious plants come out of hiding in spring. What plants have you moved indoors for the cold season? Share your comments below.
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