Summer Sharing Project, anyone?

I have been thinking that there must be many growers 'out there' who would love to put up a shade house for the summer to grow their hoyas outside....
....and I will bet there are just as many who have rigged up something that MAY not be inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright but that works well. And didn't come out of a box.
.....and maybe the summer rig could be modified to work during the winter as well for those who get the occasional low temps.
PHOTOS and drawings most welcome...

OK................so an idea that just occured to me is based on those old fashion clothes lines... you know the ones with the center pole, 'arms' off the top and the lines go around the top...like a flatter umbrella. Well - it could be 'mounted' in a 5 gal. bucket with cement.... Then a shade cloth (maybe two?) put across the top and pegged into the ground (or use rocks?) on either side....so what you would have is a big tent. Heck...for small collections, you could use an old patio umbrella.

You could also locate it so the house shaded one side and when the sun moved overhead, the shadecloth would take over.

Air circulation is important....and, I think, a misting system could be rigged.

No matter how crazy...lets have ideas.... And pictures are GREAT!!!

OK Here is my work in progress, keep in mind we just moved to this place last fall so lots to be done yet.
This is on the back of the house so not seen from the front at all.
Not fancy but it works well.
I only have a couple Hoya in this so far, I've been waiting to get the second addition finished which will be on the front of this so it will be twice the size when finished and I plan to put lattice on the sides.
So far it's been working great and we've had some rough weather this past week.
Jo

Really neat, Jo....is it in the shade of that big tree...or can it produce it's own shade?

Carol, It's under the shade of the tree with some sun at each end at differant times of day but my main goal is to block the wind and rain. We live on an open cattle ranch so wind is a big problem.

Thank you Carol for the idea. . .I'm still trying to get my "men" to do it.

Jo,
that is so pretty!!!

Jo, your plants looks happy & healthy. I would like one of those shade house but getting my DH to do it will be a big challenge.

Jo: That is really nice! Your plants look amazing!

I have a spot I would love for a shade house - but would have to dig up and transplant some knock out roses and a wisteria vine first. The roses were just transplanted to that location a few months ago ... should have thought before putting them there! I haven't told my DH about my idea of a shade house yet! I have a feeling it will have to wait until next year. He's off until the end of June and has been helping me with trimming trees and clearing underbrush in an area on the side of our property. Right now we have 8 trash cans and about 15 huge black yard bags of limbs and debris ... and we aren't finished yet.

Carol - this is a great idea for a thread. I read a great idea (this idea is NOT mine) on the greenhouse forum. I have no idea how to do a link, but if you visit the greenhouse forum, it's under cattle panel hoophouse. Anyway, I really considered doing this - you get the cattle panels at Farm and Fleet, or something equivalent. The panels are like 16' long, and bend easily into a hoop shape. To make the shade house taller in the middle, you make "walls" to fasten the panels to. The complete instructions, I'm sure, are on the thread. I believe the person who made the cattle panel house said it cost her/him under $200 to build a 50' green(shade)house - not bad!!

Karen

Cool! Karen...you just copy and paste the URL at the top of one and paste it to your new thread. I will go over there and take a peek. Lourdes...you coming too?

Thanks everyone for your kind words, it makes me want to get it finished sooner so I can get my Hoya's out there and post a picture of it finished.

That hoop house sounds neat but I couldn't find it when I looked, I'll try again later when I'm not so tired. I worked in my flower garden most of the day and spent my brakes reading post. I've been moveing my flower garden from the old house to here and I'm exausted.

Thanks Carol for starting this I look foreward to seeing what others are doing.
Jo

Hope this works: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/greenhouse/all/s works.....


No didn't work - how about...http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/818189/

Geesh - let me work on this....

Try this...

http://middlecity.com/mambo/growers/hoophouse.html

YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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This message was edited May 28, 2008 10:04 AM

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This message was edited May 28, 2008 12:09 PM

Thank you Karen for the link, and Carol I'm on my way...LOL

WOW...what a wealth of valuable information!!!!! Karen, thanks SO much.

It is cool, isn't it?! I have looked into doing this - but I wouldn't need anything as big as 50 ft.

I hope everyone keeps more ideas coming - good thread!

Karen

I have a big deck across the back of my house. My plan is to move my hoyas out under that for the summer, which seems like it has come. Our night time temperatures are now in the low 50s, so I am thinking my plants will be safe. If it gets colder, I can easily move them back inside. My other thought is to hang them in the cherry tree in the back. They will get semishade all day, and won't have to be near the deck I need to rebuild this summer.

I really like the shade house Jo has, not that it really is one, but what the heck. I want a greenhouse or something like one. Waah!

AnalogDog...if you put a screen over your Hoyas on the deck...it might keep the coldest temps at night from hitting them.... Do you think?

I really like your set up, Jo!
We have a 10 X 10 gazebo on one side of the deck that surrounds our pool. That sucker was not up for an hour before I started hanging Hoyas along all the sides. I've also been known to hang Hoyas in tree branches, under the eves of the house, and just about any other shady, inviting place I find in the yard.
For many years, I have moved most of my Hoyas outside for summer. I found it entirely too stressful the past few years as my plants have matured and am leaving the majority of them in the sunroom/greenhouse this year.
I am looking forward to hearing other innovative ideas!
Great idea for a thread, Carol! I will have to brain storm some other ideas.
Mel

I really like Ric's getup with the bamboo/reed fencing panels....seems there are a lot of configurations those could be used for...on decks, in yards, as walls or shade covers...

Mel, how about some pictures of how you hang/group your plants around the pool area...i remember them as being really attractive!!!!

Humm. I think it was here, but I got a tip on using a sheer white curtain from the thrift store as a sunblock for plants being moved outside, and I have one protecting a Sanseveria right now, when that is ready to go, maybe the hoyas will be next to go.

Most hoyas will do OK with morning or afternoon direct sun....it is really the overhead burning sun I worry about. Air movement is important too. One tip: when you move them outside, if it is to very bright light and some direct sun from the house...do it in stages so the change isn't really abrupt!

Well, I really like the effect that the sheer curtain has on the plants. I put it over the bench of my C&S collection, and I had no burning/bronzing at all even with clear skies, and bright sun. It is really a miracle.

My plants only see direct sun on the deck from about 10 am to 4pm due to the house and trees. From 4 to sunset the trees have some moments were full sun gets through, but its of small consequence.

The hoyas will go under the deck, where it is much shadier. There is a lattice to the south, with the only opening to the west, where the trees block the light. So the most light there will be dappled direct sun, but predominantly light shade all day. I will probably shield them down there for the first days.

An idea might be to place a shade cloth over an old swingset frame, hold in place on the ground with rocks. Hanging plants could be placed on wire strung across the frame, others in pots could be set on the ground.

Karen