The Lawton Park Greenhouse has been a fixture of the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department since the early 1920's. Employees at the greenhouse are responsible for growing over 130,000 plants for the Botanical Conservatory, the Conservatory Gift Shop at the Botanical Conservatory, floral displays in the parks and the Children's Zoo, at the Foellinger Theatre, for the Mother's Day Plant Sale at McMillen Community Center and the School Children's Flower and Vegetable Association which has also been around since the 1920's!
The array of plants at the greenhouse is constantly changing! Plants are grown for a wide variety of places including various Parks, for local school children (as part of the School Children's Flower & Vegetable Association program), Plant Sales, the Zoo, and the Conservatory. The Botanical Conservatory creates 6 new themed Showcase displays throughout the year. The Plant Sale is Mother's Day weekend at McMillen Park Community Center so those crops are started in early winter and continue through late spring to be ready for the sale. Gardeners begin planting the outside floral displays in mid to late May and those crops are started in late winter. The School Children's plants are distributed at the end of April. The quiet time of the greenhouse is late June/early July as the parks crops have all been planted and the staff is waiting for the Conservatory's Mums and Poinsettias for their Fall and Holiday Shows. That is the time the greenhouse is given a thorough cleaning.
What's currently growing in the Greenhouse?
Pictured above on the right is a newer variety of poinsettia called 'Luv U Pink"
The greenhouse staff and volunteers are busy preparing 16 varieties of poinsettia plants for the "Snow Days" Holiday Garden Exhibit (November 18-January 7) at the Botanical Conservatory. If you would like to purchase poinsettias for your home or to give as gifts, drop by the Botanical Conservatory and visit the gift shop today. There is no charge to visit the gift shop! Check out more at: www.botanicalconservatory.org
In addition to the poinsettias, we have a nice collection of cactus and succulents for the Gift Shop and Home & Garden Show and tropicals for the next Conservatory show "Fairy Tales".
We are so thankful this season for our many volunteers who give of their time selflessly to assist us with the Greenhouse operation!
Join us on Facebook!
We have a Facebook page just for the School Children's Flower and Vegetable Association program! Like our page today and learn more as the season progresses on growing vegetables, cut flowers, herbs and potted plants!
Beneficial Insects at Work!
Just what are beneficial insects? And how do they "work"? Check back soon for information on this!
Ready for a "pop of color"? The Calceolaria "Pocketbook Plant" and the colorful pansy provide just the right "pop"!
We have so many different plants growing this time of year so we are very busy planting, watering and caring for them so they can be the perfect backdrop in the parks, Conservatory or in your home (School Children's Flower and Vegetable Association program)!
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A few of our many volunteers are pictured here hard at work transplanting seedlings.
The white and light purple flowers are bougainvillea! The name is so
exotic just like this beauty!
Pansies are a great flower that survives colder
temperatures in the spring and fall.
Have you ever smelled Orange Tree blossoms? Wow.
We growing stock plants used for cuttings for the yearly Mother's Day Plant Sale.
Lots of flowers, vegetables and herbs are started from seed for various places including for the School Children's Flower and Vegetable Show.
The beauty and fragrance of the orchids is overwhelming! Orchids are grown to be enjoyed year around at the Botanical Conservatory
Have you ever felt the texture of a Lantana leaf and then
took in that wonderful smell? If so, you will never forget
the experience. We grow plenty of Lantana for different
park locations.
What do you think these photos are showing? If you guessed it is a water tank and the cooling cells are draining into it...you are correct!
The Conservatory Gift Shop at the Conservatory
carries a wide variety of cactus and succulents
that get their start at the Greenhouse.
The glass house is the perfect place for the cactus
and succulents as it allows in more light but gets cooler
faster than our other "plastic" houses. The glass house
is the only one remaining of the original green houses
and was built around 1925.
We rely on a whole team of volunteers including
these two gentlemen who are helping with the
Bonsai. Bonsai are avaiable for purchase at the Botanical
Conservatory Gift Shop, at the Home and Garden Show, and yearly at the Mother's Day Plant Sale.
One of our greenhouses holds some of our larger tropical plants
including Bird of Paradise. You can see these awesome
gems at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo and yearly in the Winter Showcase at the Botanical Conservatory.
