Winter and cabin fever can turn a plant lover's thoughts to greenhouses. A greenhouse, hothouse or conservatory enables you to grow anything you want at any time of year.
Grow vegetables, flowers, shrubs and trees, from seeds or cuttings, if you wish. Raise exotic flora from warmer zones or store your patio containers of ginger, bananas, oranges and other tropicals. Hothouses give you proper growing conditions 365 days a year.
Some prefabricated units are designed to attach to a house, using it as one of the greenhouse's walls.
(Jason Heath Lerner For The Washington Post)
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Kate Blom, director of the Baltimore Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, said people who want to grow tropicals at home often make mistakes with their care, noting that many tropicals don't require a lot of light. They are understory plants, and so they do well indoors. They need less water rather than more. "Overwatering has killed more plants than anything else," Blom said.
The Baltimore garden is one example of a grand conservatory. It reopened this summer -- after two years of renovation -- with 325 varieties of plants in the original 1888 glass conservatory, Palm House, Orchid House and three greenhouses behind them.
Gardeners who dream of a plant "conservatory" might have to compromise their grandest ideas unless they own a large house with lots of glass and tall ceilings. But greenhouses are well within reach, especially if you build one from scratch or buy a kit. They come in a vast selection of sizes and shapes, using a wide variety of colors and materials. I have seen solariums no larger than a bay window that serve as greenhouses. Use a sunroom, enclosed swimming pool or indoor patio. Just about any controlled environment will work.
Conservatories, which are roomlike structures, are often custom-designed and built and are usually extensions of houses, are meant to display plants. Wealthy Victorians loved showing off their orchids, tropical palms and trailing jasmine in beautifully appointed conservatories. Greenhouses, which can also be custom-designed and built, are designed as "wet" environments for the propagation and raising of plants.
If you want the look and feel of a traditional greenhouse made of wood and glass, often in a Gothic style, you can certainly get it. A number of companies specialize in restoring and installing old greenhouses. These tend to be ornate and pricey, costing anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000.
However, there are prefabricated units for much less. Some are designed to attach to a house, allowing one wall of the house to serve as one wall of the greenhouse.
The greenhouse part of the structure can have wood or metal frames. Wood is more expensive and requires more maintenance. Aluminum is cheaper and is generally maintenance-free. The "glass" part can be glass, polyethylene, polycarbonate or fiberglass. The panes can be transparent or translucent depending on the location of the structure and the season.
Glass is preferred by far. It should have a finish applied to reduce glare and heat gain, and it should be tempered to make it harder. Tempered glass can be up to four times as strong as regular glass. Fiberglass, polyethylene or polycarbonate panes can be used when cost is a factor. They will reduce the price considerably; you can find such greenhouses starting at about $1,500.
