The Mitchell Park Domes have various shows throughout the year featuring a wide array of plants, but the work that goes into these shows often can't be seen. Much of the work is done behind-the-scenes, both literally an figuratively.
There is an expansive greenhouse system behind the Domes made up of seven greenhouse spaces, "flex house," and the "transition dome." Six of the greenhouses are used for plants that will be featured in shows at the Domes, while the seventh greenhouse is rented out as an event space. The flex house is an outdoor growing space where some of the show plants are taken, while the transition dome is used to house plants that are shown year-round in the Domes. The transition dome is where you'll find cactuses, orchids, and even the corpse plants when they're not in bloom.
"We have six growing greenhouses and six horticulturists. So, we share their horticultural staff between the Conservatory and the greenhouses. They manage and operate all the permanent collections in the Conservatory, the rotating exhibits, and all the crop management and growth," says Doris Maki, the horticultural services director for the Domes.
The greenhouses are used to prepare plants for future exhibits, often months ahead of the show. For example, the growing season for the Christas Poinsettias begins around the Fourth of July.
To help maintain and keep track of all of the different plants and their specific needs, the horticulturists use a control system called Argus that regulates watering, temperature, shade, and fertilizer.
"Argus is like the main brain for all the growing greenhouses and controls all the greenhouse systems," explains horticulture supervisor Amy Thurner. "The Argus is supposed to take the place of a person physically opening the vents and physically pulling the shade, and obviously the watering ... For the most part, we aim to do it that way just because it's more consistent."
Plants are grown in different ways at the greenhouses. Some are started by rooting cuttings of other plants, while others are started from seeds. Since each variety of plant takes a different time to grow, the greenhouses are filled with plants for different upcoming shows. With all of these plants in need of care, it might be surprising to learn that just two greenhouse growers do it all — two people responsible for the thousands of plants that greet visitors at shows every year.
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