Why I need a greenhouse in Florida (long, photos)

15 years ago

The discussions prompted by sharingsunshine's questions about where to relocate to in Florida started me thinking.

On other sites, when I mention I have a greenhouse and live in Florida, invariably, I will get asked by several people: WHY do you have a greenhouse when you live in FLORIDA??

I believe that everyone who has never been here thinks that the entirety of the state is like Miami 12 months out of the year. Certainly we know that's not true...I know a few folks who live as far south as the Tampa/Orlando line who also have greenhouses (even if they are just 'overwintering' houses that they can pull some tropicals into when it freezes or frosts there). Most people in South FL have nothing at all, of have a lath house or a shade house.

When most people think of a greenhouse, they think of a clear walled building with a fan, a heater and a bunch of benches that have containerized plants sitting on them, and maybe a few larger containerized things sitting on the ground. But that's not what I envisioned for my own greenhouse.

Before I built mine, I had been collecting tropical plants for almost 15 years. I had a collection of about 40 different heliconias, which as you Southerners know spread and get very tall. All mine were in 25 and 35 gallon tubs. I also had some large growing gingers like Etlingeras and Alpinia purpuratas and some palms, tons of orchids, bromeliads, a containerized Jade Vine, and tons of aroids.

When I looked at my space, I decided that what I ***really*** wanted was a Tropical House like the one at Marie Selby Gardens, not a bunch of plants sitting on benches in pots. I wanted water features too.

So I set about fiddling around, and over the past six years, I have learned a lot about what works well and what works poorly as far as enclosed habitat gardening goes. I learned that 40 large growing heliconias planted in ground will promptly TAKE OVER the entire square footage (in my case over 1700 sq ft) of a greenhouse in about 18-24 months, and that having that many is just too much of a good thing.

I made certain to take photos of my greenhouse interior every year, so that as changes were made (for instance, removing all the heliconias except one at present) and new things added, I was able to remember what had been there before. I constantly add and subtract things. One of my main fun things to do it to grow something really tropical for a while, get it huge, then remove an dpot up half of it and plant th eother half out in my yard to see if it will actually survive here during the winter. I have made many surprising discoveries about my microclimate in this way. I always keep some back so that if I decide I want it in the GH again, I will have a start to renew that plant with.

So that's why I have a greenhouse. In Florida. Because I am basically a tropical gardener, with no tropics to garden in here in the North Central part of the state, except for a little over 1700 square feet patch with a 20 ft ceiling.

This is a little bit of what is currently going on in the greenhouse

Philodendron warscewiczi

This photo is actually out of date. It was last year's photo. The plant is way bigger now and I have a totem for it that goes up over 12 ft made from a huge bore PVC pipe connected to one of the overhead struts for stability. The tree stump was just a stop-gap measure,LOL

Salacca magnifica

one of my favorite palms. This is an entire leaf palm that is very fast growing. Its leaves will eventually get 15 or so feet long, each. Pretty cool, wicked spines though

{{gwi:80339}}

Variegated monstera

I have a few of these that I have picked up in different places at different sales. I made the accidental discovery that regular green Monstera deliciosa is actually very root hardy here. It acts like Philodendron selloum, will defoliate in a very hard freeze but grow right back in spring. So I removed all my green ones from the greenhouse and replaced them with the albo and aurea-variegata types

Orchids, like this Renanthera, I used to leave out for 8-9 months out of the year then haul back inside. That was just too much work. Now, with a collection of over 300, I have a place to leave them all in place. Most are mounted, only a few are containerized. I get a lot of blooms.

Anthuriums are among my favorite plants. I have a lot of different ones. SOme of my birdnest types got too big to be "in and out" plants so I grow them year round in here. I have some climbing ones too that are pretty cool.

This is a big birdnest that has leaves about 6 ft long, planted in a grotto formed by the Jade Vine and the Epipremnum "Ginny", right when you come through the door. This is a new planting, I took out some space-hogging bromeliads and planted them outdoors

{{gwi:100011}}

I like to grow Hoyas too, and other vines. Many are planted into the ground right by the greenhouse wall and allowed to climb up the wall willy nilly. I call that the "Chos Theory of Gardening" and I apply it to a lot of plants, not just vines, LOL. This is my Hoya imperialis, in bloom now at a level of 12 feet off the ground. The flowers are bigger around than a quarter. Very neato.

{{gwi:922328}}

Do you have a greenhouse or shade house in Florida? Please show us the reasons why you choose to have one. I love to get different growing ideas from other people using enclosed-space gardening.

Featured Answer

fawnridge (Ricky)

15 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Living in zone 10, I quite fortunately don't need a greenhouse and, since the garden has now formed canopy almost everywhere except the pond and Roscoe's circle, I have no need of a shadehouse either. But I can immediately see the need for yours and have to compliment you on not only a spectacular collection, but also having put it together artistically.

If you ever get down to one of our Swap-a-que's, I'll trade you a bunch of colorful Crotons to add to your tropical collection for a start of that first Philodendron. I have over 300 varieties of Crotons, most of them rare, that would go great with your plant palette.

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Comments (16)

jhl1654
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My greenhouse is really a large shed that I drag my tropical fruit trees and plants in on freezing nights . We live in 2 different places and grow the trees and plants in our back yard ,in the spring we transport them to our 5 acre farm and plant them. We spend most of the winter months on the farm so that on freezing nights we can run the sprinklers , so far it's been working out well for us.
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Sorry this may ramble a bit, but so much is going through my little head right now, I'm just letting it out as I think of it. This is bringing up lots of memories of when my dad started out with a small lean-to on the side of the house to sell tomato plants 35 years ago. That business grew several times until we had a single 40 X 50 greenhouse that took up the entire back yard. We now have 5 acres and multiple greenhouses at another location that I have run since 1997 and now produce and sell over 100,000 plants per season. So this is coming from a grower/retailer perspective. Check that you can sell items that aren't grown in your greenhouse. I have to grow 75% of what I sell on site in my zoning. Buy a greenhouse with the appropriate snow load/wind rating for your area. It doesn't take much wet snow to collapse a poorly designed greenhouse. I have two from a Canadian company-Harnois (the third is from a company that I think and hope are now out of business-they were awful to deal with). They were easy to put up and have worked great for us. The last one I bought (30 x 48-which probably the minimum you should consider) was about $7,000 nearly 10 years ago. This price included one heater and three roll up motors and two layers of plastic. I had to build my own end walls to save a little money but you can buy an endwall package separately. You will need electricity for the roll up vents (side and peak) and for the ignition for gas heater(s). But that requirement would be less than for exhaust fans for a ghs with no vents. I wouldn't risk my plants in somebody else's greenhouse that couldn't keep them heated if needed. Nor would I trust my hard work to a greenhouse made from PVC. You need one large enough that people can walk around comfortably and accommodate each vendor. Hoop houses generally don't have a lot of head room along the sides unless you get a high tunnel. If you expect the business to grow get a greenhouse that may be a little larger/wider than you think you need. Otherwise you will be replacing the small one real soon-kind of a waste of money. We went from lots of small greenhouses to a couple larger greenhouses to the single large house and now several large greenhouses. Buy something that is intended to be a greenhouse-you don't want to be jerry rigging something that might not work as expected. There are plenty of professional greenhouse manufacturers (Nexus, Atlas, Jaderloon, Conley, Harnois,etc) out there that will help you. They also will have the proper materials to use and be able to provide you with some guidance. You'll be much happier and the product will probably last a lot longer. Check out Greenhouse auction This is a past auction that still has 450,000 square feet of greenhouse left from a bankrupt nursery. They will arrange shipping for a fee. My hoop houses (20 x 48 & 17 x 48) are open at one end where I can pull the plastic up or lower it to get air and cool off the house. The other end has a regular sized door. The larger one is made so I can pull up the sides about 2 feet off the ground using ropes. Even when fully open, they get 100F + by late May or about 20-30ÂºF warmer than outside. I use these to hold plants-no customers allowed. Trust me, nobody wants to stay in those conditions for very long-customers or vendors. I also would be leery of the pest issue. Even if everyone has 100% pest free plants (extremely unlikely IMHO) you will get pests. Who will be responsible, and what kind of controls will you use? Preventative or curative? An ornamental grower will have different requirements than an a veggie or herb grower. You may have to have separate greenhouses and spray equipment etc. This idea opens you up to additional liability. If somebody else's plants are lost in your facility you'd better have insurance! Of course you should have insurance if the public will be on your property anyway (a hidden cost and a selling point to potential vendors) $25,000 is not a lot of money. You will run into lots of unexpected costs. Will you have to make other improvements to accommodate the public and vendors-like bathroom facilities? How quickly do you expect to get a return on your money? The people who you should listen to as far as the type of structure are the people who would be using it. What are their needs and concerns? Taking the plastic off in the winter raises a few comments/questions. I assume that you would recover in the late winter/early spring. I don't know about your area but in mine that time of the year is the worst time to try to stretch a huge piece of plastic because most days are breezy. It takes only the slightest breeze to fill a greenhouse cover like a giant sail. You have to do the job when there is no breeze otherwise, you will be miserable trying. It is also a job for several people. The larger the greenhouse the harder it is to cover. Although easier to cover a small greenhouse heats up extremely quickly and has other disadvantages as well. $10 a day is a lot to pay for a vendor-farmers markets in our area cost $50 for the whole season (May thru November, one day per week). Maybe you should charge for the whole season instead of by the day. Or do both but give a discount if they pay for the whole season up front. That gives them an additional incentive to show up everyday. You have to convince your vendors that you have something to offer for their money. And it needs to be something they can't do on their own and will make them money. Find out what they expect and need and then offer that to them. What would the advantage be to have their plants in your greenhouse if they have their own already. Is this advantage worth them paying a little extra money to you? Who will take care of promoting the market? Pay for advertising? Hope this helps!
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sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Beautiful photos I really like the layered (canopy) effect of your 'tropical rainforest'!
I agree about the regular non variegated monstera. I had one out in 22 degrees when I lived in Southern LA. I had it under another plant so the frost didn't touch the leaves so it didn't really die back much at all. I also found out that they don't require as much humidity as I used to think because I grew them outdoors in the shade in AZ and it was 120+ and extremely dry in the summer. I know the variegatated one does require major humidity though. The reg. monstera didn't do as well as they would in a humid area but they did good. Same for some of the gingers I previously thought would croak in those hot dry conditions.
I have had greenhouses in warmer zones too. I am planning to get one here as well because some things are more tropical and I am now in a 9a, and some things, I just don't want to have to start over with.. like certain of my standard-style brugs etc.
~SJN
rigo74
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
bihai- Thanks for sharing with us your greenhouse and the beautful tropicals you have growing inside. I love your Philodendron warscewiczi, the folige shape is just amazing!!!!And your Variegated monstera is to die for ;0)I have a split leaf philodendron and another type of philodendron that is very common and I see every where.And your green house is cool, I can just wonder what the rest of the greenhouse looks like!

Here in Texas I do not have a greenhouse but most of my plants are overwintered in the house or the garage.And when I overwinter them in the garage there is no room for anything else-But hey I love my plants!

Rigo
jupiterplants
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I am in zone 10 a.... but there are a few plants that I have considered getting a small conseratory for .

One is the Jade vine and the other is the sealing wax palm.

Had them both...but they get to big to lug in and out.

I lost them both the last week of 2000..... was in the hospital and poor dh was lost without me LOL !

All it took was 1 night below 45 and then they were gone !
minibim
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
No greenhouse for me, but it surprises me that more northern gardeners don't do a greenhouse in your style. To have a greenhouse that is nothing but shelves and plants is to me like having a collection of plants period.

I have most of my tree canopy back, although it is a far different canopy than before Wilma. But hopefully it is enough of a canopy again to protect my ultra tropicals if we get a brief frost. After Wilma I needed some shade FAST, as many of my plants were used to shade. I planted some papaya seeds in triangular patterns to give me a quick canopy and it has worked well. Three years out, I'm happy with how full and mature the papayas are, although I worry a bit that they are not long term trees.
bihai
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Fawnridge,
I love crotons. I have a few, none rare I don't think. I like pink tones, and especially like a small Croton 'Piecrust' I picked up last season at USF.

Jupiterplants, I know what you mean about the Sealing Wax palm. I currently have 4 of them. They are growing well. I killed my first one that I had several years ago by planting it too close to the sliding door of the greenhouse, where there was unfortunately a draft. It got a bit chilled and bit the dust. I made certain to plant the new ones (I was really, REALLY lucky and got them for only $10 each when I made a larger order from Hawaii, otherwise I wouldn't have so many)pretty far into the much warmer interior of the GH.

I really like palms and am a sucker for the smaller growing understory palms that have new red leaves. This is one of my favorites, Calyptrocalyx pachystachis
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I am also a sucker for the "finger like" Anthuriums. I bought this Anthurium polydactylon off of eBay 2 years ago as a smallish plant, and finally trained it up a totem. I habe been growing the Costus "Maroon Chalice" for years and love the bright red architectural look of its stems. I discovered by trial and error that the Costus "Green Chalice" is actually root hardy here and comes back, but the Maroon Chalice doesn't. So I keep a goodly patch going in the GH

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thank you to everyone who has replied so far. I'd like to see pics of your stuff!
abendwolke
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Bihai, seeing your pictures reminds me of the greenhouses in botanical gardens in Europe. You are so lucky to have such a huge GH!
If I were to play the lottery I would win a mio. I'd spend it on an automated shade-/greenhouse over my entire backyard. I have the perfect vision of how it looks and works.... since I don't play (rather spend the dollar on plants for instant gratification) my garage is the greenhouse during the cold nights.
barbcoleus
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Your plants are spectacular as they always has been.
I don't have a green house here.
Barb
joyful_garden
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What beautiful pictures you posted. I really enjoyed looking at them! THanks!
JOy
minibim
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This is a photo from today of part of my yard.
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I guess this photo is a little over a year ago.
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This is a cleaned up and mulched photo of the area, after Wilma. This photo is the same area, but opposite direction of the first 2 photos.
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This was right after Wilma. I guess that's kinda obvious.
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I know I have some more photos....one of these days when they are all organized, I'll find them easier.
buttterflyy
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I LOVE long postings like this one - especially with wonderful photos. What an incredible 'area' you have. Do things more or less work together as far as dealing with things like mold or fungus issues? or do you need to treat for it. We had a commercial greenhouse up north 40 years ago ( no one asks why we had one up there..lol) and had to find ways to deal with all sorts of things. Yours is absolutely wonderful!!!
bihai
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Minibim,
your yard and mine look a lot the same as far as the bananas. I have several groves planted on the property. They do so well here, provided that they get enough water. That certainly hasn;t been an issue this summer, LOL. It's raining right now!! I have that same variegated pineapple in my yard too (in several different locations) They are so hardy and really look striking planted en masse.

Buttterflyy, I don't have that many mold and fungus issues. It does grow on the walls of the GH where water hits consistently, my solution is to pressure wash the walls once or twice a season. If a particular area has a heavy buildup, I will pre-treat with a little bleach, but mostly it just washes off with a hard spray from the powerwasher. Some of the plants whose leaves catch water (like some of the larger neoregelia bromeliads) get an algae patch on a leaf, I just use the "flat" setting on the hose sprayer and powerwash it off, LOL.

Here are a few more photos:
One of my favorite Anthuriums, plowmanii, with some orchids and Etlingera fulgens and my baby Darian Palm
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The base of the totem from the very first photo (The philo on the treestump) later acquired a Philo "Silver Metal" at its base, and the basket of Philo "Brasil" hangs down about to the ground
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junkyardgirl
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I wish I had acreage further north of here (I'd love to live up above Ocala somewhere), and the money to do what you've done. My plants all live outdoors and some are hauled inside for cold snaps and storms, some put on the back porch, and some in the garage. I've been saying for years I'm only bringing things home from now on that can stay outdoors year-round, but you know how that goes.

I'd just like to have a drop-side greenhouse, so I could keep it open in the summer, and close it for bad weather.
lellie
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Absolutely stunning!
I love the way your orchids are inter-mingled with everything else!
Happy...happy plants for certain.

Didn't you mention a water feature?
Can you post a pic of it?
I'm such a sucker for'm and have plans to install one in our courtyard...IF it ever gets done! ..LOL
garyfla_gw
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi
Always find that "Why do you want a GH in zone 10?? question amusing. Same reason you'd want one in any zone lol
It's too hot too cold too wet too dry and I want to be a zone stretcher just like you lol
have been working on a GH for 30 years for zone 10 but all I've found is what doesn't work lol
By comprimising on what I grow and the method I can get an almost. I hate it when the orchids I'm growing on a tree outdoors grow and flower just as well as the "pampered " ones .lol
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have an area that stayed between 50/80, never had too much wind , and always ideal water?? Okay I want some of those high altitude beauties that shrivel at 75 and go into a tail spin at 40 lol.
A wide open shadehouse has been the best compromise on a year around basis year after year.
Even if the temps were ideal a central location cuts the amount of work in half.
My "protected"grow area is 12x25 and the runaway number one problem is GROWTH . But when you think about it no matter how large the GH there are plenty of plants that are WAY to big.
You beat a lot of the major problems by making your GH a larger size. with high ceilings. A world apart from my 10 foots lol
My situation is also complicated by the birds I keep in it. They can be mixed but a dedicated aviary is always a a good idea. Now for the fish frogs turtles and where can I keep my Okapi lol gary

Why I need a greenhouse in Florida (long, photos)

fawnridge (Ricky)

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jhl1654

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Why I need a greenhouse in Florida (long, photos)

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