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 (4 new themed Showcase displays yearly), the Conservatory Gift Shop at the Botanical Conservatory, floral displays in the parks and the Children's Zoo, at the Foellinger Theatre, for the Virtual Mother's Day Plant Sale and the School Children's Flower and Vegetable Association (SCFVA) which has also been around since the 1920's!
What's currently growing in the Greenhouse?
We are busy growing petunias for all the hanging baskets in the Virtual Mother's Day Plant Sale! The Virtual sale will be April 29-May 4, 2021. 
Are you curious about the yellow cards hanging near all the seedling plants? Those cards are used for catching insects. This is an example of our Integrated Pest Management strategies.
The greenhouse staff and volunteers are busy preparing plants for the "Color in Motion" Live Butterfly Exhibit, the School Children's Flower & Vegetable Association, Mother's Day Online Plant Sale and for all of the summer plantings. It is a very busy time in the Greenhouses!
Pictured above: marigolds for the "Color in Motion" Live Butterfly Exhibit. Visit the Botanical Conservatory to learn more.
Grade-school children in select schools will be bringing home various plants and seeds as part of the School Children's Flower & Vegetable Association.
Bulbs for the Spring Display at the Botanical Conservatory are planted in October, when you would normally plant bulbs in the ground outside. We start the cooler temperature around 45 degrees and drop the temperature a few degrees every couple of weeks until the cooler is at 33 degrees, just above freezing. We pull the pots of bulbs out of the cooler and force them to bloom. The bulbs have been in the dark in the cooler so we have to make sure the foliage does not get scorched by the sun in the greenhouse so we cover them with newspaper for a couple of days; the flats are to hold the newspaper in place. When the flowers are just starting to show color they are taken to the Conservatory. The bulbs will be on display at the Conservatory until Sunday, April 5.
Shown above many of our succulent plants being propagated. 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.
Join us on Facebook!
We have a Facebook page just for the SCFVA 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!
We have so many different plants growing throughout the year and are always busy planting, watering and caring for them so they can be the perfect backdrop in the parks, Conservatory or in your home!
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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.
Lots of flowers, vegetables and herbs are started from seed for various places including for the SCFVA 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!
We rely on a whole team of volunteers to help 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.
