Lyman Greenhouses

Because it’s so cold and snowy outside, I have a present for you. We took a field trip Saturday (because we were so very cold and wanted to feel a hint of spring) to the Lyman Greenhouses. These are historic greenhouses open year round – for free! – that are attached to an old estate in Waltham. You should stop by and get warm. But if you’re not in the neighborhood, you can just enjoy these photos.

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A lot of the flowers you’ll find in these greenhouses are orchids. In fact, the first room is almost nothing but orchids.

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I don’t know what these are, but I liked both the contrast of the very, very thorny stem and the fact that the flowers are made up of only two petals.

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This particular orchid is doing everything it can to get near the hot water pipes. I wasn’t quite as hot inside the houses as I was hoping – only about 70 degrees. And don’t get my wrong – that was pretty wonderful. But I wanted it to be like the National Conservatory in DC, where you end up peeling off your winter coat while you roam around. It was so very cold Saturday – a high of 15, I think. The next day I finally got wise and left the house in full base layer. That worked out a little better.

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This bunny was for sale, and I wanted to take him home. Yen helped me settle for a photo.

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The other big attraction are camellias. Apparently Boston used to be a huge cultivator of camellias, and this greenhouse is a hold-over from that. They were definitely pretty, but I think if you go back this weekend or the next, you’re in for a really impressive show.

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This is a goldfish plant!

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These photos were taken in the section where you can actually purchase plants, not just admire them. I always wished I was a plant person. I love having them around, and I like to imagine the I would know what to do with them, and they’d stay alive and happy in my care, brightening up my space. But no, I ruthlessly murder any plant that comes anywhere near me. I am best with the cut flowers Yen brings over from time to time. I can’t hurt them anymore.

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Pitcher plant! Where was this guy when I had fruit flies all summer?

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Ah, remember that jade I had at MIT? That was a magnificent thing of beauty. Well, until I overwatered it and it grew a mushroom. Never mind.

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Maybe I should get a pet cactus. They must be hard to destroy, right?

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