Your conservatory is a great space to entertain guests or to simply relax with your family; whether you use it as a second living area, dining room or something different altogether. There are so many different purposes for your conservatory, as well as how to decorate it. Having a conservatory can mean your home feels much bigger, which can be much easier than applying for an extension. This way, you have an extra room to do what you like with.
One of the best reasons for having a conservatory is to enjoy the weather in; after all, the conservatory brings you closer to the outdoors while protecting you from the elements. Now that spring is on its way, you have the perfect opportunity to spruce up your conservatory and ensure it looks more welcoming than ever. But how do you achieve this?
The conservatory can be treated an extension of your garden, as opposed to your home. With this in mind, bringing the outdoors in through a number of plants and flowers can be the perfect way to improve the room and embrace the more pleasant weather. So, which plants are best to place in your conservatory? Guardian Conservatory Roofs offer a brief guide to help you turn your conservatory into a spring haven.
How to choose your plants
The plants you choose to have in your conservatory should be considered carefully before you buy. This is because conservatories can often be different temperatures, and plants will perform differently in various conditions. With this in mind, you should spend some time figuring out what temperature your conservatory is at different times of the day, in order to understand which plants would thrive.
A warm conservatory can sometimes reach temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees, especially if it often has the sun shining through the windows. This type of conservatory would be great for tropical and subtropical plants.
On the other hand, a cooler conservatory could drop to temperatures between 4 and 7 degrees. This means that a conservatory of this temperature would require tender plants. Of course, there are conservatories out there that will fall in the middle; this is much easier to find plants for as they will suit a variety of types.
Plants for warm conservatories
A plant known as Christ’s tears, otherwise known as Erythrina crista-galli, is a small deciduous tree with scarlet flowers. They benefit from full sun in a sheltered environment; perfect if your conservatory is south or west-facing. Growing to a maximum height of 1.5-2.5 meters, they could be the perfect addition to brighten up your conservatory in the spring and summer.
Grand Marnier plants, or angel’s trumpet, are evergreen shrubs with large trumpet-shaped flowers. With a soft peach color, they are a subtle way to add some greenery to your conservatory. Flowering in both autumn and summer, they are perfect for a year-round plant.
Plants for cool conservatories
If you have a much cooler conservatory, you still have plenty of options to choose from. Geranium maderense have beautiful pink-purple flowers that measure around 4cm across, with a darker center. It can flower all year round, but is short-lived; the perfect plant to brighten up your conservatory for a few months!
Birds of paradise, or strelitzia reginae, are characterized by their beak-like appearance. Providing a unique plant for your conservatory, they are an evergreen perennial that flower mostly in spring. Requiring a sheltered environment, they could become a striking feature of your conservatory this year.
