Ultimate Conservatory Plants

In the hopes of a realistic conversation, rather than "I saw this amazing 30' plant in a greenhouse at Kew Gardens" let's assume:

Conservatory growing is your passion, so you've built yourself an impressive conservatory, designed for plant growing rather than just an extension-room. However, you did NOT win top prize on Euromillions Lottery and go all out "money no object" building suitable only for a stately home .

Perhaps it has a tall ceiling, or a raised lantern in centre of the roof, to house a few large plants:


maybe it is designed for high humidity. Or maybe you would have some other key features? (that are "reasonably" affordable )

So what are we going to stock it with?

In a PM discussing seeds we might buy LongK got carried away! so I'll copy some of his suggestions here to kick off with.

I suspect that Strongylodon macrobotrys will be the ultimate sign of successful growing:





or if can't get the humidity levels high enough then:
.
Mucuna bennettii



Thunbergia mysorensis


Heliconia rostrata

I guess it would be easy to have some Gloriosa and a variety of Passiflora. Probably:


Passiflora alata

and perhaps even

P. quadrangularis http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/giant_granadilla.htm


Then there are:


Thunbergia mysorensis


Kennedia nigricans

Google's answer to "Ultimate Conservatory Plants" is ... "Provado"

 

Other thoughts:

Bomarea

Puya - I'm sceptical that these look that good close up, when they chuck upn a massive flower spike, but I've never seen one in the flesh

Tacca Chantrieria and some of the other Bat Plants. They had a nice "bed" of these in the new glasshouse at Wisley in January.



Collinsia heterophylla?

 

Tacca is not a lover of harsh sunlight so bear that in mind. It is a plant that should be considered though if you can provide that shade, and lots of humidity too.

Solandra maxima or grandiflora maybe?


Some Bomarea (ie; B.caldasii) are not good in pots according to Charlie Pridham, so do your research.

You can increase your display opportunities by looking at bulbs. They can be shoved "in the stair cupboard" when dormant, started in the greenhouse and then moved to the conservatory ready for the blooms.
Eucharis is incredibly fragrant! Hymenocallis bulks up quickly. Ferraria and Lachenalia for winter if it's not going to be too warm. Etc,etc, etc.

 

Permanent planters / "planting borders"?

Strongylodon isn't going to flower in a pot either ...

Strikes me that in a modern build the floor will want to be insulated, so can't easily have a deep bed. How deep do these things need? Bed raised 12" should be easily - little retaining wall - any maybe it would be possible to scavenge another 6" into the "raft" underneath.

 

Hhmmmm - how to keep the soil fresh could be an issue too without some sort of drainage.
Maybe a large 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.6/0.7 metre raised bed in one rear corner. A 40/50cm drainage square could be provided when the concrete floor is poured (ie; box that area off not to be filled) in the corner that's furthest from the foundations. That should leave enough space for furniture and seasonal pot specimens.

Bauhinia is said to make a nice pot specimen. Easy from seed. Hardy enough after a couple of years that it could be moved to an alternative frost free winter home.

 

Kristen - this seems an excellent thread to keep alive - perhaps for the discussion of individual WOW plants, rather than the creation of an integrated indoor garden that has another thread.

LongK - seeing this reminds me that I have always wanted to try Solandra. Hopefully I now have some space for one - though I gather it gets very big.

I will be growing some bananas in my new garden room and would dearly love to have one in flower. Which type is easiest to flower, and would they do this easily in a greenhouse in Yorkshire, or would that be pushing it. I am currently growing Ensete maurelii, Dwarf Cavendish, Musa velutina and bajoo.

 

I've seen it in bloom at CGF when quite a small plant. Looking at that one I suspect it can take a pruning.
I decided this year that Bomarea hirtella does better outdoors than under glass.

 

Conservatory not built yet, so I have resisted buying plants so that I can try to bring them on to have something ready for next year ... but ...

Am I going to be able, in practice, to grow Strongylodon macrobotrys? or should I just ditch even the notion that I might be able to grow it, and settle for Mucuna bennettii instead?

On forums where it is discussed folk seem to rave about Lapageria. I am tempted to get a couple of those as houseplants for this Winter so they get a flying start in the conservatory next spring. I would buy seed, but it looks like that needs to be fresh. Charlie Pridham (his nursery is called something like Rose House Nursery I think?) has a nice selection of Lapageria plants, but he won't ship them as he says they get upset in transit ... so have to go to him (West Country), or one of the shows that he attends.

Perhaps Zigs would nip down there for me and haul one to Shiney's Open Day next spring?!!

 

I'm sure that you'll be able to grow Strongylodon, but it will be uber high maintenance. Both will need lots of humidity, which on a vine will mean a humid environment, which in turn will mean a lot of cleaning of the room. I'm not trying to talk you out of it (dead opposite actually) as I would personally be going for it, but I don't want to carry the can for leading you astray! If you go for it, then P.quadrangularis will enjoy the same conditions. The trunk of Strongylodon needs to be shaded BTW.

Roseland House. He's sending me some seeds and a NZ Fuchsia and is a top bloke. THE place to go for Lapagaria. He comes to my local plant fair and I could grab you one - I can probably get a friend to drop it off to you at some point (he is in Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk once a month or so), even if you need to meet him somewhere en route nearby'ish.
More of a g/house plant IMO - Mr. Pridham grows his outdoors (as I recall) in Cornwall.
They are very sensitive to root disturbance. I know as I lost my only germinator when I potted it up

 

I would love to visit Charlie's nursery. He has some wonderful climbers - but it a long way from Yorkshire.

One of his plants that I want to try is Littonia - a close relative of Gloriosa, which I think has now been renamed as Gloriosa modesta.

 

Thanks, worth a thought. My problem is that I probably want half a dozen different ones that Charlie has ... and that bumps up the price rather!

I'm struggling to understand what the implications of the high humidity requirement are. I have some misting nozzles (yet to try them, but they have a good reputation). So if I put those in, and maintain a high humidity, what then?

Everything in the conservatory runs with water and goes green with algae perhaps? If that's the case I'm not going to give it houseroom, because I'd never be able to cope with sorting that out. But if it doesn't need to get to that point then all I need is the mister providing good humidity, and apart from plumbing them in it doesn't seem a big ask - thus I think I am missing something!

 

I think we are mixing up a conservatory with a warm greenhouse?
In my opinion two very different things.

One is mostly going to revolve around people, the second revolves around plants.
Its always going to be a compromise otherwise.

 

Totally spot on on both counts guys!
The humidity that they will thrive on is like SE Asia in the wet season! Being a vine means that localised humidity like I used on my Tacca is not an option. If it was mine I would go for it, but it's not!

You'll need to phone up to order them anyway..............

 

I used to have a conservatory, not big but I did fancy growing lots of plants in it, I found the main problems were too much heat when the sun shone so ideally blinds would be needed, and again keeping up humidity was difficult!! leaves still went crispy and didn't look lush like I wanted. I used to wish I could open the roof up to let the heat out.

Val

 

Val - I think the secret is to have way more ventilation than you think you need. When I spoke to a local nurseryman - he said exactly that. I suspect that already mine doesn't have enough.

In theory, if you have enough open windows there can be no build up of hot air and its the same as being in the open air. But I doubt that anyone has enough windows - except for the professional nurserymen, whose livelyhood depends on getting it right.