Lyman Estate Historic Greenhouses; A Winter Escape

When a long winter is nearing its end but a big snowfall makes spring still seem very far off, a lush greenhouse can make for a great escape.

After spending too much time inside with my little boys watching the snow pile up recently, I decided to take them to see the historic greenhouses at the Lyman Estate in Waltham Massachusetts.

Designed in 1793 for wealthy shipping merchant Theodore Lyman, the 37 acres of gardens, lawns and greenhouses offered a comfortable warm weather retreat from the family's primary residence in nearby Boston.

We saw the impressive mansion, known as "The Vale", but it was really  the historic greenhouses that we came to see.

Begun in 1800, the greenhouses are amongst the oldest surviving greenhouses in the United States.   The first structure to be built originally produced exotic delicacies for the family, including figs, pineapples, bananas and a variety of citrus fruits.  Later this greenhouse became known as "the Grape House" and was planted with grapevines that still bear fruit today.  

The warm and humid air felt welcoming after coming in from the cold outside.  The front entrance leads you into the oldest part of the greenhouses, with the gnarled old Muscat and Black Hamburg vines visible in the upper right.  

New and old blend beautifully as fresh blooms mingle with old bricks, stone, and other remnants of the past.   

Nice little artifacts have been retained and remind you how old the place is.

Miniature orange trees are a treat to see on a cold snowy day.

Beautiful fresh blossoms grow alongside the old grapevines.

The old Grape House leads up to the Orchid House, which was built in 1840 and originally housed roses and other flowers to be used in the mansion.  Today I think its most outstanding feature is the beautiful bougainvillea that arches above as you walk through...

Some beautiful cacti and succulents now also call the Orchid House home.

Looking back through the bougainvillea to the Grape House.

A friendly smiling face in the Orchid House.

I loved seeing the old pipes and other rusty bits...

Stairs from the Orchid House lead down to the Sales House, which was built in 1930 and is home to a variety of plants that are for sale.   Also attached to the Orchid House is the Camellia House, which was built in 1820 and was originally used to grow peach trees.

The century old camellias still bloom, putting on their display during the bleakest time of winter.

My little boy and his stuffed cat Hannah enjoyed exploring the old greenhouses.

I'm glad we visited in time to catch the last of the camellias blooming.

Once my toddler started trying to throw and eat the rocks from the gravel footpath, I decided it was time to go.  I would have loved to linger, but my boys were clearly at the end of their patience for indulging Mummy's love of pretty flowers and old things!

As we headed back out into the snow, I felt grateful for the short reprieve from this long New England winter.  I took the sunny sky and birds twittering to be a promise that spring is not far away! 

A Few More Australian Things

With the wind blowing damp snow around outside, today seems like a good day to post a few pictures of warm and sunny places!

I thought I would share a few scenics and plant and animal pics from my recent trip to Hawaii and Australia to brighten up this bleak February day...

A sunny hot day by the Indian Ocean in Perth, where we spent most of our time.

I love how different the plants in Australia are from what I am used to.  The ever-present eucalyptus or "gum" trees are wonderful, and are beautiful whether in bloom or not.  I snapped a few shots of some in Perth's huge and impressive King's Park and Botanic Garden while my children played.

Eucalyptus caesia with its silvery white coating is known as the "Silver Princess", and by its indigenous name "gungurru"

I think the pods are as beautiful as its blossoms...

There are a wide variety of gums, with blooms of different colours...

Beautiful hot pink eucalyptus blossoms.

A beautiful flowering kunzea tree in King's Park, Perth. 

The kunzea, with its beautifully fluffy flowers are also fantastic.  It took a bit of investigative searching on the internet for me to identify this tree, as I'm afraid I'm not very knowledgeable in this area!

Another King's Park resident, a noisy Australian magpie.

Speaking of noisy birds...here are a couple of galahs, or "rose-breasted cockatoos".  I love to see these beautiful birds, especially when a flock of them streak by in a flash of colour, but they can be loud and chatty little things!

Suburban Perth galah couple out for a walk.  I could hear these cheeky birds every morning.

Love this stunning exotic flower.  My research says its a grevillea.

While not as exotic, I had to include a few pictures of the lemon trees growing in my in-laws back garden.  While it is common in Australia, it seems wonderfully novel to me to have your very own lemon trees!  There was always a full bowl of fresh lemons sitting on the kitchen counter, and using them was a nice little treat for me.

Another treat I enjoyed was the fabulous passionfruit which just doesn't taste the same if it travels too far.  Am I silly for throwing in a picture of my morning coffee with my favourite fresh fruit?  Perhaps, but I miss them!

Beautiful bouganvillea growing by the sea in Green Head.  

The waters off of Green Head, a few hours to the north of Perth, are home to the breeding grounds of the second largest colony of Australian sea lions on the west coast.  I was lucky enough to have friends take me out on their small boat to see them.  

Several small ones quickly approached our boat and darted around us.  They seemed to enjoy seeing us as much as we enjoyed watching them.  The biggest ones stayed on shore, and that was fine by us, as they seemed a bit ill tempered and fought amongst each other a fair bit.  

An inquisitive visitor to our boat.  I had planned to snorkel with the sea lions, but stayed on board as the water was a bit rough.  

And now to the east coast for some Sydney sightings.  I saw this beautifully coloured fellow scampering around the playground when I was out with my boys, and searching for "blue Australian bird with red beak" led me to discover it was a "purple swamphen'.  What a fabulous name!  

Banksia are truly beautiful and unique flowering plants. 

And now for a bit of a hibiscus feast for the eyes.  They grow beautifully in Sydney's climate.  

Hot pink double hibiscus variety.  

My best guess is that this is a type of hibiscus, but I wasn't able to identify it.  

Another unidentified beauty, spotted growing in a Sydney park.

And now back to where it all began, with a couple of shots from our first brief stop, Hawaii.  

I saw these lovely hibiscus growing against a blue wall while I waited to buy some of Hawaii's famous "shave ice" from a little shop by the side of the highway.  I thought my boys would love trying this new treat, but they would have nothing to do with it!  At least I got a nice photo out of the stop.  

And to close, perhaps I'll throw in a picture of one of the beautiful Hawaiian beaches we walked along, and where I would much rather be today!