Greenhouse goals

A solid start

The concrete foundations for the greenhouse are now in so I can see exactly where it’s going to be, which is very exciting. This development has got me thinking about what I’m actually going to put in the greenhouse when it arrives – plant wise – and so I’ve been poring over books and making lists and generally daydreaming about having somewhere warm and planty to sit. With a cup of coffee. Or maybe a glass of wine. Or a gin and tonic! Sigh.

Anyway the books I’ve been consulting are two fairly seminal tomes: Alan Titchmarsh’s Greenhouse Gardening (from the Alan Titchmarsh how to garden series) and The Greenhouse Expert by Dr D. G. Hessayon. I think both will be pretty useful when it comes to the nitty gritty of greenhouse ownership – they have loads of very accessible-looking advice on heating, shading, ventilation etc. But both also profile a wide selection of greenhouse plants which is what I’m currently interested in.

 Obviously the greenhouse will be a place to start new plants from seed and to overwinter less hardy plants like my pelargoniums (which currently just die every winter, either outside in the cold or from neglect in the garage). But the greenhouse is also an opportunity to grow things that benefit from tropical conditions – things that until now have not really been an option.

 These include:

 ·       Cacti and other succulents. Low maintenance, varied and pretty fashionable right now, I could definitely see myself developing a small succulent obsession. A quick google throws up plenty of specialist succulent nurseries too.

·       Citrus fruit. Imagine picking your own G&T garnish fresh from the tree on a summer’s evening?

·       Other soft fruit. Figs, peaches, strawberries…

·       Tomatoes. OK I know you can grow these without a greenhouse but I think the warmth definitely helps. And the smell of tomatoes in a greenhouse is just… well. You know. They all sound good in the catalogues so I’ll just start with some little bushy ones and take it from there.

·       Earlier flowers for cutting. Narcissus in winter. Gerbera and ranunculus in spring and summer.

·       Year-round foliage. For a lush, jungly feel when not much else is happening. I’m planning to start with Cycas revolute, which looks like a palm but isn’t one; Pteris cretica, which is a strappy fern; and good old Hedera helix (ivy), but I think this is going to be mainly a case of trial and error.

·       Climbers. I would really love a vine of some description and I can think of no better climber than a bougainvillea. Bougainvilleas just scream holiday to me – they are such a classic ‘hot place’ plant. I’ve read really conflicting things on how happy they are in an unheated greenhouse in the UK, so I reckon my best bet is just to give them a go and see what happens. There’s a specialist nursery – westdalenurseries.co.uk – that has a pretty good selection. I’ve narrowed down my choices to B. ‘Amethyst’, B. ‘Cypheri’, B. ‘James Walker’ and B. ‘Tango Supreme’. I may need some vine wires to support them. Watch this space!