“A room of one’s own… What [these words] propose to anyone who admits them into the space of a daydream, is a place of solitude a few steps off the beaten track of everyday life.” So wrote Michael Pollen in A Place of My Own. And he wasn’t talking about greenhouses. But he could have […]

Deer tracks in the snow show where a hungry buck gazed wistfully through the glass at the tasty-looking green plants inside your greenhouse. Squirrel and rabbit tracks betray the presence of other wistful watchers that would envoy your greenery even more than you. That’s why they’re called greenhouses – because in winter they remain green […]

In February, a gardener’s fancy turns to starting seeds under lights: cabbages that can be transplanted into the garden in early spring; the earliest annuals, such as violas and snapdragons; and those that take a really long time, like petunias. Even if you have a greenhouse, you’ll need a light setup to give most plants […]

Jump-starting vegetables in your greenhouse celebrates the beginning of the year’s growing cycle. But potatoes? I hadn’t considered them as greenhouse candidates until I read the new 35th anniversary edition of my go-to edible book, Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon and co-authored this year by Marina McShane. Now why would I […]

If you’ve ever brought geraniums or pelargoniums into your greenhouse at the end of summer, you probably know how leggy the plants become in winter’s low light levels. Come spring, you can cut back these plants significantly to get them started anew, but the initial result is an ugly brown stem visible in your hanging […]

Winter is the time when many greenhouse owners are thinking about starting seeds. They may be reading through catalogs, cleaning pots, checking their supply of potting soil, and perhaps placing orders. But one thing that is often overlooked is a heating mat to go under your seed flats. With the gentle bottom heat that a […]

Now that all that holiday fuss is over, it’s time to get down to serious business: gardening. In the middle of winter? Well, sure, if you have a conservatory. You can be as busy as June, patrolling for insects and diseases, monitoring temperature, humidity and air circulation, and preening and primping your plants. But even […]

Whether you’re looking for someone to build your new greenhouse foundation or planning an entire garden makeover, there comes a time when you need skilled help beyond DIY. So how do you go about choosing the right person for the job? Robert Kirtley is the man who knows. He’s an award-winning landscape contractor who now […]

Have you ever tried to use a full-length broom in your greenhouse? I have and almost broke a window. I also tried using a full-sized hoe in one of my greenhouse beds only to knock plant pots off the shelf behind me. After these experiences and a few more too embarrassing to mention, I decided […]

To have made six gardens in five climate zones looks very like extravagance, but to have possessed a greenhouse in only one may be regarded as a misfortune. Particularly, as I realized with some shock, that greenhouse was in the garden where I least needed it – Norfolk, England; aka Britain’s Sunshine Capitol, and with […]

Europeans discovered clivias in Cape Province, South Africa, in 1815, and soon after some of the plants were taken to England. The Duchess of Northumbria, Lady Charlotte Percy (nee Clive) first succeeded in getting them to flower there, so the genus was called Clivia in her honor. Although more than 1,000 clivia cultivars and hybrids […]