A Year in The English Garden

EXPAND YOUR OPTIONS

Far from taking up room in your garden, a Vitavia greenhouse will extend your growing space

-

If you don’t already have a greenhouse it’s usually around March that the craving for one really starts to build. March is when seed sowing begins in earnest, but without a snug greenhouse windowsill­s soon fill with pots and trays. Before long seedlings need pricking out, their pots taking up even more room, and then it’s time for the annual juggle when space inside inevitably runs out but it’s still too cold to put the plants outdoors.

It’s all so much easier when you have a greenhouse: a dedicated space for spring sowing is a luxury after making do with windowsill­s. And having space under glass adds so much more to your gardening beyond spring: it can house tender crops for better yields, protect plants over winter, improve success with propagatio­n or even become a space in which to relax or entertain.

You don’t need a large garden to fit in a greenhouse. Vitavia’s range of anodised aluminium models comes in all shapes and sizes and includes free-standing models, ‘lean-to’ greenhouse­s to position against a wall, small plant houses and coldframes for even the tightest space.

Consider the Ida Wall Garden, which at just 2ft deep is easy to accommodat­e in a small garden. If there’s enough space, the width can be increased from 4ft to 6ft, and there’s a larger model that’s 4ft deep and 8ft across. Even the smallest model can house plenty of seedlings in spring or keep frost-tender plants safe over winter. The Helena Wall Garden is a step up at 6ft deep, and with widths from 11ft to 15ft across it’s roomy enough for conservato­ry-style specimen plants.

Vitavia’s free-standing greenhouse range is just as comprehens­ive. Most gardeners are amazed by how quickly a greenhouse fills up, so the advice is always to choose the largest model that space and budget will allow, rather than regret not having a few more feet later. Vitavia’s traditiona­l aluminium greenhouse­s come in a range of styles, usually 6ft or 8ft wide, with the option to extend to diŒerent lengths, from a very compact 4ft all the way up to 14-20ft, depending on the model.

The Apollo is an excellent choice for greenhouse beginners and experts alike, with the bonus of a low threshold entrance that makes getting in and out – especially when pushing a wheelbarro­w – straightfo­rward. The Phoenix also benefits from a trip-free entrance, but oers greater eaves and ridge height. Orion and Saturn have attractive curved eaves, bringing a more decorative look to the garden, while the Cassandra model has been designed to sit on a dwarf wall base, desirable from an aesthetic point of view and also because the wall acts as the greenhouse’s own storage heater, helping to maintain temperatur­es inside.

The Zeus greenhouse is one of the most striking models in the range, with extra-long glass panes for a modern look. Or consider Sirius – a beautiful orangeryst­yle greenhouse with generous eaves height and a porch area to extend the growing space to a truly spacious 13m2.

The entire range is available in black or bottle-green powder coating, as well as anodised aluminium, and all models come with standard gutters and vents, with the option of extra roof or louvre vents, in addition to accessorie­s such as autoopener­s, shelving and staging, decorative crests for the ridge, and lots more.

As well as its own greenhouse­s,

Vitavia is the UK distributo­r for Janssens greenhouse­s and garden rooms from Belgium: the perfect complement to the well-establishe­d Vitavia range.

For informatio­n on the complete Vitavia Greenhouse­s range, visit vitavia.co.uk

 ?? ?? Above The walls of the striking Zeus greenhouse have large panes of glass to give this model a clean, modern look, as well as ample growing space inside.
Above The walls of the striking Zeus greenhouse have large panes of glass to give this model a clean, modern look, as well as ample growing space inside.
 ?? ?? Right The Eos greenhouse, by Janssens.
Right The Eos greenhouse, by Janssens.
 ?? ?? Below right Vitavia’s popular Apollo model.
Below right Vitavia’s popular Apollo model.
 ?? ?? Above Stylish curved eaves on the Orion.
Above Stylish curved eaves on the Orion.
 ?? ??
 ?? ?? Below left The Phoenix greenhouse has a step-free entrance and roomy interior.
Below left The Phoenix greenhouse has a step-free entrance and roomy interior.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom