With my begonia collection expanding, I am thinking about a greenhouse to contain them in the winter time for next year. I am in the investigating stage now and would like to get the best greenhouse.
I have enough room for perhaps a 12-15 ft x 20 ft area. The area faces west and is shaded by tall deciduous trees in the summer. Any recommendation from you all for who to get it from, how you heat it, what kind of flooring ( concrete versus gravel), water access, insulation in the winter, automatic windows and fans, any pitfall to avoid. Should it be self standing versus lean to from the house. Should it be connected to the house or not?
Greenhouse recommendation
Get twice the size you think you want. I had a 14x18 at my last house and it took less than 3 years to fill it to overflowing. I heated it with a kerosene heater, had the automatic vent openers (4 of them but I only installed 2). It got hotter than hades in summer and could fall to freezing on particularly cold days if I didn't light the heater. I used a gravel floor which was perfect for drainage. Water access was the garden hose. If I did it again I would run gas lines, water, and electric power to it. I think some kind of sun shade would be mandatory in summer.
You could get an extra large commercial GH (30x60?) with heaters and fans cheaper than a nice looking GH with no extras which makes no sense. I guess aesthetics cost more?
I have seen some of the larger ones for sale with heaters and automatic vent openers listed. I guess with a 30 x 60 you could get a hot tube in it too!
Silly question : how do the gas line work with heating? Are greenhouse heaters fueled by gas and flow hot air?
Once the gh is built, I can make a trip to Georgia right?
I hope you meant a hot tub in a bigger GH. You could probably put a pool in one if you wanted to and grow tropical water lilies.
I suppose you could use any type heat you want. I prefer NG to electric because it is cheaper. LP gas might be cheaper too but not in the small tanks used for grills (kind of expensive going that way).
If you want to make a trip to GA come on. FL is the next state down is where you really want to go though.
I want this GH.
That's an amazing greenhouse!
As for my hot tub, I was envision being surrounded by my begonias in a lush tropical setting.. Maybe an "outdoor shower" too to complete the dream. Sigh!
We are planning a vacation in Boca Grande. It didn't escape me that PHOE is 4.5 hrs away...
In the picture below are my newest acquisition. They call the middle plant, bottom row ( lots of bright white spots) "Snow on the mountain" I think it really looks like Avalanche. The small dotted burgundy leaves in the middle of the row above snow on the mountain is called Arabian Sunset.
This picture has a very well developed "Maple Syrup" cane. Although I like canes to stand up, it don't mind how the branches on this one come down and to the side.
Very annoying... I posted the wrong picture. Here goes
Never heard of Snow on the Mountain (well it is a common name for several other perennials). I've got Snow Capped, Avalanche, and Cracked Ice.
Here is my Avalanche with a few other canes (Lucerna, Miniperba, Flamingo Queen, Ebony, ???
It looks like you got a nice collection of canes. I bet Arabian Sunset will be one of those mildew magnets like Lynda Dawn and Benigo.
I finally moved up my Snow Capped (it has looked like crap for a couple of years and now it is showing a bit of promise) and is the one in the upper left. The one on the right is Cracked Ice. The one blooming on the bottom is Dennis Franz.
Aaaah! So many dots on the last pictures. It's like the dots you see when you stare at the sun for too long ( but in white!). I think my "Snow on the mountain" looks the most like your Avalanche.
I am so frustrated with local nurseries: well grown beautiful plants but no names. When you get them in mail order, they are small but with names...
I am eagerly awaiting my Kartuz and Phoe orders. Veteran's day didn't help...
If I find a begonia I don't have at a local nursery I usually buy it (unless I think it is marked too high) despite no name or the wrong name. I can worry about the name later and if I can't find it, I will make up a name.
Mail order is another way to get plants you can't find locally but typically you pay more for a much smaller plant and you never know what condition it is in until you get it. Some of the mail order places have trouble with names too.
Kartuz has been shipping pretty quick the last 2 or 3 times I ordered from them. I quit ordering from PHOE since they were so slow and often subbed. PHOE is a great place to visit if you ever get to Miami. Maybe their mail order business has improved.
I potted down all my begonias in my large (18") pots a couple of days ago. I figured it was better to have them in individual 8 inch pots than moving big 18" pots into the garage. I still have one extra large begonia to pot down - Lotusland which is a monster.
One of my 18 inch pots had Encanto Bronze, Mrs. Hashimoto, maculata, and Morocco in it. Morocco is the only one that went into a 12 inch pot.
I agree with potting down... after moving huge pots indoor last year and having to move them out again in the spring. I got Morocco in a hanging pot this year from GHW. I really love it. My favorite pot size is a 4" regular or 6 " azeala. It's just perfect to take them in or out of the house. They fit in the nursery tray.
I got my order from PHOE and Kartuz today. PHOE plants were very big 4 inch pot plants and well packed. Kartuz were big rhizomes in little 2 in pots but I didn't like the packing as much ( many leaves were lost but then again I started vegetative prop with the lost leaves). I really had to press PHOE and call them everyday to get my order out on time.
Glad to hear your PHOE order came in. I know in years past I would call them after six weeks of nothing and their response was they were glad I called because they lost my address or some other excuse. GHW, Antonelli's, and Plant Safari are the worst for getting orders out in a timely manner.
Four and six inch pots do sound ideal but if you want big plants (or mature plants) you have to move them up to bigger pots. If you want to keep them small you can bonsai them too. I have a 'Black Coffee' in a Jiffy pellet for the last 4 to 5 years and I dropped that into a Solo rinse cup. It is truly amazing that it has been through thick and thin (drying out to close to death and over-watered) and keeps on going. Here it is back in Sept.
Honestly I came out cheaper and more sturdy by building my own out of treated lumber and GH pannels. My first was a harbor freight. Very Flimsy and the pannels were not ment to last. They become very brittle in no time. Anyhow mine is 16x16 with Treated corner posts. The pannels were the most expensive part but it is sturdy and much more energy efficient. Brandy
Thanks Jumpin but I am not adept enough to do one Gh of my own.
The black coffee looks very cute but it's not "black" Is it a lighting factor?
I didn't name the begonia - just bought it and grew it from PHOE. It could be a maturity factor or the amount of light it gets (got).
Here are four of them together - all off the same mother plant including the one in the solo cup from 4 years ago.
I see what you mean in terms of growing bigger plants in 8 in pots.. Such a cute little family portrait!
hcm, I was wondering about your propagation in aluminum baking trays. You said you poke holes in the bottom. I like the idea of the lid but with holes in the bottom of the tray, doesn't your bench get wet. Perhaps it doesn't matter if it's in the GH.
I use other pans as a drip tray indoors. I buy the bulk pack trays at Sam's (15 full trays or 30 half trays for $12 or so) as drip trays. I get the two pack trays at grocery stores with the lids. I like the deep dishes and get the half trays (not the cake pans) - this way you can put two of them in one drip tray.
Outdoors I just place them on the ground since I don't want water collecting in case it rains (which we got 20+ inches of in Sept and then quite a bit more when Ida passed through recently).
I should mention that any aluminum pan will eventually corrode to where they need to be replaced or used as a cutting tray. Sand is very corrosive (and fertilizer) to aluminum. Plastic pans cost a lot more and can be easily broken.
Thanks for the info. I mistakenly purchased some nursery drip trays with holes in them and some ( intentionally without). I am using the ones with holes in lieu of your aluminum trays for my leaf cutting propagation.