Storing My Tropical Plants
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 special greenhouses where temperatures and humidity levels can be closely monitored and adjusted when necessary. Yesterday, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew got all my tropical plants put away. And just in time - night temperatures are starting to dip.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
-
- Before storing, all the plants are brought to their designated greenhouse and placed outside, so each one can be inspected, and trimmed or repotted if necessary. Then, by size each one is carried into the structure where they will stay for about seven months. These tropical plants are in front of a large hoop house located between my Equipment Barn and my vegetable greenhouse.
-
- This year, I decided to purchase strong tables specially designed for greenhouse plants. Here, the tables are connected together to form one long surface.
-
- All the tables are then shimmed and leveled perfectly on the gravel floor.
-
- I have a series of tables lined on both sides of this tropical greenhouse – one of five greenhouses at my farm.
-
- This is our new Kubota M62 tractor hauling a very heavy plant. During the summer, I like to display these large specimens around the farm. Some of these pots weigh about 500-pounds each.
-
- Here, Brian and Phurba move a topiary from my Winter House courtyard. These plants grow a little more each year, so the placement of these specimens will change every time they are stored.
-
- These taller topiaries from the courtyard will winter in this small enclosed porch located outside my Equipment Barn. It was a little used space, so a couple of years ago, I enclosed it and made it more usable for storing these tall specimens.
-
- Domi carries another plant into the tropical greenhouse. This project of moving the plants indoors is a big undertaking and takes several days to complete.
-
- My camellias are now all lined up together on one side of the table.
-
- On the other side, a collection of Chinese fan palms, or fountain palms – a species of subtropical palm tree of east Asia.
-
- Some of the container plants can be wheeled in on a hand truck. Domi and Chhiring move this in very carefully, so the branches are not damaged along the way.
-
- This is a Bismarkia palm, Bismarckia nobilis, which grows from a solitary trunk, gray to tan in color, and slightly bulging at the base.
-
- Some planters from around my Winter House are loaded and moved indoors. Trough planters are also emptied and the contents put in plastic containers for storage.
-
- Pasang directs the moving of this large tropical. We always strap the containers onto the tractor bucket and then cushion it with a moving blanket. These plants and their pots are handled with the utmost care.
-
- I keep a group of sago palms, Cycas revoluta, in this enclosure. I have many of them in all different sizes. They are popular houseplants with pretty foliage, but keep them away from pets and young children, as they are also very toxic if ingested. This is a large sago. Sago palms support a crown of shiny, dark green leaves on a thick shaggy trunk that is typically about seven to eight inches in diameter when mature, sometimes wider.
-
- Here’s Chhiring about to move the Kalanchoe. Kalanchoe is a genus of about 125 species of tropical, succulent flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, mainly native to Madagascar and tropical Africa. It is know for its ease of care and interesting leaves and flowers, which bloom consistently throughout the year in response to daylight. Kalanchoe can grow quite large, spreading out over a thick columnar trunk.
-
- I have many agaves, including this blue agave with its beautiful gray-blue spiky fleshy leaves. Do you know… tequila is distilled from the sap of the blue agave?
-
- Chhiring assesses each plant as it is brought indoors. The plants are all arranged with enough space in between them, so they don’t touch each other. This greenhouse works by heating and circulating air to create an artificial tropical environment. The heater is checked a couple 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.
-
- In a front corner is my monkey puzzle tree, Araucaria araucana. It is an evergreen tree native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina. Mature trees may reach 150-feet in height and have a trunk diameter of up to seven-feet.
-
- Look closely – it has strange leaves – they are thick and stiff and have pointed tips. The leaves overlap each other and completely cover the branches that emerge from the trunk in whorls.
-
- By afternoon, all the plants are inside. In the front are several potted Stephanotis – one of five to 10 species identified within the genus of twining vine-like shrubs. It is sometimes called Madagascar jasmine. The leaves are leathery, oval-shaped, and opposite, and the plant’s woody tendrils can grow to 20 feet. They were displayed by the pool this summer. I am so glad we got all the plants indoors well before the first frost in this area. I look forward to when these precious plants come out of hiding again next spring.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
