Dan's Papers - October 30, 2009 - Greenhouses: Bringing It All Inside

They sit at the kitchen table, strewn with seed and bulb catalogues, maybe some grid paper, drawing, redrawing. Ordering, ordering. They try to keep themselves occupied and happy, but only one thing can exact them from their doldrums.

That "thing" is Spring.

And "they" are gardeners.

Fall and winter are tough seasons for gardeners - there's only so much tool sharpening and pot mending a person can do. But some avid gardeners have come up with another solution that elicits a big green- thumbs-up from their peers: Greenhouses. They allow gardeners to never miss a beat when it comes to doing that thing they love.

Rob Moraru, a dermatologist with a practice in Manhattan, is in the upper echelon of gardeners - if that term dare be used at all. Moraru grows orchids, thousands of them, in his 300-square-foot greenhouse that's attached to his home in East Hampton. The life-long passion began when he was given his first orchid as freshman at Cornell. A year later the plant bloomed, and he was hooked.

So when Moraru and his partner were looking for a house in the Hamptons, a non-negotiable was a property big enough to add a greenhouse. "My hobby and passion is orchids," said Moraru, who is also on the board of the Manhattan Orchid Society. "I wanted to expand my growing space, and I needed a greenhouse for that."

Moraru had worked with Bill Fowkes, a second-generation builder and the owner of Fowkes Builders in East Hampton. Fowkes and his architect helped him determine the size, style and other particulars of the greenhouse. Then Moraru went online to find a provider, settling on Texas Greenhouses. "No one designs and builds their own greenhouses anymore," said Fowkes. "Greenhouse manufacturers use tempered glass and the structures are relatively energy-efficient - they hold heat, collect passive solar energy."

Moraru's project presented a few challenges. First, growing orchids is an art as well as a science. The plants have strict requirements in terms of temperature and humidity. Because Moraru lives primarily in Manhattan, that meant a lot of automated bells and whistles.

"Orchids also need consistent, pretty high humidity - 80-90%," he said. "The greenhouse has automatic vents, a ceiling that opens and closes as needed, automatic misting and separate watering systems. There are areas of the greenhouse that provide microclimates necessary for specific types of orchids."

The greenhouse was built in Texas, then sent here in parts where it was reassembled, "like an erector set," according to Fowkes. But the foundation and systems had to be completely in place prior to its arrival. "Doing a free-standing greenhouse is pretty basic, but because this one connected to the house, the project was a little more involved," Fowkes said. Connected indeed. You can walk into Moraru's greenhouse from the master bedroom. Not a bad place to have your first cup of coffee amid the orchids on a winter's day. But integrating the new structure was a bit tricky.

"There was a gas tank in the way, irrigation, electrical - we had to tie radiant heat into the existing system of the house," said Fowkes. "It was a challenge, but we put a man on the moon, so we can certainly hook up a radiant floor system."

Even though the greenhouse manufacturers have specific designs and templates, there's a lot of room for customization. There are several styles available, and the dimensions of the space - as well as the add-ons - are up to the customer. Moraru chose a traditional conservatory style to complement the design of his home. "I specced it out just as I wanted it," he said. "Looking back, I would've built bigger. Five years ago, my collection took up about 1/8 of the space. Now it's crammed - particularly in the winter when I bring orchids in from outside."

Right now, the star of Moraru's collection - and his favorite orchid, named Bulbophyllum Medusae - is in bloom. And being a star in this greenhouse is quite a distinction, considering the orchids are 1,000 strong, a number that is most likely growing as quickly as the plants themselves.

"Your collection tends to build to fit the greenhouse," said Moraru. "So I'd say make it as big as possible."