lyman estate greenhouses

We weren't too impressed by our visit to the Lyman Estate Greenhouses. They are old, dating back as far as 1804, but they aren't particularly interesting as greenhouses with a very mixed bag of plants, not particularly welll maintained. We visited in December. Maybe there's more of interest at other times of the year.

We enjoyed the Lyman Estate very much. It is very quaint and unusual. The Camelias were just going by and we plan to return next season. We purchased Orchid cactus.

Yesterday was one of those nasty New England days that fairly scream, ‘stay indoors’. And so we did. But there are many kinds of ‘indoors’. The one we chose to huddle in featured a dazzling fuschia bougainvillea canopy, hundreds of orchids, a mass of camellias bursting to open, and several thousand assorted citrus, herb, tropical and other specialty plants. And we had the place all to ourselves for most of our visit.Welcome to the Lyman Estate greenhouse complex. It’s located in Waltham, Massachusetts, and is part of a Historic New England property. If you’re a Historic New England member, entry is free. If not, the price of admission is four dollars, or roughly one percent of the cost of an airline ticket to Florida.The Lyman Estate is a glimpse of an all-but-vanished New England: a summer country retreat for Brahmin Bostonians. Located ten miles from Beacon Hill, the original house was built in 1793, enlarged in 1882 and remodeled in 1917. The property, now 37 acres, remained in the Lyman family until being donated to the predecessor organization to Historic New England in the 1950s.The estate’s greenhouses are considered one of the oldest surviving such complexes in the country. It consists of four interconnected structures; an 1804 grape house, an 1820 camellia house, an 1840 orchid house, and a 1930 cutting flower structure now used as a sales pavilion.In 19th Century New England, greenhouses were both practical and status symbols. They provided fresh vegetables in winter for well-to-do Boston homes. They also were evidence of interest in serious horticulture. The Lyman family is associated with the founding of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society (which, in 1969, reciprocated by funding the restoration of the greenhouses).The oldest section of the greenhouse was originally built to grow the aforementioned vegetables, plus exotic foods like figs, lemons, limes and pineapples. In the 1870s, it was converted into a grape house. The green Muscat of Alexandria grapes growing there today are descendants of the original cuttings. I can’t find a reliable source for the age of the enormous bougainvillea growing in the second section of the grape house, but its six-inch-thick trunk suggests an origin in the first half of the 20th Century.The second oldest section of the complex is the 1820 camellia house. Originally planted with peach trees, it was converted to growing camellias in 1908. Several of the trees in the greenhouse today are more than a century old.The third section of the greenhouse, the orchid house, filled in the space between the grape house and the camellia house. The variety of orchids, and the care taken to ensure that each species has the correct lighting and space, makes a trip to the greenhouse a ‘worth a journey’ kind of event for anyone serious about orchids.The final segment of the greenhouse was added in 1930, when the Lyman family added a structure to allow for winter propagation of cut flowers that would grace the estate’s living spaces. Part of its plan was an indoor goldfish pond built as a heat reservoir. Today, it’s a sales space where you can browse hundreds of plants without any buying pressure. The goldfish pond survives, planted in papyrus.February 6 marks the ‘official’ start of the camellia blooming season with attendant publicity, and the have-the-place-to-yourself atmosphere will disappear, at least on weekends. There’s no need to wait for the official announcement: we saw dozens of camellias in bloom. As the season progresses, the estate holds five heirloom and specialty plant sales that bring droves of visitors. There’s also no need to wait for those. We found – and purchased – three exquisite and irresistible new plants for our home.The greenhouses are a hidden gem. They’re an antidote to a bleak winter’s day and are open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.The Lyman House is open to the public only once each month, on the third Saturday. The rest of the time, it is rented for special events, notably weddings.

This was a fun stop after dropping of son at school. I just started an orchid collection and was happy to see they had some for sale.

This is a great place to visit, especially during the winter months.

If you're in this area in the winter time, particularly when the camellias are blooming, the Lyman Estate Greenhouses are worth a visit. You'll forget the cold for a while in this historic site, where you can walk between a series of about four small, almost train car-like greenhouses that house orchids, camellias and more. Also a great place to buy native plants for outdoor planting (in summertime only) or year-round to buy unusual house plants (ask for info sheets with growing tips if you're interested in things like oil ferns or orchids but feeling intimidated to try). Also fun for persons interested in close-up and flower photography.

When I visited the estate the house was closed due to a later wedding so I only went to see the greenhouses. The glasshouses were quite nice and idyllic. However the requested donation of 3$ per person does not seem to be justified. Not only the plants and houses are rarely described or explained but the whole area is rather small (about 5 houses and a bit of an outside area). For whoever is interested in the specific plants it's well worth a visit.

In February, I visited the greenhouses at the Lyman Estate in Waltham, Massachusetts to see the camellias in bloom. These greenhouses are maintained by the nonprofit Historic New England organization and are some of the oldest in the country. The greenhouses were very interesting and I highly urge you visit. The first three greenhouses contain citrus, banana, grape vines and fruiting plants and other miscellanious plants such as calla lilies. Next there is a greenhouse containing plants you can buy and gift items. Finally in the back are the orchid and camellia green houses. The camellias are in full bloom from New Years through the end of February. The orchid house also contained many interesting species and hybrids in bloom during my visit.On your way out I highly recommend checking out the plants for sale. You can purchase orchids, camellias, citrus plants and other interesting house and garden plants. Many plants for sale were propagated from the estate's collections. The garden shop is staffed by knowledgeable staff. The self guided tour took about 1 hour to visit the various green houses but you could spend much more time examining each plant if you like.Several times a year the Lyman Estate Greenhouses sponsors special plant sales including an orchid, herb and perennial plant sale.

Et comme tout diamant il faut chercher et il se mérite. C'est ma serre préférée devant celle du jardin des plantes !!! Si si. Bon ce n'est pas comparable mais le lieu est tellement mignon et authentique. Un joyeux bordel organisé avec des plantes magnifiques. La serre date de 1804 et tout le charme a été conservé. Camélias, orchidées, succulentes et bien d'autres sont au RDV. Attention aux horaires, vérifiez bien, surtout pendant les vacances scolaires.