An Introduction To Tropical Glass Houses
A tropical glasshouse is a great way to bring the plants of the world to your garden. With many exotic plants, you can create a haven that is unlike any other greenhouse in your street!
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For an effective long lived display in any enclosed space, it is best to opt for foliage based houseplants. You can use the likes of weeping fig which is easily containerised, and can be kept at a size of your choosing.
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Another example of the fig family is the rubber plant with it's great broad leaves and colours of green and yellow, even through to red. These can be pruned, and look great when grouped with lots of other plants.
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Other plants appeal in different ways such as trailing and climbing plants. Use plants like tradescantia which come in a myriad of different colours.
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For a real splash of colour, why not try bougainvillea (aka the paper flower). This may need some help to climb, but will grow vigourously once it gets there. It can even be moved out onto the patio, but it must be brought in before the frosts occur.
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Multi purpose foliage based plants are equally at home in a raised bed, container with other plants, or even hanging baskets. A great example is the fern like asparagus which tumbles over borders and other plants.
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If you are looking for something edible, why not try citrus plants. They are attractive for their foliage, sweetly scented flowers, and of course the fruit.
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If you have a glass house or conservatory on the dry and hot side, then the best plants for that are cacti and succulents. Succulents like the jade plant, with it's rubbery leaves and thick stems, can go without water for 3 or 4 weeks at a time.
