conservatory plants

Our February talk, the first of the year, was given by Wilf Simcox, previously a lecturer at Sparsholt College, Wilf is a notable figure in the field of horticulture, he has been involved in various conservation projects around the world, from China to Panama. His work often emphasises sustainable practices and the importance of biodiversity in gardening.

He opened the talk by clarifying that a Conservatory is different to a Greenhouse in several aspects:

1)    A Conservatory is normally double glazed with security glass and also many now come with ultra violet glass, making the conservatory too dark for seedlings or other plants which need high light content.

2)    A Conservatory is also a dryer environment, where temperature can be more controlled and is often heated.

He also mentioned that an Orangery is different to a Conservatory in that it has a solid roof.

The early Conservatories were constructed with three sections; one for large permanent tropical trees and shrubs, a second area for semi-permanent plants such as Cannas or Alstroemeria's and a third area where one could have plants of interest to the individual owner and which could be changed on a regular basis. Examples of these type of very large traditional conservatories can still be found at Kew Gardens, Wisley and the Eden Project in Cornwall. Our own Conservatories are, of course, a bit less extravagant than these and Wilf used his own small Conservatory as an example of the plants one could grow in them.

He suggested that large plants make more of an impact, or alternatively using a collection of small plants also makes a good impression. His main aim for his conservatory was to make it a pleasurable place to enjoy and show off plants.

Tropical plants make a good impact but avoid prickly ones or ones with spines or sticky flowers, they need to be “safe” around people, children and pets, and preferably not too messy! You can source specialist plants, but this can get expensive, alternatively you can often grow plants yourself quite quickly; Forsythia, small cherry trees, willow, even perennial plants such as hostas, astilbe or bulbs can also give a quick impact.

He emphasised the importance of good quality plants and the importance to check that they are disease and pest free BEFORE bringing them into the Conservatory! Dump those half dead plants!!, they are not worth keeping according to Wilf.

You can also use home grown annuals. Bedding plants in pots can give an impressive display, then swap them over when they are past their best. You should be able to have plants in flower in your Conservatory all year round!

In winter hold back on the watering, let the plants rest and tick over, less water is better! Then in spring give them a good watering and a feed, from May to October. Should you find scale or mealy bugs on your citrus plants use a cotton bud dipped in Gin to help clear them!

The following specific plants were suggested as a guideline for filling a Conservatory all year round, with slides shown from Wilf’s own conservatory:

Petunias, Busy Lizzies, Geraniums look good for a bit but can get leggy due to lack of light by ultra violet glass.

Streptocarpus plants are recommended, a South African plant.

Bougainvillias are good for Conservatories, although in Oct/Nov they are best kept in a garage.  They can withstand frost as long as the roots are dry. Repot them in spring and put them back in the Conservatory to give a fine show. They can get big though!

Hibiscus is also good for a Conservatory in summer but they are magnets for whitefly so need to be checked regularly.

The Asparagus Fern is well suited for a Conservatory but can get very large!

Veltheimia Bulbs from South Africa look similar to a red hot poker and flowers overwinter in the Conservatory. In May put it into the greenhouse and in June it can live outside, then back into the Conservatory in Oct/Nov.

Daffodils can give a fine display from January / February and into spring, then plant them out into the garden.

Hyacinths, although lovely, can become overpowering in scent, and don’t bring them into the heat too early.

Amarylis need minimum watering, the foliage comes after the flowers, once they flower water and feed them over the summer and stop watering in September.

Orchids can be spectacular plants for the Conservatory. Phalaenopsis, or Moth Orchids are long flowering,

Cymbideums and Dendrobiums also give many months of flowers and the Vanda Orchid has many colours of flowers including blue.

Clivias are good novice plants, almost impossible to kill, but they are a magnet for mealy bugs.

Other plants include Cyclamens, Begonias, Alliums, Lillies, French Marigolds, Streptocarpus, Polyanthus, African Violets and Gerberas.

In winter try some succulents and cacti, Aeoniums, Echivereums, Aloe’s and Ice plants.

If looking for something more exotic, A Bird of Paradis or Angels Trumpet or a Citrus plant will work.

So that should give you a few ideas to get started on Wilf’s challenge of getting a flower in bloom every day of the year in our Conservatories! Thank you, Wilf, for your insight and inspiration!

Katrien Burrows