The Greenhouse – My Happy Place

What’s been happening in the greenhouse?

Thanks to my reoccurring back problem, I’ve been spending more time than usual in the greenhouse recently.

Gardening probably isn’t the best hobby for someone with a bad back, but I’m afraid I didn’t pick it, it picked me!

Gardening is the one time that I feel completely relaxed. Time just vanishes, even doing small tasks like pricking out and potting on.

As these are the main tasks at this time of year, it’s lucky they can be done sitting down!

Chillies – Young and Old

I sowed the chilli seeds back in January and they are still only two inches tall! They are very slow to start but once they get going, grow very well. Despite this, I don’t expect fruit from them until September.

On the other hand, the chilli plants I grew last year are already producing tiny little fruits.

I brought the chillies into the house last October and they were brought back out to the greenhouse in March. That would have been too early, except we now have a small tube heater in the greenhouse. We have a thermometer, which records the highest and lowest temperature. It’s amazing with just a tiny amount of heat, it has stopped the temperature this winter getting any lower than 0.9 degrees Celsius.

Overwintering in the Greenhouse

There’s a few plants that have over-wintered in the greenhouse. Two lemon trees; three types of Agapanthus; two varieties of Nerines; and a small Grape vine.

The Lemons are a lemon!

The Lemons! You know when something turns out to be useless, you say “it’s a lemon”. Well our lemons are ‘a lemon’!

My husband hates them with a passion. Mainly due to fact that they have nasty spikes and he’s the one that has to move them around. He has threatened that, “this is their final chance, if they don’t produce fruit this year, they’re going”!

We bought them from a supermarket that sounds like a famous make of German car. Beginning with A, if you need a clue. It was after a tip off from a friend that knew I’d been after one.

Of course when I bought them, they had lots of luscious fruit on. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to replicate this. The main problem is where to over winter them. This has finally been resolved with the greenhouse heater.

There is a little new growth and one flower bud. My mission this year is the give them maximum TLC, remembering to feed them weekly and try to produce, at least one lemon! I’ll let you know their fate….

My Fly Catcher!

The biggest job I’ve done in recent weeks, is the annual trim of the fly catcher. It’s proper name is ‘Sarracenia’, but common names are simply ‘Pitcher Plant’, or ‘Trumpet Pitcher’ and you can see why, with it’s long trumpet shaped leaves. The leaves are so attractive with pink veins on them.

It’s a carnivorous plant that attracts its victims by secreting nectar, very sneaky. Once the insects (mainly flies) are lured in, they fall to the bottom, where they drown in a pool of sticky digestive juices. Yuk! The details are of course rather gross, but I am pleased to have less flies in the greenhouse.

It’s a semi evergreen, perennial plant, and grows rather like a fern from a rhizomes. It likes the same conditions of many ferns, growing natively in North American damp woodlands.

The most important thing to know about these plants, is you must never give them tap water. They hate lime, and it will kill them. They also like to be damp at all times.

I love doing it’s annual trim. It looks a bit radical, but it doesn’t take long for it to put on new growth. Within a few short weeks it produces the strangest flowers. They are incredibly beautiful and always remind me of a lampshade.

My Happy Place – In the Greenhouse

The greenhouse truly is my ‘happy place’. I think I’m very lucky to not only have a greenhouse, but have one large enough to sit comfortably in. Even sitting here reading and writing, it’s so much nicer than being in the house. I assume it’s the light level that lifts your spirits, that and the warm sun shining on you!

So this Easter weekend, I think you’ll know where I’ll be. Rather than my usual cup of coffee, I might be sneaking a glass of something of something cold. Cheers, happy Easter.

Wishing you all a safe & Happy Easter 🐣