The Greenhouse

The Greenhouse
I designed this greenhouse to capture some of the grandeur of the Edwardian classics: white painted and extra tall.

A greenhouse should be at the heart of a productive garden. It is not only somewhere to grow tomatoes and cucumbers reliably without blight or gales destroying them, but also a place to raise seedlings, overwinter tender plants, extend the growing season and carry on working when it rains. Perhaps the hardest thing of all is to ensure it is a thing of beauty that is sympathetic with the larger garden design.

The greenhouse is built against a 9 inch brick wall which I had constructed specifically for the purpose. It gives the building a presence and permanence that you can’t get with an off-the-shelf, four-sides-of-glass affair. This is especially true since I wanted the ‘house to be built along the edge of the garden. A glass-wall facing straight on to a wooden fence would not only look ugly, but would cause maintenance problems. As well as its visual and practical aspects, the wall also helps stabilise the internal temperature by absorbing heat int he day and releasing it and night. Growing cucumbers and melons up this wall has worked remarkably well.

Centrepiece of the garden
The greenhouse is integrated into the design of the garden drawing the eye and encouraging exploration.

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