Fitting Them All In

If you become as addicted to Hoyas as I am, you will soon be scambling for room to fit all of your plants in.  If you check my sections on setting up a grow-room and greenhouse, you will find some of my ideas on Closetmaid shelving and other space saving ideas.  I also tend to grow most of my Hoyas on trellises rather than hanging pots, because I find it easier to fit more in that way.

When I finally reached a critical juncture in my collecting (Couldn’t possibly fit more in), I decided to think outside of the box, and came up with an idea to enclose a narrow fully open porch.  I insulated the floor with three layers of polystyrene insulation separated by airspaces.  In the ceiling, I put in R60 fiberglass batts.  I put in the largest windows that I could find, and voila – a new plant room was born.   It has an eastern exposure, and I added growlights to supplement the meager Vermont winter sun.  The windows were removed between the main house and the porch so that the heat from the house circulates out to the plants.  Ceiling fans were also added to help move the heat around and to provide much needed air circulation.  I urge all of you to think of ways to keep lots of Hoyas – there are always more ways to fit them in!