the middle where the stairs led was a huge hall , down the center of which were five , large , gleaming dark wood tables which , for the party , would hold massive displays of blooms from the palace 's greenhouses ( there were four gargantuan greenhouses where the palace gardeners grew everything from flowers and plants to adorn the house , to vegetables and fruits forced to grow out of season in order to feed its occupants and guests - they even had apple , pear , plum and peach trees in one , lime , lemon , grapefruit and orange in another and tangles of blackberry and raspberry vines in yet another ) .