A greenhouse is an essential for the passionate gardener, as it allows you to tend to your delicate plants throughout the winter and start seeds in the early spring. Glasshouses first gained popularity in the UK in the 19th century when technological advancements made glass production much more affordable. Their history dates back to the 16th century, when orangeries gained popularity as a place to hide citrus trees from Spain. Growing exotic fruits and plants was no longer exclusive for the wealthy; anybody in the middle class with enough room could now replicate tropical climates in their backyard.
During the Victorian era, glasshouses reached their pinnacle of design (just think of the magnificent Crystal Palace or the botanical houses at Kew Gardens, both of which tragically burned down in the 1930s but are preserved in old photographs from the time). Many of the most charming designs available today are reminiscent of Victorian originals. An exquisite and unique accent to any garden is a refurbished Victorian greenhouse. There is an enormous selection available, ranging from reasonably priced ready-made choices that you can purchase and erect on a concrete foundation that has already been prepared to custom greenhouses that may cost tens of thousands of pounds and that will fit into your garden exactly.
Speaking of space, you probably have enough room for a greenhouse even if your yard is little. They range in width from as little as six feet, but eight feet is preferable if you want to add workstations on both sides. Conventional greenhouses are rectangular, but there are also attractive octagonal forms that can work better in a tight spot, and lean-to models that can be placed up against a wall. Typically, greenhouses are constructed from aluminum or wood; the former is more costly but retains heat better and may even include a brick half-wall at the bottom.
The greenhouse’s price and usefulness are also determined by its glazing. The least expensive glass available is horticultural glass, which is 3 mm thick and layered; nevertheless, it is difficult to clean and breaks into huge, potentially harmful shards. Although toughened glass costs more, it is safer. In place of glass, polycarbonate panels are less expensive, lighter, and more durable than glass; but, they don’t have the same visual appeal and may shatter in high winds.
Additionally, because greenhouses are prone to overheating in the summer, you should ensure that they have ventilation windows. Ridged ventilation panes are often located in the walls or doors, or manually or automatically opening panes should be installed on the roof.
Although it’s not necessary, it’s customary to position your greenhouse with the ridge pointing east-west to maximize winter light. Make sure the strongest section of the greenhouse, the gable end, faces the wind if you live in an area with frequent high winds in your garden. When placing your greenhouse, be clear of slopes and trees that dangle over the edge.
Purchasing a greenhouse
The greenhouses we showcase on our pages are among the most exquisite globally. If you have the finances and available space, it’s always preferable to go custom, choosing from stunning designs created by Alitex, a National Trust greenhouse manufacturer, or Hartley Botanic, an RHS associate greenhouse manufacturer. We like Rhino Greenhouses’ selection of pre-made greenhouses; they start at around £1,000 and are available in a fantastic array of sizes and hues. John Lewis also has a really attractive little variety of wood greenhouses created using Crane Garden structures.
House & Garden’s collection of greenhouse concepts
The orchard meadow in Mary Keen’s happy Gloucestershire garden is reached by a curving, mowed grass walk that winds between beds of striking, self-sown lime Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii, mauve Lunaria annua ‘Corfu Blue,’ and purple flag irises. Beyond the walk-through greenhouse, the attention is drawn by an inherited Magnolia x soulangeana.
The visitor to Mary’s spring garden will leave having fallen in love with 100 plants again, as trays of ladybird poppies are arranged in the greenhouse and sky blue camassias wait patiently under the tall grass. Her enthusiasm for every season’s intensity, each scent’s subtlety, and each petal’s color is contagious and uncontrollable.
In Cordelia de Castellane’s French garden, landscape designer Milan Hajsinek wanted the greenhouse to be a prominent feature, not just a necessary evil. He says, “I like to put a greenhouse in the middle of a garden because I think of it as a church.” The greenhouse, which is painted a soft blue-green that matches the color of Cordelia’s previous childrenswear line, CdeC, attracts attention from every angle of the garden. A delightful, unplanned mingling of peonies, lupins, foxgloves, phlox, larkspur, valerian, and other cottage-garden favorites fills a quadrangle of beds to overflowing. “I like a natural appearance.” Inside the home, everything is the same, Cordelia claims. Things shouldn’t seem brand-new. Whether it is a home or a garden, I prefer to honor the place’s inherent qualities. Cordelia cleared a whole meadow lately so she could grow her favorite tulips and dahlias, as well as cosmos, delphiniums, and peonies, and to guarantee she always has an endless supply to arrange. Cordelia has also constructed extra beds for cut flowers behind the greenhouse.
A large, classic greenhouse with clouds of Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora and a box-lined walkway lined with Allium stipitatum ‘Mount Everest’ can be seen at the end of White Company founder Chrissie Rucker’s garden. The Buxus sempervirens ‘Variegata’ cut balls are such. Chrissie raises lovely chillies and tomatoes inside.
Garden designer Laura Heybrook has created a plant lover’s paradise outside her Oxford home. Surrounded by evergreens and topiary, the garden is full with colorful, fragrant flowers and grasses. Verbena bonariensis, Stachys byzantina, Stipa tenuissima, and Kniphofia ‘Green Jade’ are among the many plants that clog the walkway leading to the custom greenhouse that a local joiner built.
This Hermannshof gardener’s home expansion has been transformed into a charming greenhouse. A trial garden and public exhibition located in the Rhine Valley. Primroses, wallflowers, and white forget-me-nots line the front of the home, contrasting with the orange hues of “Cheers,” “Disneyland Paris,” “Ballerina,” and “Hermitage,” as well as the dark crimson hues of “Ronaldo,” “National Velvet,” “Havran,” and “Slawa.”
Over many years, the designer Arne Maynard has brought fresh life to the landscape of an Oxfordshire manor home, contrasting it with strong, recognizable motifs. Arne started by restoring the kitchen garden as a way to bring the family outside and enjoying the land together. Delineating the restored original arrangement are box hedges. The greenhouse has a stylish brick foundation and a wooden framework; Hartley Botanic has similar features.
Behind his ancient carriage house, Jasper Conran created a new kitchen garden to complement his 17th-century Dorset manor home. A variety of fragile plants, including pelargoniums, is housed in an oak-framed conservatory.
Sarah Price, a garden designer, is renovating the historic glasshouses and the stone-edged gravel pathways in her kitchen garden. Her inspiration for this blend of annuals and veggies comes from Priona’s gardens in Holland.
Dan Pearson created a sustainable Devon garden that includes a large greenhouse big enough to serve as an office. A customized alternative from Alitex, who create greenhouses for the National Trust, would be your best chance for a large greenhouse like this one.
