Post category: Ornamental Plants

 

Shrubs and climbers 

 

A wide range of ornamental plants can be grown in a greenhouse or conservatory. Some of these must have the protection of a greenhouse and cannot be grown successfully in the open garden. Other plants, though they can be grown outdoors, grow better with the extra heat provided inside a protective structure.

 

Tibouchina urvilleana

 

Flowers

 

Freesias need greenhouse protection

 

A wide range of herbaceous plants, such as busy lizzie, streptocarpus, pelargonium, cymbidium orchid, canna and peruvian lily, can be grown in the greenhouse. Some of the indoor plants are bulbs, corms or tubers such as gloxinia, tuberous begonia, amaryllis and lily that are potted up in March or April.

Freesia, cyclamen and anemone can be potted up in August or September. Hyacinth, tulip grape hyacinth, crocus and dwarf iris can be potted up in September or October and brought inside in January. Most of these plants come into flower four or five months after potting up.

Many greenhouse flowers can be raised from seed. Cineraria, primula, calceolaria and butterfly flower are sown in June, July or August to flower in March, April or May of the following year. Cyclamen is sown in August to flower 15 months later.

Quite a few bedding plants, both spring and summer, can be used as flowering pot plants. Petunia, everflowering begonia, ageratum, tobacco flower and french marigolds can be sown in March to flower in summer.

Polyanthus and double daisy are sown in early summer, and stock in late summer, to flower in spring. Two very useful greenhouse plants also raised from seed in spring are morning glory and blackeyed susan. These are climbers, but they only last one season.

Many foliage plants, such as spider plant, tradescantia, coleus and ferns can also be grown in a greenhouse. Shading might be necessary to avoid sun scorching and, in winter, some must have frost protection, or be taken indoors.

 

Alpine plants

 

Greenhouse alpine: Primula allionii

 

Because they need very little space, alpines make excellent greenhouse plants. They enjoy the dry air, but they mostly dislike excessive heat, and are best placed near the door or the ventilator. In winter, it is important to keep air humidity as low as possible.

Special alpine houses with a lot of ventilation are sometimes set up by alpine enthusiasts. Many kinds of alpines, such as primula, raoulia, lewisia, gentiana, rhodohypoxis and many small alpine bulbs, can be grown indoors.