You need a frost free greenhouse, warm conservatory or very sunny window sill for this gem, which is a guaranteed conversation piece. In fact this is not so much a gem as a god, for it is a venerated plant deity. Lophophora williamsii, mescal, peyote, peyote, and other variations, is the famous magic cactus worshipped […]
You don’t need a greenhouse to grow Dahlias but having one is an immense help especially until the frosts are over. There are Dahlias in almost every colour save blue with an almost extravagant series of sizes and sorts such as Cactus, Pompon, Peony and Ball flowered. Many of these are great for cut flowers […]
You could use your greenhouse to force pots of our native Arum maculatum lilies, the wild Lords & ladies or Cuckoo-pints. These are known for their clumps of glossy hosta like leaves and distinctive early spring flowers; each with a yellow spathe in the middle of a surrounding white spadix, later superceded by a stick […]
Not often considered a greenhouse plant, more one for the dappled shade garden or semi-wild rockery. Yet since Victorian times Lily of the valley has been grown in tubs under cover, both for it’s beauty in foliage, flower and perfume and for a cut flower for the house. You might grow Convallaria from seed, it […]
Most Lilies don’t need to be in a greenhouse as they’re perfectly hardy. Of course amongst such a huge family there are tender sorts but generally those most commonly grown are happy outdoors all year round. However there’s one very good reason for growing these under cover and that’s Lily beetles. These have devastated lilies […]
Every greenhouse should have at least one from this small genus of glorious plants whose blooms so closely rival lilies. For Crinums are robust, reliable and truly sumptuous display plants in either the greenhouse or plant conservatory. They are also excellent flowers for cutting and worth growing for that alone. The blooms of C. xPowelli […]
These are amongst the most elegant of all greenhouse flowers. Almost perfectly designed for cutting Japanese roses will keep fresh at least a fortnight even three weeks. Indeed if these were just that bit easier to start off we all would have them. I must admit they’re a little on the awkward side with a […]
Now here’s a greenhouse plant that takes almost no effort whatsoever. Or rather here are a great number of species as this is a big family and the curious collector can amass a large and interesting selection. Mostly from southern Africa these are succulent plants which although slow growing at first soon become large specimens […]
For sheer colour in the greenhouse there is little to compare with Coleus or Painted Nettles as they are so accurately described. Indeed these not only closely resemble Dead Nettles but are in fact closely related to them. Now many have been renamed Plectranthus or Solenostemon though these have not caught on. The commonest, Coleus […]
You can grow cucumbers without a greenhouse but these are poor things by comparison with varieties grown under cover. Outdoor or ridge cucumbers are spiny and stumpy whilst indoor ones are smooth skinned, long and gently curved. Both originated long ago in India with the greenhouse strains selected and improved in China and Japan. The greenhouse […]
Both these are hardy fruits and so do not need a greenhouse, however having one gives much earlier and much more reliable crops. Just the protection from frosts, rain and birds is immensely valuable, the earliness is a huge bonus. Apricots and cherries need similar treatment to peaches though preferring cooler drier conditions, a freer […]
Tomatoes are the greenhouse crop most often grown. True in sheltered gardens a few varieties crop outside most summers. But under cover you have more sorts for more of the year with much tastier varieties. And what variety, tomatoes come in almost every colour other than blue, even striped ones. Any seed catalogue will bewilder […]
