Helen’s Greenhouse

Ellen and I met our aunt Laurel today for lunch. We went to a great Mexican Restaurant in Midway called Tarahumara. If you are ever on the other side of the Wasatch I highly recommend this place excellent south of the border fair.

After lunch I made an appointment with Chuck and Helen Warren. Two Heber locals who worked very hard as engineers in the career world to retire and enjoy their love of botany. Gary and I had met them over the summer at the Heber and Salt Lake Farmers Markets. They have three beautiful greenhouses. Helen led Laurel, me, and Ellie through each greenhouse pointing out all the fine details. Each one has a different climate according to the plants needs.

The first house was set up to keep most of her succulents and a few fruit trees with warmer temperatures during the day and cooler at night, as well as the most sunlight and humidity. We were thoroughly impressed with her Pineapple plants which have actual Pineapples fruiting from them. She also had some Lemon and Orange trees as well, amongst the greatest collection of Succulents my eyes have seen.

The second house was set up for houseplants it was cooler with a more consistent 24hr temperature and more shade. This house had an impressive Banana Leaf Tree and a misbehaving plant from the mint variety that wouldn’t grow so well in the pot but prospered once it dropped on the ground.

The third house was what Helen called the “Heritage House”. Named for a few heirloom plants she had from her mother. It had a whole wall full of Orchids one of my personal favorite plants as well as some Lilies, Amarilis, and an Aloe plant that was in bloom no less. I have never seen an Aloe in bloom. Needless to say we walked out of there extremely impressed and with a natural high from all the pure oxygen we had taken in.