One of the most attractive home greenhouses I have ever seen is in Brookline, Massachusetts – a lean-to sunk into a sunny terrace in perfect harmony with its setting. Ordinarily, the added expense of a sunken floor is not warranted, but in this case, it brings the roofs of home and greenhouse together in one graceful sweeping line without sacrificing greenhouse headroom. There is also the advantage of cooler growing conditions in summer.
Inside, the greenhouse is as attractive as it is outside. The owner, Mrs. Griggs uses extreme care in selecting and placing plants, The usual annuals and bulbous materials found in any flower shop are out. The lesser known plants, grown for fascinating foliage, form and flowers, hold sway here. There is hoya carnosa with waxy pinkish white blooms; rosary plant (ceropegia) with delicate hanging strings of round gray-green leaves; a passion flower vine that produces rich purple blossoms against dark green leaves; Acalypha wilkesiana with slender reddish spikes and colored foliage; Campanula isophylla alba dotted with white star-shaped blooms; Plumbago capensis with pale blue flowers; Iris inoraea and some of the best bromeliads. One bulb Mrs. Griggs finds especially amusing is sea onion (Ornithogalum caudatum). This has clusters of – white flowers with green centers and the bulbs multiply readily.
Mrs. Griggs also has a few cactus and succulents, dominated by a large cereus, There are also epiphyllums, opuntias and haworthias. But her real forte is begonias. She has a beautiful collection of interesting varieties, among them rex begonias Princess of Hanover, Adrien Schmitt, Peace, Glory of St. Albans; rhizomatotts begonias Crestabruchi, Bianchi, Feasti (erythophylla) and Joe Hayden.
The greenhouse is equipped for practical operation. There is a neat potting bench and sink of suitable height to make it possible to work in comfort while seated on a stool. A propagating case, heated by electric soil-heating cable, makes it a simple matter to root cuttings or germinate seed at the required temperatures. Automatic ventilation of the new modulating type opens and closes the sash as required by the inside temperature. Everything has been done to make gardening in this greenhouse carefree and attractive.
by C Ernest
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