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starfyre

greenhouse: for pond & scented garden???

starfyre
17 years ago

I inherited a greenhouse - 12 by 18 I believe. Not sure how we will get it here (its 45 minutes away) or where exactly I would put the thing but it has me thinking up all sorts of stuff!

I have a slight touch of spring fever by the way so I could be full of crazy talk - please stop me if I sound certifiable...

I do do a small amount of cuttings and seeds each year to share with my gardening club and friends and family, but I've always been confined to a sink and a 3'x18"x5' portable greenhouse in my laundry room. I wouldn't even BEGIN to know what to do with as much space as this greenhouse will give me. SOOO I was thinking of converting the front half into a pond/scented garden with a comfy patio chair and create a small path through it that leads back to the "work area" for a table and shelves for potting plants.

See I've always wanted a chocolate/vanilla garden with the cocoa bean mulch but I have dogs. One of my elderly neighbors used the mulch last spring and the entire neighborhood smelled like brownies for weeks! It was HEAVENLY! (I suffer from a small addiction to chocolate too.) But it poses a danger to my daughters doxie who finds plastic armyguys and aluminum foil to be delicacies. If she sniffed chocolate she'd be in it, up to her overexuberant tail and silly little eyebrows, in a heartbeat.

I envision being able to go outdoors and read amongst my chocolate scented plants, by a small pond with relaxing fountain and fish, in early spring when everyone else would merely be looking out their windows at the cold rain and bare earth. I have several trees which wouldn't normally survive our zone but are my way of bringing comforts from home (New Zealand) and they would thrive in a greenhouse like this. I think I could get more of them, enough to make a nice little screen to seperate the "garden area" from the "work area." I have the pond and fountain already - but as I'm building a bigger one I wont have use for the preform unless I make ANOTHER pond. So basically I guess I see this one indoors with a chair beside it and facing a garden full of chocolate daisies and chocolate cosmos, and valerian and akebia on trellises and maybe some mockorange and sweet shrubs and chocolate mint and, and.... stop me. My baby koi really should have a seperate pond from my 3 yearlings anyway or they'll become lunch and they would benefit from it being slightly warmer than the larger exposed pond... Heck, I'm talking myself into it now!

Feasable you think? I want to be able to garden earlier than this dang it, and this would offer that chance. It would be heated in winter to keep it above 40-45 so I could increase my plant options and growing time.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:290301}}

Comments (15)

  • birdwidow
    17 years ago

    Feasible? Of course it's feasable, and if you don't go for it, you will hate yourself years from now, when you think about all of the time you could have spent, sitting by your pretty little pond, breathing in the scent of chocolate, eating chocolate, planning amazing new chocolate receipes, and wondering why you ever left those heavenly islands.

  • starfyre
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Heavenly islands: Yes, most definitely - I miss real beaches. Tired of gloomy grey and windy stuff I get up here....

    After searching around the chocolate flower farm website I have decided I am doing this for sure! Then I could have all kinds of NZ plants as well as early season for the chocolate flowers... Now to convince the husband to go pick it up this weekend so I can start work RIGHT away!

  • nathanhurst
    17 years ago

    I'm not sure what the question is, but the answer is just do it!

  • flyingz
    17 years ago

    Sounds like a great idea. That pond will make a nice heat storage reservoir, just be sure to insulate it from the ground if you decide to do that. Good luck, Randy

  • starfyre
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    nathan - I guess I was looking for someone to say its not nuts. I suggested turning the greenhouse into another outlet for garden ideas and he acted as if I'd lost my mind. Mumbled something like "I thought greenhouses were for starting plants and and gardening work, not fish and chairs." *sigh* but everytime he has to walk around my 300 potted trees and shrubs and he bumps into my little greenhouse int he laundry room he reminds me that I have turned into the psycho plant woman - he says it like someone would say "crazy cat lady!" So he really doesn't get it. I knew people here would. :)

    Now, flyingz - I had been thinking of it more as a humidity helper and now that you mention the heat I can see algae becoming a problem in the pond if it stays warm all the time. HMMM, more things to ponder... I knew I came to the right place. Maybe I will just use a small fountain instead. Same water feature noise, relax value, but less of an issue to clean if the warmth leads to green slimy stuff.

  • nathanhurst
    17 years ago

    Oh, you'll find yourself using the space for starting stuff off sooner or later, but bihai has demonstrated that it is possible to have a greenhouse as a garden.

    I'd love to have a greenhouse to sit in, but I know it would fill up with cuttings soon enough :)

  • garyfla_gw
    17 years ago

    Hi
    Ever thought osf a standard aquarium on a short stand??
    Allows viewing from the side, best of all easy to reach the bottom without standing on your head lol.
    gary

  • blondboy47
    17 years ago

    starfyre.

    Our very little greenhouse, only 11x11x11 also has a pond in it with our little Kois. I wanted to put 2 chairs and a table in there for the same reasons, but ended up with no space.

    So yes, if you have the luck to aquire such a huge greenhouse and a place to put it, you must do it. You simply must! LOL

    Oh and at the price of LCDs wide screens, you could put one of those out there too..... you know.... so you can watch some shows while enjoying the surroundings..... ok, I'm just obsessed! LOL

    Have fun!

  • wetfeet101b
    17 years ago

    That sounds like a great idea. I say you go for it. Of course, peoples' opinions will vary on the logistics ~ but thats little stuff :)

    I ran into a website some time ago with pictures of someone's 12x16 greenhouse converted into a 50/50 sunroom and orchid house. The front half closer to the door has a couple of chairs and a table, and the orchids are in the rear half. I will have to look for that website again.
    You could do something like that, only instead of orchids you will have your preferred plants.

    If you intend to put a water feature inside, just make sure there are air vents on the greenhouse. Or you might run into some excess humidity problems. The scent of chocolates is nice, the scent of chocolate mixed with stale/damp air is downright nasty. :)

  • watergal
    17 years ago

    Your idea isn't nuts. And I call myself the "crazy plant lady" all the time - I figure I might as well beat my husband to it!

    I have fantasized about just such a greenhouse, but it's so cold here that heating it all winter for my tropicals would cost too much. In your zone, it's a much more workable fantasy. Can I come visit sometime? ;)

  • starfyre
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    :) I saw pictures of bihai's greenhouse and I am inspired beyond all reason now! So much so I am now researching possible plants amd the logistics of it all. I know I'll eventually just get out of control with the cuttings and will need to use it as a greenhouse but for now I'm going to go nuts with it and see where I end up.

    And sure watergal - crazy plant ladies are always welcome here! :)

  • watergal
    17 years ago

    Oh yeah, bihai's is the ULTIMATE!

  • hen11
    17 years ago

    You could try having a look at some lilly houses:

    http://www.lamortella.it/Tour1-Victoriahouse_it.html

    obviously, the plants in there are lowland tropical but you could easily get the same effect with your NZ temperate plants. If you want it to be private or have a bit more shade over the sitting area you could use some trellis drenched in some climbers (NZ Clianthus puniceus?). maybe also get a nice arch (if you have enough headroom) to separate the areas along with your trees to complete the barrier.

    I'd also reccomend some bubblewrap insulation - as well as insulating the place very effectively, it also filters the light nicely and makes it more comfortable to sit inside.

    good luck!

  • starfyre
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thank you for the tips! I will check the site out right now!

  • buyorsell888
    17 years ago

    I've got a pond in my greenhouse and there will be a chair too! Mine is an ugly above ground wood framed pond but since I have six other nice rocked liner ones outside that is ok.

    Nothing wrong with your idea at all, go for it!

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