Seeking an antidote to all the snow and ice? A wonderful way to escape winter is to visit the Lyman Estate’s storied greenhouses and admire its famed camellias. This is their peak bloom time. Luminous white, rosy pink and deep crimson, the blossoms glow amid glossy dark green foliage against a wall of centuries-old bricks.
The estate’s camellia plants hearken back to Boston’s heyday as a camellia center in the early 1800s. Relatives of tea plants, camellias were collected from mountainsides in China, Japan and Korea and transported aboard trading ships. Brahmin families cultivated the plants, which were prized for their ability to bloom in winter.
The Lyman Estate’s Camellia House was built around 1820. It is part of a complex that also houses orchids, bougainvillea, citrus trees, succulents and other exotics. The buildings are among the oldest surviving greenhouses in the United States.
Camellia Days run through March 24. The greenhouses, at 85 Lyman St., are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit the website for details.
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I love the Lyman greenhouse for a brief winter escape! We featured them and a few other local indoor green spaces in a recent blog post! https://www.greenurbgardens.com/ecologically-friendly-garden-education