Monday, July 10, 2023

Vancouver BC does greenhouses

As I mentioned in a blog post (this one) I was recently up in Vancouver, BC, on a garden tour. All told I visited 17 gardens as part of the event, 1 bonus garden of a friend, and 3 nurseries. I took several hundred photos (I know, it's a problem, I'm trying to cut down). When one takes such a deep dive into garden visits a few themes rise to the top, for me one of them was greenhouses. I saw a lot of greenhouses!

This one was at Art's Nursery. Doesn't everyone need a cactarium? (I know I do).

This attractive greenhouse addition was in the garden of Thomas Hobbs and Brent Beattie, the owners of Southlands Nursery (which we also visited).
These aren't really typical garden greenhouses, they were poly tunnels in Gwen and Paul Odermatt's private garden (she has a small nursery on the side) but I think they merit inclusion.

I didn't get a great outside shot of this greenhouse, but check out those deep benches for sinking pots. There was such a dreamy collection of alpine plants in this garden belonging to David and Windy Sellars.

Joan Bentley's garden was the location of this greenhouse.

This greenhouse (in Rosie Daykin's garden) was pristine. I do hope it sees actual use.

This interesting set-up was in the garden of Liz Haan. The wall on the right is the back of the garage, and behind the backwall (straight ahead) was a set of stairs leading up to additional container space on top of the garage. 

This one was in Pam Frost's garden, so charming!

Yep, that's a greenhouse on the roof. Everything about this garden belonging to Bill Walters was over the top.

This is the greenhouse at Southlands Nursery.

Or rather the greenhouse at Southlands Nursery when I visited back in 2010 and the greenhouse was closed. This time it was open and I wandered through but didn't take a greenhouse shot! Oh well, you get the idea.

Clare Saadien's West Vancouver garden and greenhouse.

The next stop, Diana Hume's, brought a whole mix of great garden working spaces, including this greenhouse.

The greenhouse at Margot Ketchum's.

Okay this was a kid's playhouse in the garden of Elise Girardin, but the lifted wall was made of corrugated plastic so it could be used as a greenhouse...

And finally the greenhouse (one of two actually) in my friend Todd Holloway's garden.

I took many more photos of these structures and their garden surrounds, but rather than share more here I decided to keep them with their individual gardens, so you can see them in place. For this post I thought it would be interesting to just focus on the different greenhouse styles I encountered over the weekend. Hope you enjoyed!

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All material © 2009-2023 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude. 

25 comments:

  1. Wow, does everybody in Vancouver have a greenhouse? Maybe you would if you want to overwinter tender plants. I can't wait to see these greenhouses in their proper context. Many of these gardens seem to be huge!

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    1. That's exactly what I started to think, that every gardener in Vancouver had a greenhouse, alas there were a few that didn't get the memo.

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  2. A very eclectic mix!

    I look forward to seeing the gardens that they were in :)

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    1. It's gonna take me a while to get to them but eventually...

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  3. I am SO envious of each and every one! I've tried to convince myself that I don't need a greenhouse but the truth is that I just have a space problem. Lately, I've been wondering if I could find another spot from my garden workbench and put a small lean-to greenhouse in its place...If only my husband would allow me to take over his workshop (attached to the garage) but even love doesn't go that far.

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    1. You have a space problem? Kris! Your garden is huge!!!

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  4. I don’t need a greenhouse, don’t have room for one, don’t know if I’d really even use it. But every time I see one, I want one.

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    1. Ha! Yes, I understand completely. However I know I would use it. I just wonder if I could ever get one big enough.

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  5. A great post, thank you for it.

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  6. Very nice...and great selections! Greenhouses are fun, as are lightly heated sunrooms.

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    1. Speaking from experience there I believe?

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  7. Shows how greenhouses come in many different styles to fit every budget. Love the name 'cactarium'!

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    1. It rolls off the tongue better than "agavarium" doesn't it?

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    2. Aloevarium sounds good, though.

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  8. AnonymousJuly 11, 2023

    That "kid's playhouse"... OMG! I love that 'A' frame. I'd be an eternal kid-gardener if I could get my hands on of those.
    Otherwise, I bet non of those lovely greenhouses were even close to the ingenious design Andrew came up with.
    Chavli

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    1. Andrew's design is pretty fabulous, but there's something to be said for a year round greenhouse in which to play.

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  9. AnonymousJuly 11, 2023

    So many long held dreams must be satisfied vicariously...this post does the job for one of mine. Thanks!
    ricki

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  10. Having greenhouse envy, I love each of these. But the A-frame is inspired! I am seriously working on Ben to create something for us in the Astoria back garden. There’s a big concrete slab that used to hold a greenhouse, we think. But in Astoria, whatever we come up with has to be very wind-resistant and strong, and will need to be storage as well. Thanks for the survey!

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    1. Some year a bloggers swap will have to take place in Astoria so we all can see this place of yours! (and keep you in our loop)

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  11. AnonymousJuly 11, 2023

    I TOTALLY think you need a cactarium. You wouldn't have to haul it all into the basement every fall. Maybe you could turn your garage into one... ?
    AnnaK

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    1. Agavarium? We've talked about that, especially after Peter turned his garage into a greenhouse.

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    2. AnonymousJuly 15, 2023

      I know! That was SO inspiring... I have wanted to follow suit ever since I saw that. So cool!

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  12. Oh, greenhouses. I've wanted one in various guises for 40 years but never stayed in any home (garden, its all about the garden) long enough to make it happen (I'm on my 11th garden). Now that I'm in my late 50s and living in a climate (western Oregon) where you can be "outside" in the winter months as long as you can stay dry, I want a greenhouse mostly as a winter sun-room, where I can sit, drink coffee, see all of my plants, watch the birds/nature and work on the latest garden schemes, all while staying dry! We have a nice covered patio, but it is never dry in the winter, the south wind blows all of the rain under the cover...every single time it rains.

    Of course I would have plants in there too: veggie seedlings in the spring, tenders/xerics in the winter, and for those increasingly common climate emergencies (frosts at times of year that have no business happening) a greenhouse is indispensable.

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