TV plant guru Alan Titchmarsh recently provided some sage conservatory plants advice in an article for the Daily Express. SWRCN have summarised the main points:

Titchmarsh’s Conservatory Plants Advice

• Compromise Comfort and Luxury
  The first piece of conservatory plants advice from Mr Titchmarsh was to avoid the temptation to cram your conservatory with exciting exotics – at least without doing your homework. Many exotic plants require more than a mild climate and will struggle to survive the winter unless you are prepared to provide serious heating during the winter months. Other things to beware of, according to Titchmarsh, are lethal spikes, toxic saps and plants that attract lots of insects. One suggestion he made was to combine a few trees and shrubs with a single climber, citing Bougainvillea as a particularly popular plant at the moment (requiring frost-proofing only during the winter months)
• Install Easy to Clean Floor and Furnishings
  Some exotic plants create a bit of a mess which is why another piece of conservatory plants advice from the UK’s best known gardening expert was to make sure your flooring and furniture can cope with everything from shed petals and leaves to sticky sap, pollen and spilt plant feed. In a nutshell, if you can’t wipe it down with a damp cloth, consider taking it out of harm’s way.
• Honour the Olive
  If you’re looking for something popular, flexible and low maintenance, then you can’t go far wrong by getting hold of an olive tree, according to the BBC stalwart. Olives are a hardy plant and can be easily pruned and trained to fit your space. You might even be lucky enough to harvest some fruit – perfect to garnish your evening martini.

  

• The Scent of Citrus
  With their large oval leaves and gently scented white flowers, citrus plants are an ideal way to add a zingy Mediterranean flavour to your conservatory. Titchmarsh does warn that citrus plants vary a lot in their susceptibility to cold, so make sure you do your homework to find out whether winter heating will be required or not.
• Find Some Frost-Free Faves
  If you’re struggling for ideas about cold-resistant conservatory plants, Titchmarsh gave a list of some of his recommendations:
  • Abutilon hybrids – These upright flowering shrubs are from the mallow family and are known for their maple-shaped leaves.
  • Cestrum aurantiacum – An evergreen tree or shrub with  cheery orange flowers.
  • Constance Elliott – A hardy white version of the popular passion flower.
  • Passiflora edulis – This is the unmistakeable purple and white passion flower which will reward you with real passion fruits!
  • Plumbago capensis – An electric blue coloured wall shrub.
  • Trachelosperm jasminoides – An evergreen climber with distinctive white flowers.
• Think Outside the Box
  A final piece of Titchmarsh’s conservatory plants advice is simply to do your botanical homework and then get creative. While it is always good to follow sound advice, no-one wants a carbon-copy of someone else’s ideas. Providing you follow the general tips above, there’s nothing wrong with taking a bit of a risk to achieve the effect you’re looking for – just as long as it doesn’t involve poisoning the pet cat with toxic leaves!

Plants and Conservatory Roof Conversion

Of course, it is easier to create consistent conditions for plants if you can control the temperature of your conservatory all year round. If your space ends up swinging wildly between hot and cold throughout the year then consider opting for one of Roofworx’s conservatory roof conversions. Roofworx South West are based in Torquay, Devon.

The full Daily Express article is available here