From the Magazine: February 2015

by Neil Sperry

Gardening in ALL Seasons

I was 13 when my dad helped me build my very first greenhouse. It was freestanding out in our backyard in College Station, and I had it filled with begonias, coleus, sansevierias and other plants that had caught my eye. But what I didn’t realize was that polyethylene plastic in that era was only good for one winter. The ensuing summer’s sun made it brittle and fragile.

One early winter day, the second year that I’d had that greenhouse, I came home from school to find my greenhouse blown in and all of my plants frozen. It was as if I’d lost my favorite pets, but my dad encouraged me not to give up, and we set out to build a lean-to greenhouse along the south wall of our family’s garage. Dad’s workshop was on the other side of that wall, and he would work at his bench while I potted up cacti and succulents.

That greenhouse served me well until I transferred to Ohio State. Both there and at Colorado State, I had access to the big university research greenhouses, and I spent a lot of time in them.

When we moved to Farmers Branch in 1970, I quickly found a 6- by 8-foot hobby greenhouse that fit into our backyard. It wasn’t much bigger than a cloche, but it still let me garden in winter.

Then we built our home outside McKinney, and when we moved there in 1977, a 10- by 20-foot greenhouse was awaiting our arrival. It seemed huge compared to the “toy” that preceded it, but I soon ran out of space in it, too.

And so, somewhere back around 30 years ago, I bought this 30- by 60-foot greenhouse. It had been on Preston Road just south of what is now President George Bush Turnpike, and it had been used by a foliage plant leasing company. This greenhouse became, all in one, my swimming pool, my boat and my golf club membership. I never had any of those three, but this greenhouse filled in for them handsomely. Some of the plants that you see here were in it when we first “opened its doors.” Over the years I’ve raised a greenhouse filled with tomatoes. And poinsettias. And 200 stunning 5-gallon Rex begonias. And more than 400 species of haworthias, 100 aloes, 65 types of sansevierias and now, a big batch of Neoregelias (bromeliads) that I’m going to try in our landscape next summer.

For all of my adult life, starting at age 13 and continuing on – I hope – forever, I’ve had a greenhouse. I honestly wouldn’t know how to live life without one.