Glasshouse With Koi Pond

It was chilly and windy the day we visited Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar.  We ended up spending an extended period of time in the enclosed tropical (heated!!) glasshouse, enjoying the orchids, the tropical palms, and most especially the heat.   It's not a huge glasshouse, but substantial enough to enable us to spend quite a bit of time examining the plantings and enjoying the warmth.



The glasshouse also contained a pond.  The pond's depth was shallow for koi, but it was at least not heavily overstocked.  The water quality looked decent, and the koi, skinny but fairly healthy.  They have a heated home protected from bright direct sun and predators such as herons.  The waterfall spilling over rocks provided a wonderful ambience.  Ignorant idiots had thrown coins in the pond.  They should have instead crammed the money down their own children's throats instead--that is as equally appropriate and healthy. 

Please don't throw coins into a koi pond. 











A fine Platycerium enjoying the warmth:


A Ginger of some kind is my guess--it's too cold in this area for most gingers to grow outdoors.  The heated glasshouse provided the right conditions:


Orchids.  A Zyglopetalum (I think), Paphiopedilum, and Cattleya (maybe--I'm not up on Orchids):






Tropical ferns ready to unfurl, looking rather creepy:


A few very impressive bromeliads:




I grow Maranta leuconeura var. kerchoveana outdoors. Mine looks as good as their glasshouse plant in summer, but mine dies back in winter and comes back again in mid-Spring:


These Alocasias will grow outdoors in Southern California in summer, but suffer in winter.  In a heated glasshouse they were thriving:


It was so cold that day the garden was mostly empty and we had the glasshouse to ourselves for a long time.  It was a wonderful experience.  Also deliciously warm.