Creating an Exotic Conservatory
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 1:42 pm
Not sure that the title is quite right! but following on from Creating a Garden Room and Conservatory plant ideas I would like suggestions for a Conservatory for growing Exotics and over wintering.
We are thinking of revamping our conservatory - which is a horrid but functional uPVC "Box". Currently used for overwintering, and a few plants in the Summer. (Ventilation is lousy, sliding door only which lets rain in so can't leave open if we are out for the day)
We are thinking of a square bit for the main South-facing conservatory (adjacent to the house and will be on the central heating circuit and is sheltered by house on its North side) and then a longer "glazed corridor" connecting conservatory to outbuildings; this will be glazed on South side only, and just the initial part of the roof.
This will need to over winter plants, as well as hopefully providing some more permanent exotic planting.
I welcome your suggestions about planning / construction / operational use
I'm thinking that glazed corridor could be planted at both front and back, with a path up the middle. Things on the Front/South side can be sun lovers and grow up and provide shade to plants on the Back/North side. Path will be also used for overwintering / spring plant raising.
Thoughts that have occurred to me are:
Planting borders. These could be through to soil below, if roots won't be a nuisance, otherwise some deep concrete-lined planters, but soil will be floor-level or slightly raised.
Heating. Underfloor heating in the conservatory, and also the corridor. I have found that I can have floor-stat for underfloor heating, rather than an air-stat, so I'm thinking that in Spring I could stand all my seed trays etc. on that floor, rather than using heat mats/ propagators. Maybe some other things (in containers) would benefit from bottom heat? or could survive at 5C if also had bottom heat?
What temperature to heat Conservatory affordably? 15C enough? or are there plants I would want to grow that would need 20C?. Glazed corridor would be frost-free - let's say +5C minimum.
Could also run some heating pipes through the permanent borders if warm-feet would help?
Ventillation. Roof vents to let the heat out, I quite like the low vents that Charlie Pridham showed
as I think that Low and High ventilation encourages convective cooling, being kinder to plants than howling-draught.
However, prevailing wind is from South East, and I am in flat East Anglia, and not a lot of protection from that direction, so there will be some wind. I'll plant a hedge for shelter, but that's some years from maturity.
Shading. External blinds of some sort.
Irrigation. I'd like to put a tank in the loft of the house, and use that for rainwater (part of a rain water harvesting system). That would provide rainwater taps in the conservatory, dunno how much pressure I'd get from the attic (might need a booster pump?). Dunno how big that tank should be ... 1 cu.M. perhaps?. (Assume that the weight can be supported)
Humidity - would it make a difference (to what plants I could grow) if there was some misting systems? Might help with Red Spider control too?
Floor. I like York Stone type slabs, but maybe a polish tile is easier to clean? (I find them slippery when wet though ...)
We are thinking of revamping our conservatory - which is a horrid but functional uPVC "Box". Currently used for overwintering, and a few plants in the Summer. (Ventilation is lousy, sliding door only which lets rain in so can't leave open if we are out for the day)
We are thinking of a square bit for the main South-facing conservatory (adjacent to the house and will be on the central heating circuit and is sheltered by house on its North side) and then a longer "glazed corridor" connecting conservatory to outbuildings; this will be glazed on South side only, and just the initial part of the roof.
This will need to over winter plants, as well as hopefully providing some more permanent exotic planting.
I welcome your suggestions about planning / construction / operational use
I'm thinking that glazed corridor could be planted at both front and back, with a path up the middle. Things on the Front/South side can be sun lovers and grow up and provide shade to plants on the Back/North side. Path will be also used for overwintering / spring plant raising.
Thoughts that have occurred to me are:
Planting borders. These could be through to soil below, if roots won't be a nuisance, otherwise some deep concrete-lined planters, but soil will be floor-level or slightly raised.
Heating. Underfloor heating in the conservatory, and also the corridor. I have found that I can have floor-stat for underfloor heating, rather than an air-stat, so I'm thinking that in Spring I could stand all my seed trays etc. on that floor, rather than using heat mats/ propagators. Maybe some other things (in containers) would benefit from bottom heat? or could survive at 5C if also had bottom heat?
What temperature to heat Conservatory affordably? 15C enough? or are there plants I would want to grow that would need 20C?. Glazed corridor would be frost-free - let's say +5C minimum.
Could also run some heating pipes through the permanent borders if warm-feet would help?
Ventillation. Roof vents to let the heat out, I quite like the low vents that Charlie Pridham showed
as I think that Low and High ventilation encourages convective cooling, being kinder to plants than howling-draught.
However, prevailing wind is from South East, and I am in flat East Anglia, and not a lot of protection from that direction, so there will be some wind. I'll plant a hedge for shelter, but that's some years from maturity.
Shading. External blinds of some sort.
Irrigation. I'd like to put a tank in the loft of the house, and use that for rainwater (part of a rain water harvesting system). That would provide rainwater taps in the conservatory, dunno how much pressure I'd get from the attic (might need a booster pump?). Dunno how big that tank should be ... 1 cu.M. perhaps?. (Assume that the weight can be supported)
Humidity - would it make a difference (to what plants I could grow) if there was some misting systems? Might help with Red Spider control too?
Floor. I like York Stone type slabs, but maybe a polish tile is easier to clean? (I find them slippery when wet though ...)