We heat greenhouses to keep tender plants safe through winter and start off outdoor plants earlier. In my last piece I noted how we could save on that heating by maintaining good air circulation with low humidity. These conditions reduce mould on our plants, something surer to kill than the low temperatures themselves. However keeping […]
Although none of us want to waste energy we’re also desperate not to lose our plants so then we may inadvertently set our thermostats rather high in order ‘to be safe’. Obviously we need to maintain a sufficiently high temperature so our greenhouse, i.e. not-hardy, plants do not sustain any damage. Now the old recommendations […]
Be warned, these unique fruits may lure Blackbirds and Thrushes to venture into your greenhouse just to steal them. There is something about the colour, look or taste of these blue apple-berries that is irresistibly attractive to them. Which is odd as they are edible to us though not remarkably palatable, certainly not very more-ish […]
In my last piece I described a greenhouse gem; the chocolate scented Cosmos, which I also noted was not exactly one of the neatest looking shrubs. Oddly, another powerfully chocolate scented flower, Berlandiera lyrata, also comes as an unruly small shrub. There’s little obvious similarity in these even though they’re both in the family Asteraceae, […]
I doubt anyone entering your glasshouse will gasp “What a gorgeous specimen” when their eyes glance upon Cosmos atrosanguineus Chocamocha. Admittedly this is an undistinguished leaved scantily flowering almost scruffy looking plant you’d not look twice at. However once their noses catch the delicious vanilla and hot chocolate scent they will be entranced. Then as […]
And the Latin Cestrum is hardly any better. Anyway these scented plants are well suited to greenhouses and conservatories though sadly soon grow too large to be generally popular as house plants. Not quite hardy some have tried these outdoors as wall shrubs but they don’t survive long whereas under glass they can live for […]
The Flowering Maple was once also popular as a houseplant but now sadly has fallen from favour. Our homes were colder and damper then than most are now and this tender shrub likes it cool definitely not hot and dry. Generally though this is an easy to care for and potentially flowering 365 days a […]
Not introduced into our greenhouses and conservatories till 1818 when it was brought from the Cape of Good Hope now known as South Africa. Leadwort, Plumbago, soon became very popular with Victorian gardeners. A lax climbing shrub this can bloom non-stop from the end of winter right through until winter returns again. Without doubt this […]
Ipomoea purpurea is another of those greenhouse flowers that annoyingly bloom from early morning to wither and fade after lunch. No problem if you’re retired or at leisure but if away during the working week you can only appreciate their full splendour at the weekend. And, as their common name Morning Glory suggests, only if […]
A most rapidly growing, most floriferous, greenhouse climber Thunbergia alata, Black-eyed Susan was introduced at the start of Victoria’s reign. Many others in this genus also became popular in Hot-houses of the 19th century for their magnificent displays, and because most were relatively fast growing just wanting to bloom . Black-eyed Susan was ‘first’ found […]
Much vaunted for its health value and expensive to purchase Turmeric is the swollen root of Curcuma longa, a decorative greenhouse plant with large leaves. This flavourful colouring spice is grown in huge quantities in Asian countries for many dishes and it’s essential for Indian curries. Used since Classical times as the dried root or […]
Greenhouses will soon become even more invaluable for gardeners by helping them cope with climate change. We don’t know how bad things may become, however for certain our weather’s becoming more extreme, and more unpredictable. Our traditional gardening calendar’s unreliable with some current crops becoming more risky out of doors. However under cover we already […]
