CLEVELAND, Ohio - Under a gray sky of an icy Cleveland morning, splashes of berry-red, creamy-white, and peach-pink will offer you a long-awaited respite from gloomy and monotonous weather.
Only the tilted glass roof of the Rockefeller Park greenhouse separates 4,000 blooming poinsettias from the darkness overhead.
But forgetting the early winter gloom of northeastern Ohio is extremely easy when you enter one of the last major city greenhouses in the country - especially on the eve of its most spectacular show of the year.
Greenhouse manager Perrin Verzi, along with her small but mighty team of four, is finishing preparations for the annual poinsettia seedling fundraiser. Soon after, the open-to-all poinsettia exhibit in the greenhouse will begin attracting crowds that will last until early January.
Before the opening day, supporters will transport hundreds of poinsettias they bought at the charity fair at a low price, $5 each. Dozens more will be taken to downtown to decorate City Hall and the Civic Audience for the holidays. When visitors come in December to admire the collection, there remain two to three thousand plants grouped into large clusters that line paths and are almost vertically arranged along stone walls.
The December poinsettia display is the most visited time of the year in the greenhouse. It attracts families looking for a place for a Christmas walk, or even just a place to take photos for holiday postcards as keepsakes.
In the 2023 season, twenty-four varieties are represented. Among whites, pinks, and all shades of red imaginable, a particularly popular variety known as "Red Glitter" is noted for its cheerful red flowers in polka dots and stripes with white.
According to Verzi, this plant looks slightly different each year. She assesses which varieties grow well and records them for next year's order. Breeders constantly work on developing new varieties and colors, so Verzi also enjoys trying several new options each season.
Her preparations for the poinsettia exhibit began several months ago. Verzi orders them in advance, and they arrive in mid-summer as tiny sprouts no larger than a finger. Greenhouse workers inspect, cultivate them to maturity, closely monitor watering and fertilization schedules, and watch for potential pests or diseases. According to Verzi, growing poinsettias is not very difficult, but it can be finicky in some aspects.
The gardener has managed city greenhouses since 2000, and she has faced many challenges in cultivation. She recalls one year when new outdoor lights provided too much light inside the greenhouse, threatening that year's display, since poinsettias need shorter, darker days for full flower development.
This year, another obstacle arose. The greenhouse boilers are far from new, and it took some time to get them running this season, Verzi explains.
Poinsettias, tropical plants originating from Mexico, are not the biggest fans of Cleveland weather.
"So they experienced more cold days than they would have liked, but they recovered, and we still got a good crop," says Verzi.
The greenhouse itself is an old structure. How old it is, Verzi is uncertain and cannot specify. It is believed that at least some parts of the building date back to the 1960s. The presence of the greenhouse is rooted in John D. Rockefeller, who in 1897 donated the property to the city as part of his land holdings that became the Cultural Garden.
The majority of December days see the greenhouse sparsely populated. Sometimes a photographer takes pictures, an artist with an easel, or a worker relaxing during lunch break. For Verzi, the benefit to the public is obvious: "People are just happy when they come here," she says. "They are amazed. And being part of this is enjoyable."
Although city greenhouses may have been a common affair in the past, that is not the case nowadays. Many cities have transferred their once-public greenhouses to private operators or park systems, or turned them into conservatories.
"We are among the few, if any, that remain," says Verzi.
She calls the greenhouse "a gem" of Cleveland. Visitors, even those who have lived in Cleveland all their lives, still tell her they are surprised to learn about its existence.
"Over 23 years, people have told me, 'I didn't know it was here,'" she says with a smile.
The greenhouse is open seven days a week, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission and parking are free for all. Throughout the entire holiday season, tropical plants, cacti, and other botanical plants are on display, including poinsettias, which can be seen year-round.
