Area Guide to Homes & Gardens: August 10, 2023
Is a garden greenhouse on your wish list? Garden Gate With Pergola
From a humble greenhouse or cold frame to start spring seedlings to an orangery or conservatory room, either attached to an historic or elegant private home or set apart in a garden or landscape, windowed spaces take advantage of natural light.
Greenhouses and conservatories can provide winter indoor space for large tender potted plants, as well as a perfect spot for exotics and specimen plants.
Conservatories offer an elegant option for entertaining as well as a place for houseplants, indoor greenery and to over winter outdoor containers.
Orangeries are another option, though they are less frequently seen in today’s Bucks County landscapes.
According to House & Garden.com, the difference between an orangery and a conservatory is the ratio of windows to building materials. Orangery buildings typically have flat roofs, where conservatories are peaked or pitched.
An orangery is usually a brick structure with windows, generally a stand alone building on a property or located in a large garden or landscape.
As the name suggests, it was originally a building in which to grow oranges, and dates to European countries during the 1600s.
Bucks County Community College in Newtown has an example of an orangery, used by the Tyler family to grow oranges. Today, this space is used by college theater and dance departments and for special events including poetry readings.
A conservatory is a glass “house” or structure with brick or stone foundation and a sloped glazed roof.
The roughly 4.5 acre conservatory at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square in Chester County offers visitors indoor garden delights and extraordinary displays.
Visiting public gardens, greenhouses and conservatories provides inspiration for our own homes and gardens, along with breathtaking ideas.
Scale and proportion should be top of mind when adding a greenhouse or conservatory to enjoy on your property.
Are you waiting for those first fruits to start on a banana plant?
While these exotic – and large – plants are often grown in Bucks County as ornamental annuals in containers, they are challenging to over winter without being brought indoors or being housed in a greenhouse.
“If you have large patio pots, you can use a greenhouse to save those over the winter,” said Andrew “Andy” Eckhoff, general manager at Bountiful Acres in Buckingham Township .
Mandevilla, bougainvillea, Australian tree fern and banana plants are all candidates for greenhouse care to get them through tough Bucks County winters.
“We have a banana plant (at Bountiful Acres) that has been planted in the ground and brought into the greenhouse for the past eight years. It takes seven years to get a flower on a banana plant,” Eckhoff explained.
This year in March the plant began blooming with “crazy flowers,” and in a few weeks baby bananas began to appear.
“You’re able to get tropical plants up to large sizes” if you can keep them through the winter until the next growing season, he said.
Conservatory rooms may have tables and furnishings for relaxing and entertaining, as well as house plants or seasonal plants for over wintering, creating a green light-filled respite space when winter’s dark days come.
“[Many people] are not using these like a traditional conservatory, where it’s just filled with plants,” said Andrew Bunting, vice president of horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in Philadelphia.
An increase in all aspects of gardening since the coronavirus pandemic has created renewed interest in garden spaces.
“From do-it-yourself units to large, built-out standalone pieces, this follows along the trend in gardening in general,” he said.
True plant collectors – who have a conservatory – might be growing orchids, cyclamen, and indoor flowering plants like African violets, philodendron, spider plants and wandering Jew plants, according to Eckhoff.
Bunting said freestanding greenhouses will require a heating source in order for them to protect tender plants below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
“If you want to use it as a traditional greenhouse the issue is heating it,” he said.
Greenhouse, sunroom or conservatory spaces attached to the house would also require a heat source, whether that is part of the home’s HVAC system, or incorporate its own climate control system.
For those interested in using an unheated cold frame or small greenhouse to start spring vegetables ahead of the last frost date, a small electric heating device could supplement warmth.
Bunting said the intention for this kind of set up should be temporary. During overnights where temperatures dip below the freezing mark, typically during March through mid May.
Check manufacturer’s use and safety requirements and recommendations before using any type of space heating device.
Cool and cold season crops like lettuce, cauliflower and kale, may get a head start with ample sunlight in a windowsill or a small cold frame.
Depending upon materials used, a cold frame or small greenhouse can absorb natural sunlight and protect many plants – especially cold-tolerant varieties – from all but serious low temperature dips.
Consider plant “hoteling”
Local nurseries and garden centers may offer winter hoteling services for plants. These can range in cost, and are typically charged by the size of the plant container or square footage required to house them in the greenhouse.
Services generally include plant pickup and delivery, though you may opt to transport plants yourself.
Watering, fertilizing and pest and disease management are generally part of the service. Ask about pest and disease control treatments in advance.
Bunting recommends getting a schedule from the provider, which includes the watering regime (frequency) pest and disease treatment, as well as what happens if the plant should die while in the provider’s care.
While services generally are offered from October through March or April, ask about shorter intervals when researching services.
Monthly fees are standard and many greenhouses offering this service will also offer prorated rates for partial months of service.
Other items that may interest you
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