Orangeries, conservatories, and garden rooms form the meeting point of the inside and outside of your property. Full of light and offering great views over your garden – these versatile spaces can make a fantastic addition to any home.
As @idealhome says, “It’s a room designed for pleasure, where you can make the most of the early morning sun or draw down the conservatory blinds at night to listen to the rain from a cosy armchair.”
However, in order to make the most of your orangery, conservatory or garden room, you need to do a little research. Finding out which plants will thrive and which will wilt will help you to dress the space perfectly and transform your home into a real des res.
Oranges and other citrus
As the name suggests, orangeries were originally designed in order to allow wealthy Brits to grow citrus fruit at home. If you want to be true to the origins of your orangery, why not invest in a few citrus trees?
Dwarf citrus trees can easily be grown in large containers. They’ll need watering and feeding a few times a year, but apart from that, citrus trees largely look after themselves. If you want a little more of a challenge, you could try training a lemon tree to climb along the walls of the space. This will add a real feature to your interior and give you a bright, bold living wall to enjoy throughout the year.
Vines
Grape vines only need a little bit of protection from the UK weather, making them perfect for growing in orangeries, conservatories, or garden rooms. Plant the vines in a container and then train them to climb in any direction you want. Once the leaves fall in the autumn, the vines will need to be cut back to keep the plant under control and ensure a good harvest.
Succulents
If you don’t have a lot of time for gardening, or if you just prefer plants that look after themselves, invest in some succulents for your garden room, conservatory or orangery. Succulents come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes.
They can be planted together in pots or grown individually. If there’s one you particularly like, you can simply snap a piece off, place it in some soil, and it will soon put down roots and start to grow again.
Olive trees
Olive trees have become incredibly popular over the past few years. As well as looking beautiful and being evergreen, they’re easy to prune into shape and can be trained into almost any design you want. What’s more, these versatile plants are perfect for growing in containers.
Place a couple of olive trees either side of the main door in your orangery, conservatory or garden room to turn the entrance into a real feature.
For more information about making the most of these versatile extensions – or to get a quote for an orangery or conservatory of your own, get in touch with a member of our team today.