Azalea Flowers and the Home Greenhouse

Indoors in March and April the stepped-up light intensity over twice as much daily as there is in December produces an indoor spring that furnishes a spectacular contrast to the outside weather. Even without a greenhouse you can enjoy this preview of spring at the great spring flower shows. These shows are stepping stones to progress in indoor gardening.

The complete landscapes of forced woody material, including flowering fruit, dogwood, azalea and camellia, are masterpieces of greenhouse control. Rock garden alpine plants are brought into bloom with a little encouragement from a coldframe. Spring bulbs of every description are forced by the hundreds to the uniformity of a ballet line-up. Happy flowering perennials and annuals in great quantities go to complete this indoor miracle created at a time when the weather is far from cooperative.

Competitive classes for individual flower groups, such as roses, hydrangeas, orchids and many others, leave the amateur between hope and despair. With resolute perseverance the spell of illusion can be shaken off and valuable lessons learned.

Firstly and obviously, these things can be grown, and here we can often find names and sources. Secondly, we can often get cultural information and, if we are lucky, corner the grower.

Much to Learn

Much may be learned at an amateur exhibit such as a greenhouse featured by a Garden Club. Hundreds of plants are correctly labeled, and a question answering service is provided by members. You may see leaf propagation of succulents, African-violets under artificial light, or lovely streptocarpus (a favorite of English gardeners, looking like a primula but related to the gloxinia).

You will see collections of fancy pelargoniums and scented geraniums, all named. You will learn that bulbs, with their stored up energy, give the amateur a margin of certainty; that amaryllis are sure bloomers but may miss the show; that the South African bulbs, freesias, Gladiolus tristis, ornithogalum, lachenalia, babiana and ixia must have cool sunshine, as do the Andean leucocorynes and beautiful Alstromeria Pelegrina alba. Fascinating rare exotics interest experts and are checked by botanists.

You will take home catalogs, seeds for the summer’s garden, bulbs, a tiny dish garden of succulents, new gadgets, and a renewed urge for gardening. Or, like one visitor we know of, perhaps you will go to look at a greenhouse, fill out a blank, and find yourself a member of the Garden Club!

Contributed by V Grieff

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