IMPORTANT - GREENHOUSE PLANTS

When plants arrive from the Nursery, give them a few weeks to settle down in their new environment before re-potting (if necessary).

Do not re-pot any conservatory plant that arrives after August, it will be much safer to wait until the spring.

Conservatory/Greenhouse fruits such as vines, figs and peaches should normally be re-potted after leaf -fall.
See our leaflet 'Fruit Trees in Pots

CULTURAL LEAFLETS

On Vines, Figs, Citrus and Growing Fruit Trees in Pots. Mulberries, Olives and Bougainvillea are supplied free with the plants concerned.

ASPECT

A North facing conservatory will restrict the use of some of the more flamboyant flowering plants but there are plenty that will delight you. Conversely a South facing conservatory will bring some management problems during the summer.

None are insurmountable but you have to start off in the correct manner, and if you have the choice a South aspect will be the most rewarding. For a free standing greenhouse/conservatory try to site it away from the shade of buildings or trees if possible and one that preferably gets the sun in the evening.
Traditionally conservatories were made of wood or cast iron with glass.

Nowadays a great variety of materials are available for the structure, but glass is hest for durability and light transmission.

On no account - if you wish to grow flowering or fruiting plants - use tinted glazing, which cuts out much of the light plants need particularly during winter. Shading is best done by other methods, when it is required in the summertime.

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VENTILATION

Ventilation is best done automatically - there are various methods and vents can then he gradually opened or shut so that there is no sudden rise or fall in temperature.

Suddenly opening up can cause draughts which plants abhor. The drawing below shows the basic principle of ventilation. The top (roof) vents are opened first, the side vents next and finally, in houses with benching, the box. The latter can be very useful in very hot weather.

The side vents should be top hung as shown. The roof vents may be individual or continuous along the ridge. There should be at least one of each to every 6ft (2m) length of house, hut under 12ft (4m) put at least two or reasonable size. Remember if you are serious about growing plants, you will be very restricted without roof vents.

An alternative is to fix an extractor fan in conjunction with a louvered inlet.

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Section of A lean-to conservatory showing roof light, side light wall ventilator & slatted bench & air flow direction.

The roof light is opened first. In winter this may be enough, when further cooling is required open the side lights - or just the wall ventilator (a small sliding panel)

Avoid cool drafts at all times. A slatted bench is shown for the display of small plants.

HEATING

Arrangements must be considered before building commences, and the most economic method is usually to link it to the house system.

Underfloor heating is very effective may either be in ducts under cast iron grills or small bore pipes in polystyrene buried in the floor under the tiles. This latter provides a good reserve of heat in case of power cuts, acting like a storage radiator.

Electric fan heaters (horticultural quality) whilst more expensive to run are the least costly in initial installations and are very reliable. I would tend to have two, one set lower than the other.

The amount of output required will depend upon the plants you wish to grow, but as a rule of thumb nearly all the plants in our catalogue are grown with a minimum night temperature of 42'f/5'c (cool house). Some of them would be happy as long as they were not actually frozen 32'f /0'c (cold house).

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SHADING

Shading was traditionally done using lime wash or slatted roller blinds, both on the exterior.

Obviously if heat is deflected before it gets into the house the job is much easier.

Wooden roller blinds are a bit like the Rolls Royce - out of the average price range, but the modern equivalent of lime wash does not wash off in the first rain shower, and is easily brushed off with a broom when dry.

We spray it on but it can easily be brushed on.
Do not forget the glass walls. If you do not want a colour wash use wood or bamboo blinds where necessary on the outside.

Woven shading materials are also useful - Cambridge Botanic Garden uses them on the outside of the roofs of some of their glasshouses.

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PRUNING & TRAINING

This should be considered as part of the normal greenhouse routine.
Generally most plants are pruned after flowering or fruiting, but some further 'pinching' may be necessary as new growth appears, to encourage branching where needed.

Care must be exercised not to pinch off future flower or fruit buds and such shaping of a young plant should be done early in the growing season for that variety.

Plants may be trained on trellis, frames or wires fixed to walls or on free standing trellis pyramids. This is particularly important for fruiting plants such as vines, figs and peaches, which ideally should be moved after fruiting to cooler quarters for a rest period.

Many may quite happily be taken to a sheltered spot in the garden and put in a bark plunge bed. Some plants should always be grown as standards, these are great space savers and low growing shade loving plants may be put beneath them.

We grow many varieties, both flowering and fruiting, with standard stems in between 12ft (6:00pm) and 6ft (10am) measured between the top of the pot and the head of the plant.

Growing a standard stem is just a case of taking a shoot up a cane to the desired height and pinching out the tip at the top, if you do not wish to purchase a finished plant.

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