Garden Services – The Greenhouse
%2B(Cover).jpg)
When considering developing the perfect garden there are many garden services available including designing decking or a patio, fence building and tree pruning. With the current environmental emphasis on encouraging self sufficiency there was a never a better time to enhance the garden. One thing that can be done with minimal or no specialist help is choosing a simple greenhouse. The obvious considerations are to:
Survey the garden for ease of access, shelter from the wind, trees
Decide on the best position
Choose a style
Choose an appropriate size
Choose an appropriate greenhouse base and drainage
The greenhouse or glasshouse is a building where plants are grown under the protection of glass or plastic in a controlled environment. They are used to protect plants from too much heat or cold, and from storms and pests.
The greenhouse has taken on many forms and has developed over the years with variations from country to country.
Growing plants in an environmentally controlled area has existed since Roman times. The roman emperor Tiberius liked to eat a cucumber like vegetable daily. In order to have it on his table every day of the year the Roman gardeners used artificial methods for growing them. They were planted in carts which were wheeled into the sun daily then taken inside to keep warm at night. They were then stored in cucumber houses.
The first modern greenhouses were built in Italy in the 13th Century and were named giardini botanici. They were used to house exotic plants brought back by explorers from the tropics.
The concept then spread to the Netherlands and England along with some of the plants. Problems encountered in these early greenhouses included providing adequate and balanced heat. Techniques were improved in 17th Century Europe as technology brought better glass and construction.
The first French greenhouses were used to protect orange trees from freezing hence the name orangeries, and in Japan the first greenhouse was built in 1880 by a British merchant who exported herbs.
In the 19th Century some of the largest greenhouses were built including a prime example of a Victorian greenhouse ‘Kew Gardens’ in England.
Moving on to the 20th Century the geodesic dome was added to the many types of greenhouse the most famous of these is the Eden project in Cornwall. Built in a disused clay mine the project is a global garden where people can learn about nature and get inspiration about the outdoor world.
Greenhouses can provide many garden services for personal and commercial use as they are used to grow flowers, vegetables, fruits and even tobacco plants. Many of these can then be grown in late winter and early spring then moved to be planted outside as the weather warms giving the opportunity to grow all year round.
