Misty Glasshouse Dreaming

Favorite Dreary-Day Escape: Seeking Inspiration at Lyman Conservatory, Smith College Botanic Garden, Northampton, MA

Melancholy mornings, moody afternoons and long, rainy weekends; I can think of a hundred-and-one excuses for a trip to Smith College’s Lyman Conservatory. But when spring is this raw and wintry weather so unrelenting, I really crave the warm, humid comfort of a glorious greenhouse.

Fern House Magic: Lyman’s Wardian Case Vignettes Have Long Been a Point of Delight. This Spot Stirs Up My Shade Garden Fantasies  

 With planting season right around the corner —and annual pot displays on my mind— Lyman Conservatory has once again become my favorite place for a bit of tropical design inspiration.  It’s always great fun to play with exotic colors and textures in seasonal planting beds and summertime pots. Where perennials, shrubs and trees are permanent investments —requiring careful planning and placement— annual and tropical plants are temporary, lighthearted guests in our New England landscape. Like summer lovers, they invite us to kick off our shoes and relax a bit. Go ahead, let your hair down they say. Stop taking this gardening business so seriously.

Here’s a look at few more things that recently caught my eye in the greenhouse . . .

Clivia miniata ‘Grandiflora’. What About Orange? Such an Under Utilized Beauty in New England Gardens. People are Often Scared of Committing to Orange. So Try it in a Pot! 

Inspired by a Light and Airy Touch, I’m Thinking Palm Fronds and Swaying Blossoms to Catch the Breeze on My Balcony. Glowing Brazilian Candles (Triplochlamys multiflora, aka Pavonia multiflora, Malvaceae, Brazil), at Lyman Conservatory, Smith College Botanic Garden And What About Those Shady Spots? Ooh, folia, folia. Double fantasia. Begonia brevimirosa ssp. exotica. Always Consider the Leaf! Hot Pink and Fuchsia? Yes, Yes, Yes! 

I can’t wait to get back to Smith Botanic Garden for another color charge!

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