Horticulture

Our big hobby is growing plants of all kinds, tropicals, succulents, veggies, ornamentals. Dave's specialty is Bromeliads which we have grown since the 70's. We are long-time members of The Bromeliad Society and hope you visit their site.

Bromeliads are tropical plants of the Americas, the most common being the Pineapple (Ananas comosus) and Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides). We grow about 150 varieties along with some succulents. We enjoy trading plants through the mail. Leave us some mail if you’re interested. (See the plant list link at the bottom of the page.) Springfield, Missouri has a continental, temperate climate, so growing tropicals in a greenhouse is a necessity. We are in USDA hardiness zone 6a with an average annual low temperature of zero to minus five, though winters don't last all that long. Normal highs in July and August are in the upper 80’s to low 90’s. We get over 100 now and then but it’s usually with winds from the southwest and relatively dry.

In the Summer we grow lots of different things outside. We enjoy the Spring bulbs, plant out annuals and tropicals in the various beds, and our banana plantation too.

We love our veggies from the garden. Unfortunately the cherry, black walnut, and oak trees give us too much shade in the back yard for productive veggie growing. Still, we harvest lots of peas, lettuce, cucumbers, and peppers. Tomatoes really want full sun that we just don't have.

Recycling and composting are a big part of our operation. The Ozarks soil is full of clay and broken up limestone - not so good for growing.

Explore our plant interests in the pull-down menu under Horticulture above.

Pictures to come...