Autumn Inside the Greenhouse

I felt the firm grip of fall as I walked the half-mile from the parking lot to the Conservatory Greenhouse at the University of Minnesota, where I volunteer. The temperature outside was in the 30s, and the wind whipped at my face. Yesterday there had been snow flurries.

In stark contrast to the outside world, the greenhouse climate was quite different. Part of the greenhouse is maintained at near-tropical temperatures. But other sections of the greenhouse are kept significantly cooler to support plants that have evolved in seasonal climates. Although indoors, autumn has arrived here too. The sunlight dims, and the nights grow long. Inside these cool greenhouse rooms the plants shed their leaves and virtually cease growth for the winter months, just as they would outdoors.

Part of my assignment for today included the pruning of yellowing and brown leaves. Removing the dead foliage from the plants and the floors helps to reduce the overall risk of mold and other pests affecting the dormant plants.

Resembling maple leaves, the American sweetgum (Liquidamber styraciflua) is native to eastern North America

Another task for today was to attach labels to the pots of oak saplings - 16 different species of them - indicating which days the pots were to be watered. I also attached identification tags to the exterior of the pots for easier reading.

California live oak (Quercus agrifolia), an evergreen oak native to California and Baja, Mexico

Not all plants in the temperate rooms are experiencing death and dormancy. Many orchid species bloom during the fall and winter months. As I swept fallen leaves I notice a couple of orchid beauties:

Reminiscent of ruffled skirts and high-stepping ladies dancing the cancan this orchid is a hybrid of the wilsonara species

Tracy's cymbidium orchid (Cymbidium tracyanum) has delicate hairs decorating the lip (labellum). The hairs assist by dispersing the scent meant to attract pollinators, and they dissuade predator insects from feeding on the petals (Wikipedia).

Comments

I celebrate learning this about cycad plants

I didn't know that the cardboard palm - Zamia furfuracea - is a cycad. It isn't a palm tree (don't judge me, I'm not a botanist). But it also doesn't look like the other more familiar types of cycads with their fluted upright palm-like fronds. I didn't know it is said to be the second most commonly cultivated cycad, after Cycas revoluta . I didn't know this plant is unrelated to the common ZZ plant - Zamioculcas zamifolia - although they have a similar appearance. Before today I didn't know any of these things, but now I am happy to have learned them. From the parking lot I walked to the U of M Conservatory greenhouse in near-zero F weather. Stepping into the tropical spaces was a joy of its own. But being able to learn new information and experience new procedures was a compounding factor. Joy squared. During my 3-hour volunteer shift, my initial task was to clean the parasite critters (mealybugs and scale) from the stems and leaves of the cycad, Zami...

A Sensitive Plant and Common Weed

Mimosa pudica, also commonly called the sensitive plant was a popular houseplant when I was growing up in the 1970s. It was popular for its ability to quicky change shape by folding up its leaves to protect them from herbivore predators. At the slightest touch the plant is able to expell water from special cells in the leaves, changing the shape from frond-like to a stick-form. The plant creeps along the ground, never for than a foot or so in height. In tropical parts of the world this plant is considered and invasive weed. Today, as I was treating plants to remove pests I happened to touch the leaves of a Mimosa pudica , one with a pretty puff-like flower. Sure enough, the leaves all folded up to almost nothing. Mimosa pudica , the sensitive plant Other more routine chores during my four-hour shift at the U of M Conservatory included cleaning three plants of Hibiscus clayi, native to Hawaii. These three plants in particular have suffered repeated infestations with a variety of in...

A Thames River Walk Through Time: Repurposing Tow Paths

I love it when old technologies are repurposed to solve entirely different problems. A perfect example is the extensive system of canals and tow paths throughout England. Before the Industrial Revolution and the advent of railways, these canals were built to transport goods between cities and towns. Narrow boats pulled by horses or mules along tow paths were a common sight. Today, however, these tow paths have found a new purpose: recreational walking. They offer picturesque routes through the English countryside, allowing people to explore the beauty of the canals and rivers. The commerce that once flowed along these waterways may have shifted to railways, but the paths themselves continue to serve a valuable function. This year, I had the privilege of joining three other hikers on a journey along the River Thames tow path, from the city of Oxford to its source, a distance of about 50 miles. Farther upstream, the river gradually narrowed, eventually transforming into a swollen creek b...

City Gardener

Search This Blog