showpiece for the greenhouse?

What do folks grow in their greenhouses when all their seed trays and pots of seedlings etc have gone out into the garden?....not for while yet I know. I would like to have a few 'spectacular, unusual plants in pots to be kept in the greenhouse. I do prefer something with a flower on rather than just foliage. Have just ordered a Sandersonia Aurantiaca from Garden News, but has anyone any other favourites they can recommend?

 

Stand by for all the Brug's and Dat's :D

My own favourite is Citrus - you can get anything from small calamondin to large orange or lemon trees. They always look exotic and the flowers have a gorgeous heavy scent.

 

I tend to try to get as much as possible out of the greenhouse for at least a couple of months.
I find that most plants that are kept in a greenhouse tend to harden off and ripen their wood better outside if poss. Also pests tend to become a real problem during the warmer months, inside.
Having said that there is usually some things still in there in July/August time.
With me its cacti mainly, some of the flowers can be amazing, and if you build up a collection of the right kinds you can have flowers from March to October easily.

 

Gloriosa is good as it dies back down to its tubers in the winter so takes up very little space then.

Another pot plant for the summer is achimenies, "hot water plant" needs a bit of shade but likes it warm. This also dies down to small tubers that are easily kept through the winter.

[ 13. April 2006, 09:26 PM: Message edited by: pete2255 ]

 

That all looks lovely, Pete - wish I could afford to use space for that sort of thing, but my greenhouse is more of a production line! When I retire, maybe.....

 

This is the inside of one of our glasshouses.

Under the display is an area we use for storing Summer bulbs in Winter and Summer dormant stuff for the summer.

 

pete2255

Fantastic pic,(best example I have seen) I intend to get into growing flowering cactii in the near future, so will be looking to you for some pointers?

Palustris

Presumably nothing drips onto the storage underneath, so how is it sealed off? Also, in those shallow beds, does the gravel go all the way to the bottom?

Lovely greenhouse, reminds me, must get a bigger one!

 

Does not really show it, but the beds are a minimum of 9 inches deep and at the back are a foot, which is plenty for alpines. There is an inch or so of pure sand on the paving slab staging, then a very gritty soil mix with the gravel about half an inch deep on the top. Not had any problems with water dripping onto the storage space underneath and anyway most of the things under there do need a little water during the summer and none of it gets watered in winter at all, except by what blows in through the sides. There is no glass in the sides which you can see in the photos.

 

Wish I had something similar Palustris, with some glass in the sides it would be great for cacti. :D

 

Some nice ideas thanks..
pete2255 ..that's some gorgeous flower!
look out for pics later in the year to see what I decided on...and hopefully will be a success!

 

As this is six years old and peoples growing habits and interests change I thought that I'd bump this thread.

What are we growing as a showpiece in the greenhouse now?

 

This is my first year with a greenhouse, but I reckon that a conservatory is pretty close.

This was my finest effort so far - Tacca chantrieri.



However, it gets pretty huge...................



More realistic are Scadoxus multiflorus.................



.................and Hymenocallis festalis.



The first of this years g/house specials has bloomed recently - Manfreda elongata.



Hopefully, my Passiflora alata and Vigna caracalla will follow suit too.

 

Absolutely amazing Longk