Over twenty-five green houses are terraced into a south facing slope on property owned by the Ward family. They are irrigated by water from a local stream and heated geo-thermally from local hot springs.
Each of the greenhouses is ventilated by fans on one end, and adjustable ventilation panels on the other end, creating cross circulation for temperature control.
Water from a nearby stream is filtered into the tank above then pumped into greenhouses for irrigation. The pump is housed in the little stone structure.
Freshwater from the pumphouse is distributed through hundreds of small sprinkler heads in the greenhouses. Regular maintenance is required to make sure the heads are not clogged.
Nearly every inch in the greenhouses is filled with plants. Taller plants on the floor, then several hanging layers take advantage of all the space.
Boulders are used to reinforce the wall between the lower level greenhouses and those on the second level.
Lee Ward, owner of Warm Springs Greenhouses, is known for experimenting with plants that you might not see everyday. These Chenile hanging baskets were in demand for their caterpillar shaped blooms.
Hardy hydrangeas are ready to ship to retail outlets in Boise, McCall, Nampa and some retail outlets as far west as eastern Oregon. In the wintertime the greenhouses ship poinsettias as far north as Bozeman, MT.
Two and three times a day, greenhouse workers armed with “pull lists” comb through the greenhouses to fill customer orders. They are loaded on the back of an old Toyota pickup, modified by greenhouse staff into a flatbed, then re-loaded into delivery trucks.
Oso, a grizzled veteran on the greenhouse security staff keeps a close on watch on the place… when he’s awake.
