When Jeff and Silvia Jarrett, a doctor and nurse, moved to Chattanooga 16 years ago, they traded their fast-paced medical careers for a laid-back, stop-and-smell-the-roses existence. Gardening started as a hobby for the nowretired baby boomers. But soon their plants outgrew the small greenhouse attached to the back of their Missionary Ridge home. Their passion for gardening now has grown into a business that resulted in the construction of a 560-squarefoot backyard greenhouse that has held as many as 8,000 plants.

Made of brick, glass and steel, it is an ideal

to their brick home.

“We wanted the greenhouse to look like it had been built with the house rather than looking like something we had just thrown together,” Mrs. Jarrett said. “Most everybody who comes to our house is surprised to learn that it’s a greenhouse, and that was our plan.”

Instead of hiring an architect, the couple mapped out their own ideas before contacting a builder.

“We made a list of what we liked and needed for our plants,” Mrs. Jarrett said. “We wanted a solid roof that matched the house, and we wanted windows that could be opened from the outside, making it easier for us to open and ventilate.”

Local builder David Smith of D.J. Smith Co., transformed their ideas into reality. Construction took about four months.

Rather than having natural light shining in at all angles, most of light in the Jarrett greenhouse is electric to better modulate temperatures. Vents and fans help control the heat as well. The setup makes sense in the hot Southern climate, Mrs. Jarrett said.

“I’ve learned that most plants, especially the ones I grow, don’t like to get really hot,” she said. “They go dormant. I think it’s a lot easier to add artificial light and not worry about it getting too hot.”

The standing-seam metal roof, which slopes onto a sub roof with an air space in between, also helps keep temperatures at a reasonable level.

“When the sun shines on it, the heat is transferred through the air space and keeps the greenhouse constantly ventilated,” Mrs. Jarrett said. “The heat is never trapped inside, and that’s what keeps it cooler in the summer.”

The Jarretts decided against a misting system since their plants have different moisture requirements.

“I learned the hard way that most perennials don’t like to be wet or damp,” Mrs. Jarrett said. “A misting system can’t tell if half a tray is dry or moist, but my finger can. I kill fewer plants that way.”

Mrs. Jarrett said she has always enjoyed gardening but never previously had time to pursue it. Working outside was a necessity when they bought their home.

“When we moved here, this property had been vacant, and it was like a huge kudzu field. We started trying to make a little headway into the kudzu (and) realized it was fun taking something that was awful and turning it into something beautiful.”

The Jarretts are licensed to sell plants by mail as well as at garage sales in April and September. American Gardener magazine listed their Web site, www.greenthumbsgalore.com, as one of 14 places to look for particular new plants.

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