Greenhouse Preview

Powell Gardens' NINE greenhouses are in full swing of production for the 2011 Growing Season. A quarter million plants are in production now; 240 varieties for the spring gardens, 600 varieties for the summer gardens and 420 varieties for the Spring Plant Sale!

Golden Ranunculus or Persian Buttercups (Ranunculus asiaticus) in Greenhouse #6 grabbed my attention with their glorious warm yellow flowers. Yes they are closely related to the little woodland buttercup growing wild around here. Greenhouse #6 finishes many of the spring display crops so they look fabulous when they go to the conservatory or elsewhere in the gardens.

Fairy Primroses (Primula malacoides) in various shades color a bench in greenhouse #6; a perennial favorite flower for the cool, spring season for us.

Fragrant Stocks (Matthiola incana) fit the bill as well!

Here's an overview of part of Greenhouse #6. The plants in the foreground are for the spring plant sale.

Greenhouse #7 stores many of our unhardy edible plants for the Heartland Harvest Garden and our collection of banana varieties (Musa spp. ) is bursting at the seams and aching to go outside after all danger of frost has past in May.

What on earth is this? It's a fresh new banana flower! This is 'Williams Hybrid' banana, the huge foot long flower bud is just starting to emerge though you can see the "fingers" of baby bananas (the female part of the flower) in the upper right. The pointed "beak" part of the flower is where the male flowers are located but not yet opening. It takes about 10 months for bananas to ripen so we won't be able to enjoy these until next winter!

These are benches of seed trays and seed flats where all seeds begin their germination journey at Powell Gardens in Greenhouse #4.

The seedlings are then transplanted by hand into cell packs where they can bulk up and be ready for transplanting into the gardens.

Here's a mass of perennials destined for the Spring Plant Sale here on May 7-8. These will be transplanted into larger pots next week so they will become top-of-the-line perennials for you to purchase and take home.

Shrubs for the Spring Plant Sale got their start back in February and should be nice full plants for you to purchase by early May.

Kudos to super Greenhouse Staff and volunteers who grow all these crops so that the plans and designs of the Horticulturists and Gardeners become a reality. Our glorious gardens all begin here: from seeds and cuttings all transplanted by hand. It always makes me feel good watching these "babies" grow and mature each season. May they bring us great beauty and joy; sustaining our bodies and souls in the 2011 gardening season.