Gardeners’ Question Time
Matthew Pottage
Matthew is the curator of RHS Garden Wisley, the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society in Surrey.
Matt Biggs
Matt trained at Kew and has been gardening professionally for more than 30 years.
Pippa Greenwood
Pippa is one of the foremost experts on pests and diseases. She gardens using organic methods.
Q Which plants are best for an unheated conservatory?
Elaine Brown, South Wales
A MATTHEW P SAYS I find plants of borderline hardiness are best for unheated conservatories, like yours. The physical structure protects them from frost, they can cope with cool temperatures and escape excessive wet, which can often contribute to winter deaths.
If you have space, try the lovely New Zealand tree fern Dicksonia squarrosa, which is more compact than the outdoor species we often see, and a flowering climber such as Hardenbergia violacea, with its purple flowers, or Jasminum polyanthum for its incredible scent. Also add a bowl or two of succulent Echeveria elegans, which is happy on windowsills.
Also try a Chile lantern tree, , which has red flowers, or one of its cultivars, such as ‘Ada Hoffmann’, which has pink flowers. While this shrub grows well outside in some parts of the UK, it dislikes wind, exposure and cold temperatures, preferring acid soil, so the protection of your conservatory should help it to thrive. A You say your conservatory is very cold in winter but hot in summer, so first install some sort of
