Low maintenance plants and flowers for a greenhouse?

I am after some help, please.

My Dad died this week. He was a very keen gardener and had a wonderful 12x8 greenhouse which he filled annually with peppers, chillis, tomatoes and seedlings galore.

My Mum has no interest in greenhouse gardening. She tends to be happy pottering in the beds and borders.

The greenhouse will quickly stand empty, a rather unwelcome reminder for my Mum of the man who used to busy himself for many hours in there. I'm keen to avoid it becoming a messy, overgrown or untended relic.

My Mum does not have the time or inclination to take it on for growing on seedlings or fruit and veg, but I wonder if now it could be repurposed as a miniature glasshouse, somewhere we could plant low maintenance plants that my Mum could walk into and enjoy. Where we live, we have the Winter Gardens which are full of plants that offer something different to what could be found outside in gardens. That's the sort of thing I'm thinking about.

So really my rather desperate plea is for any suggestions as to how we might turn a once productive greenhouse into a low maintenance, ornamental glasshouse where my Mum could go to enjoy and perhaps reflect.

Many thanks in advance.

 

Low maintenance and green house don't really go together, not in summer anyway.
My only suggestion would be cacti and succulents some nice flowering ones available.
It's the only things I think you can get away with missing a few waterings in the summer months.

 

Maybe turn it into an alpine house? For that it would need good ventilation year round, and possibly shading in the summer. Alpines are lovely plants, like little jewels - they would be grown in pots and there are many low-maintenance ones, though if she gets enthusiastic there are all sort of rare treasures to cultivate.

Here's a nice article with lots of advice: Endless Growing Possibilities of an Alpine House - Alpine Garden Society

My other idea was to start over - i.e. offer the greenhouse on freecycle or similar for some keen young gardener to take away and reuse, and replant or turn the space into a sitting area - a friend of mine did that, the old greenhouse had a quarry-tiled floor and low walls and adapted very well to its new purpose.

 

You could put in some small palm trees for shade, ferns and some desert plants that flower and enjoy the sun and do not need much watering. Then try some fuchsias. I am sure a lot of readers will give you some great ideas. Put plants in trays on wet capillary matting to save on watering.

 

Hi,

Sorry for your loss.

My old mother had a similar situation with my Dads very large old woooden greenhouse and attached potting shed.

One point you had not mentioned is that youir mother might prefer that it was not there at all ?
Plenty of folk would be happy to remove and re-use it if thats the case.

However its early days and clearly it might be better to leave things as they are for now and see how she feels about it later in the year.

In my mothers case the greenhouse was at the top of a long narrow garden, so we effectively fenced off the top half which left the lawn and borders , which she enjoyed, much easier for her to manage.
The greenhouse, originally her fathers around 100 years old was becoming very rotten, was removed the following year.

 

I'm sorry to hear of your recent loss.

You could consider converting the greenhouse to a sitting area/conservatory for your mother to enjoy any hobbies and memories of your father. Some blinds on the roof would help to keep it cooler on hot sunny days.

 

Condolences @Astraeus. I agree with a lot of the suggestions here - if it was me I’d fill it with pelargoniums and make it into a sitting room/conservatory.

 

There are many frost hardy cactuses and prickly pears that just want to be dry in winter that grow fairly slowly. Ornamental Gingers would probably do well. Farmer Gracy's has plenty of those.

Pomegranates are supposed to fruit more reliably in greenhouses if you have really big pots or bare soil in there. Figs might also do well

 

I'm very sorry for your loss, @Astraeus

Perhaps, with time, the greenhouse could become a room for your Mother to enjoy herself when taking a break from outdoors gardening?

First thing I'd buy is a chair. Depending on your Mother's taste and physical ability, a hanging egg chair or a rocking chair or a lovely straight backed one. Next, a table to hold her cuppa or glass.

To make the space even more a summerhouse rather than an utilitian area, there are outdoor carpets and cushions your Mother might like to choose from.

For planting, personally I'd love a palm tree in a very big (50cm) pot, and some annuals for this summer in a similarly big pot to reduce the watering need. Pelargoniums would be lovely.

A climber would give something to look at, to see its progress from spring... but something that doesn't need constant pest control.

Shading, solar powered lights and lanterns.

The Firsts are hard. Over time I'm sure you and your Mother will make the space special for her.