The glass menagerie

In the 1990 film Green Card, horticulturist Brontë Parrish finds the New York apartment of her dreams. Its knock-out feature is a gorgeous plant-filled rooftop conservatory, complete with a tinkling fountain and luxuriant tree ferns; to me it’s all too believable that she should enter into an illegal marriage simply to get her hands on it.

Given a few caveats, the romantic idea of having a conservatory filled with exotic plants is far from Hollywood fiction. The ideal conservatory for most people is a place where plants and living space integrate without fuss, but most modern structures are made, in the first instance, for people. Employed as a double-glazed extension to living space, they are far more likely to serve as a dining room, an extra lounge or kitchen than as a greenhouse, sometimes forgoing separation from the rest of the house.

Depending on their aspect, conservatories may grow alarmingly hot in summer, while most are near-freezing in winter without heating: extremes disliked by most plants. If you inherit a pre-existing build, you may need to adapt it by adding ventilation (such as automatic roof vents or ceiling and extractor fans), blinds and roof shading and, possibly, heating. Flooring may need changing to make it resistant to moisture. If you are building from scratch, your conservatory can be plant-friendly from the start; you will be able to specify a tiled floor, a tap for easy watering and even integrated borders for larger plants. As you get to know how to manage the conditions, a conservatory can offer the chance to grow treasures that are not practical in the living room: tender climbers, small trees and even aquatics.

Climbing the walls

The extra space and light in a conservatory allow climbers to thrive. Many grow best in a border but can also be kept in a large tub. Most need support from trellis or wires, perhaps fixed to the house wall to which your conservatory is attached. I’d always include Jasminum polyanth