A delight with any greenhouse or conservatory is to have the air full of that most delicious perfume Jasmine. Also known as (Sweet) Jessamine. Or rather perfumes for there are dozens of species and varieties, some hardy and many others that really need to be under glass. The hardier ones prefer to ramble and given […]

Of all the flowers to grow in a greenhouse Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are probably the most imposing. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to have a tropical vacation you will have noticed hotels often have table displays of hibiscus flowers. The reason they’re so often used for cut flowers is their endurance as unlike most other […]

You may not know the name and few grow this sumptuously perfumed greenhouse plant, which is odd as it is so gorgeously scented. Polianthes tuberosa bulbs are commercially available though strangely seldom sell many. Though heirloom varieties are known the only named variety you will commonly find is an old favourite The Pearl. Most closely […]

Now here is something very beautiful and somewhat unusual for a warm greenhouse. Exacum affine has blue flowers with a scent, indeed a gorgeous perfume while almost all other blue flowers are scentless. (Bees are the usual pollinators for blue flowers as they can see ultra-violet / blue colours which are seldom noticed by butterflies […]

For the economic gardener and for one who simply enjoys propagating and potting up there can be few plants better suited than the Dianthus family. These are all easy to multiply, and require this regularly as left to grow old they become straggly and dead in the middle. Dianthus comprises Carnations, their humble but pretty […]

Now anyone with a greenhouse really must have a pot or two of Lippia species. The nomenclatural botanists have fiddled with this genus, so some are also known as Aloysia, and others as Phyla, the names keep changing. However they are all closely related, mostly South American plants. Members of the verbena family they tend […]

Now here is an interesting and rewarding genus of somewhat unknown tender shrubs for the greenhouse. Whether you want an attractive foliage plant, gloriously scented flowers or to grow an unusual but useful fruit Carissa grandiflora or Natal plum (once known as Acokanthera) ticks all the boxes. Perhaps the only drawback is the spines, not […]

Greenhouse space is usually limited so we cannot fit in everything we want and must choose just those that most appeal to our needs for bloom, foliage or produce. However there’s also growing something for the sheer fun of it, allowing in plants that may be unlikely to flower, would be a poor show if […]

I doubt there’s any other tender plant so many gardeners, even really good ones, have failed to keep going. Accept a gardenia will not live long and it’s a fair price to pay for such complete loveliness. After all we do not expect a bunch of flowers to endure forever. So if we think of […]

The Marvel of Peru, the Four o clock or Tea time plant, Mirabilis jalapa was a great favourite in Victorian times but seldom known now. Which is a shame as it is one of the prettiest and most reliable performers you could try, and once got going almost bomb-proof. You see although you may occasionally […]

Just when you have learnt to spell these, they move them to Delosperma, Dorotheanthus, Carpobrotus or Lampranthus. But does it matter as these are still Mesembryanthemaceae, or are they now called Azoiceae? Anyway this huge group includes many succulent genus including the almost cacti-like Lithops, Living Stones, and the really weird finger like Dactylopsis digitata. […]