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.
A lot of the flowers you’ll find in these greenhouses are orchids. In fact, the first room is almost nothing but orchids.
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.
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.
This bunny was for sale, and I wanted to take him home. Yen helped me settle for a photo.
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.
This is a goldfish plant!
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.
Pitcher plant! Where was this guy when I had fruit flies all summer?
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.
Maybe I should get a pet cactus. They must be hard to destroy, right?
I really enjoyed imagining Merry sitting on your new pet cactus.