I've been pushing pots around for two weeks. We hooped 20' of the patio for some tender tropicals, and all along the fence line for the rest of the pots and large pots that are too big to throw a sheet over. I thought I had most of them gathered, but there was one large hanging basket of mixed begonias that hung from a hook in an oak tree. I hope the photo does it justice. The span is 6' 6" from the blue cart on the left to in front of the red pot on the right. The basket is a thick 24" metal one that I lined with nylon screening. I'm going to have to trim it to get it into the hoop. I have it resting on a table top that I guess I'll have to leave it on over winter. I hope we can station it between the two heaters we use in the hoop house. I don't want to lose it.

DH is just shaking his head (the man doesn't know an asparagus from a paint brush).


I'm stuffing them all into this hoop.

That's a lot of trouble but all those tropical plants are worth the trouble, in my opinion! We're doing the same thing here, but we're using the garage, barn and even my office in the house to overwinter tender plants.

I have nearly all my plumerias in the garage. I'm going to post my hoop house and the hoop off our patio (after I get it stuffed) on the Tropical forum later . Every year I say, "That's it, no more coddling tender tropicals." I know I'd hate to lose them, though, I enjoy them so much.

We've officially had our first entire November in Austin without any rainfall since 1897. Ouch!

It is strange that we're not having much rain lately. Our forest pond is completely dry which is unheard of for this time of year. I hope this isn't a harbinger for the coming year.

Bubbles said:.... Every year I say, "That's it, no more coddling tender tropicals." I know I'd hate to lose them, though, I enjoy them so much.

I totally get that! HAHAHA My Peace Lily made it in permanently. It was too heavy to move back outside. That is one less plant to move in for the winter. I wonder who will remain an indoor plant this year due to my sheer laziness??? Come to think of it, my Pink Arrowhead plant is really thriving indoors! And so is the pothos, and the Ti plants, and, and, and... The garage was where they use to go. But now even that isn't good enough for my babies. When I grow up I want to be one of MY plants!

Bubbles said:We've officially had our first entire November in Austin without any rainfall since 1897. Ouch!

Same here in Houston. Plus, this is the warmest December on record. During last year's mild winter, I regretted all the hard work I did to bring in my plants for protection when for the most part they all would have fared just fine outside. But you never know, right? All is takes is one cold snap and ZAP Gonners! My sprinkler timers are back on.

I'm being frugal with watering now. Our wastewater rates are averaged based on the amount of water we use in "winter" months.

("Water usage during the low irrigation months of December, January, and February of each year is used to estimate the normal wastewater production for each account. That level is then set as the maximum that account will be billed for wastewater until the next averaging period.").

You are still harvesting rainwater, aren't you?

I saw you had snagged some new plants about when it was time to tuck them in. Wondered if you had lost your mind... lol

As always, looking forward to more photos of your winter plant shelters. K

Yes, we still have a rainwater tank. I asked Santa for another, but he just rolled his eyes.

One of those new plants I received was a huge staghorn fern that's now sitting in a plastic laundry basket until I can figure where to store it. I forget about the hanging baskets. Just don't have room for them and wind up making a long shelf in the side yard gh for them to sit on. They always come out in the spring looking pretty ratty. I should just toss most of 'em, I guess.

Wish I had your snazzy greenhouse! Show us some photos of your plants snuggly tucked in for winter, please. Maybe I can show them to Santa.

Snazzy ~ lol I like that. I am afraid when I take pictures of the GH, it looks empty but when I am in there it seems crowded.

I need to save room to sit by the fire on cold, gloomy winter days and read the seed catalogues and gardening magazines so this is the spot is where I spend my spare time...

Not wanting to throw things away, I always do lots of cuttings and dig up in ground volunteers in the fall and had to engineer this to hold them on the other side of the stove...



A wall of succulents look sparse when I take their photo ...

Then there are succulents on the bottom and broms on the top

and when DH says why aren't all the plants in the GH?

Well, I have to have room for some favorite things...


like catnip and cats..



So I'm afraid this isn't much photo fodder to convince your husband that you need a GH ~ you'll have to use your feminine wiles instead!

I see how blurry these photos are. I'm needing to retire my old camera but hate to give it up. Sorry.

I go crazy every winter trying to save my little plants. I pot every worthwhile volunteer and the collection just grows and grows.
I have to learn to control myself, but I love those natives and just can't let them go.
I learned the hard way that even though they are hardy plants they can not take freezes in a little pot, I lost a lot of them one winter when I didn't bring them in during freezing weather.

Doesn't that hurt our feelings to lose them... it is an illness to save them I guess.

Now what to do with the extras. I am selling some online and hoping to take some to the spring farmers market. Maybe in the meantime, I can give some away.

Love your greenhouse! Particularly like the structure your hoyas are hanging on. Is that cattle fencing? I have many hanging baskets, and few places to hang them. This would work for me!

Your gh is so organized. I'm having intense gh envy now. Thanks for posting the photos. I'm planning to show them to DH later with a little whine.

That is really nice, Kristi.

Thanks for the comments. I do enjoy the time spent out there.

Yes, that is pieces of cattle panels. I used to have a small plant shelter constructed of cattle panels. When I moved into the GH, I tore it apart and have used the pieces for all kinds of things like trellises. I've also used them for planting grids and raised them over planted beds to discourage cats until the beds fill in. Cattle panels ~ 1002 uses!

I apologize for not thinking about this when you mentioned needing some place to hang baskets. If you try something like this, I found angling the bottom out will hold them a little more securely.

Seeing as necessity is the mother of invention, I'll be curious to see what you design. Good luck with the little whine...

Perhaps you can see the cattle panel better in this photo

Thanks! The photo makes it look even better. Gotta try this. Can't decide what I like better, the trellis or the hoyas. Whoa! You have a lot of 'em!

It is mostly NOID Hoyas but I like them for their ease of care. These are in the small 6 inch hanging pots. I don't know how well the larger hanging baskets will work on a cattlepanel.

Kristi, that is one of the most beautiful greenhouses I have ever seen! I would spend all day in there! Wow!

Thanks Cheryl... it was not quite what I had wished for but I've grown to love it.

It is positioned wrong for morning/evening sun exposure. As a result it is impossible to leave any plants in it for the summer even with shadecloth. I actually left one succulent I didn't care for in the GH last summer. It survived and is still there. May have to leave it out this winter and see how it likes that. lol

So in summer I have two retractable clotheslines that span the length. That works great and I tried to position the plants this winter so I can continue to use them.

In the normal sense, it does not look like a greenhouse with these walls but I find it is very efficient. The cold normally enters at ground level and this type of wall helps prevent that.



Looking forward to seeing what Sandi can persuade her husband to design. I love some the temporary plant shelters they have built in the past.