No! My potting shed is full; all surfaces filled with tender succulents and citrus. It stays well above freezing in there. A west facing window gives plenty of winter sun to cactus and succulents.
My greenhouse? Filled with the more hardy plants, that can withstand cold temperatures but not freezing. It warms up during the day and the thermal mass of water-filled bottles and plants usually keeps the temperature well above freezing.
It's my laundry room. It's the place where I keep my orchids during their non flowering season. They can't withstand too much cold so 65º is just about right for them. Throw them away after they finish flowering? Never. Also, I have to have a warmer place to keep seeds while they dry out. These are Cascadia peas which have been prolific right through until this last week.
and these bunny ear cactus pads I discovered on the ground yesterday.
I left them to dry overnight in the greenhouse but today I noticed the base of the pads were showing signs of rot. We have had so much rain this fall and coupled with cold it has not been good for the succulents. But, I know they can be saved so I took a knife and cut off the bases down to good tissue. It's rather like being a dermatologist going deeper and deeper making sure he remove all the cancerous tissue. I had to makes several cuts before I was down to healthy tissue. Now they will stay in the laundry room until they callous over after which time I will pot them up in a well drained soil.
Cactus and succulents can be so forgiving if you remove all the unhealthy tissue, heal and replant. I have done the same with a sharkskin agave and a Spanish bayonet yucca. The center of the sharkskin just pulled right out but I replanted and it is growing again. The yucca had been attacked by weevils but I cut back to good tissue an replanted.
All those plants in your greenhouse, potting shed and laundry room look great. I love spaces filled with green things in the winter!
ReplyDeleteI should have mentioned the ones in my house too Renee.
DeleteYou are right -- they are super tough plants. I'm trying to save a decade-old Queen Victoria agave that nearly rotted this fall.
ReplyDeleteI have one too. I dug it up and it is in the greenhouse. I dried it out and put it in some fresh soil. However, the leaves are really sick looking. I'm afraid the claret cups in that bed are also rotting. The soil was really fast draining too.
DeleteI see a like minded gardener! My usual basement storage areas are full so I've got things on top of the washer and dryer....hey, the light is good there. Sure I have to move them when I do laundry but that's only once a week...
ReplyDeleteI think you have more success at this than I do danger garden. I didn't show you the other end of the laundry room which is filled up with boxes of seeds and other garden paraphernalia. No room to sort clothes either as my machines are under the counter.
DeleteMy laundry room has a large south-facing window so it's a perfect place for orchids and I also keep my seeds there. Cactus in the garage or porch where they can be covered with a warm light if needed.
ReplyDeleteSo far, so good with the agaves and all this rain.
When you start stacking plants on couches and beds, that's when you know you have a problem. I'd love to have a greenhouse to sit in on cold sunny days! (The dermatologist analogy gave me a shudder...apt, but horrible.)
ReplyDeleteYour potting shed, greenhouse and laundry room look nice and cozy. I didn't know just how forgiving succulents were until my experiences with a big mass of frost-bitten Aloe vera. I stripped them all down to clean tissue, stuck them the ground and voila - they all recovered. Good to know yucca is the same.
ReplyDeleteI think perhaps you'll need a second greenhouse next year! I haven't brought anything inside under cover but I'm beginning to think I should have. It looks as though the Furcraea I planted out in the late fall is very unhappy - I can't decide if it's too cold or too wet.
ReplyDeleteWow! You do have some plants to deal with.
ReplyDeleteThe best light here is in the guest room. It has a few plants. But, I decided to cut down on ones that have to be moved inside. Makes life easier, if not as pretty.
Beautiful greenhouse and the second corner
ReplyDeleteAt least your peas have achieved crop. I have peas of smell with flowers now...