Peek Inside 10 Dreamy Greenhouses
These beautiful light-filled spaces offer shelter for tender plants and an escape from winter’s chill
Lauren Dunec Hoang
February 4, 2020
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
As we hunker down for the second half of winter, perhaps you’d like to join us in a bit of garden dreaming with a cruise through 10 gorgeous greenhouses. These airy, light-filled spaces range from practical kitchen garden greenhouses to over-the-top luxury glasshouses with room for more than just plants. Take a look at these well-designed spaces that allow their owners to get a jump-start on spring planting. Tell us: Which one would you love to potter around in in your backyard?
1. Small-Scale Romantic Charmer
This airy glasshouse maximizes light for its small footprint that would be perfect to slot into a sunny side yard. Here, the glasshouse sits in a small backyard in Aarhus, Denmark, surrounded by wildflowers and planted pavers.
Shop for greenhouses on Houzz
This airy glasshouse maximizes light for its small footprint that would be perfect to slot into a sunny side yard. Here, the glasshouse sits in a small backyard in Aarhus, Denmark, surrounded by wildflowers and planted pavers.
Shop for greenhouses on Houzz
2. Greenhouse With a Mission
This community greenhouse sits on what used to be a parking lot for a housing project in Montreal’s Mercier West neighborhood. In addition to the new greenhouse, the former parking lot also houses a verdant and productive garden for residents to enjoy and use for growing vegetables and herbs. The welcoming greenhouse design by Rose Architecture features a cabin-like silhouette, thin wood slat siding and cost-effective clear polycarbonate roofing.
This community greenhouse sits on what used to be a parking lot for a housing project in Montreal’s Mercier West neighborhood. In addition to the new greenhouse, the former parking lot also houses a verdant and productive garden for residents to enjoy and use for growing vegetables and herbs. The welcoming greenhouse design by Rose Architecture features a cabin-like silhouette, thin wood slat siding and cost-effective clear polycarbonate roofing.
Inside, residents work under a lattice-like roof structure, potting plants and growing tender edibles in sheltered raised beds.
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3. Sitting Pretty in California
Set among ornamental beds and on a handsome brick patio, this forest green greenhouse acts as a focal point for a San Francisco Bay Area backyard by Karen Aitken and Associates. The deep green pairs nicely with the warm brick that’s used both for the patio and for the base of the greenhouse. The brick is also an easy-to-clean surface after potting.
Set among ornamental beds and on a handsome brick patio, this forest green greenhouse acts as a focal point for a San Francisco Bay Area backyard by Karen Aitken and Associates. The deep green pairs nicely with the warm brick that’s used both for the patio and for the base of the greenhouse. The brick is also an easy-to-clean surface after potting.
Inside, brightly colored pots line the shelves and house the owner’s collection of succulents.
4. Botanical Elegance
Soaring ceilings and a spacious interior make for greenhouse dreams in this Hartley Botanic glasshouse in New York. The owners of this greenhouse took advantage of the brick base by placing terra-cotta pots on the ledge around the perimeter, while other pots filled with ferns and orchids hang from the ceiling. The middle remains open, with pots of geraniums and a spot for relaxing and taking in the view.
Soaring ceilings and a spacious interior make for greenhouse dreams in this Hartley Botanic glasshouse in New York. The owners of this greenhouse took advantage of the brick base by placing terra-cotta pots on the ledge around the perimeter, while other pots filled with ferns and orchids hang from the ceiling. The middle remains open, with pots of geraniums and a spot for relaxing and taking in the view.
5. Chicago Rooftop Garden
Positioned on the roof of a lake house in Chicago and surrounded by abundant raised beds, this expansive glass-walled garden house by Sylvester Construction Services could be used for gardening or as a sunroom. Low hinged windows make it easy to open for ventilation, and large panes of glass bring in maximum light.
Positioned on the roof of a lake house in Chicago and surrounded by abundant raised beds, this expansive glass-walled garden house by Sylvester Construction Services could be used for gardening or as a sunroom. Low hinged windows make it easy to open for ventilation, and large panes of glass bring in maximum light.
6. Tropical Hideaway
Set in a tropical-themed garden in Austin, Texas, this handsome glasshouse protects tender potted tropicals throughout the winter and speeds up growing for small plant starts in spring. The reclaimed wood siding and dark paint help it blend into the garden and allow bright tropicals to pop against the backdrop.
Can you spot the guardian angel keeping watch over the plant collection?
Set in a tropical-themed garden in Austin, Texas, this handsome glasshouse protects tender potted tropicals throughout the winter and speeds up growing for small plant starts in spring. The reclaimed wood siding and dark paint help it blend into the garden and allow bright tropicals to pop against the backdrop.
Can you spot the guardian angel keeping watch over the plant collection?
7. English Kitchen Garden
Located in Surrey, England, southwest of London, this good-sized edible garden benefits from a charming glass greenhouse with decorative exterior details. Nicky Corkerton Garden Design positioned the greenhouse and potager on the top of a slope, where the ground is level, and tiered the side yard with patios for an outdoor dining area and lounge.
Located in Surrey, England, southwest of London, this good-sized edible garden benefits from a charming glass greenhouse with decorative exterior details. Nicky Corkerton Garden Design positioned the greenhouse and potager on the top of a slope, where the ground is level, and tiered the side yard with patios for an outdoor dining area and lounge.
The clever layout brings views of the greenhouse to both of the garden’s seating areas. A sage green umbrella brings continuity to the garden, matching the colors of the greenhouse and roofline of the shed.
8. New England Beauty
Set on a property designed by Douglas VanderHorn Architects in Greenwich, Connecticut, this elegant glasshouse features a brick base to match the main house and a custom-designed steel-and-glass top, which the owners had imported from England.
Set on a property designed by Douglas VanderHorn Architects in Greenwich, Connecticut, this elegant glasshouse features a brick base to match the main house and a custom-designed steel-and-glass top, which the owners had imported from England.
Inside, raised gravel beds on either side of a central pathway offer hip-height growing space for a collection of cymbidium orchids and colorful potted annuals.
9. Russian Retreat
This hardworking greenhouse in Russia allows the owners to grow warm-weather summer crops like tomatoes and peppers. The farm-style polycarbonate hoop is set on a wood frame designed to match the adjacent raised beds.
How to Plan Your Edible Garden
This hardworking greenhouse in Russia allows the owners to grow warm-weather summer crops like tomatoes and peppers. The farm-style polycarbonate hoop is set on a wood frame designed to match the adjacent raised beds.
How to Plan Your Edible Garden
10. Room With a View
Positioned with a prime Alaskan view, this greenhouse allows the homeowners to extend their growing season in a northern climate and capitalize on long hours of daylight in the summer. The structure by Treeline Construction is made of wood and polycarbonate.
Positioned with a prime Alaskan view, this greenhouse allows the homeowners to extend their growing season in a northern climate and capitalize on long hours of daylight in the summer. The structure by Treeline Construction is made of wood and polycarbonate.
Inside the greenhouse, tomatoes and other crops are grown hydroponically (in water rather than soil) on a gravel floor.
Your turn: Show us your greenhouse or tell us which one’s your favorite in the Comments.
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mandcsmamadee, me too!
I'd really love to see some underground greenhouses that allow one to grow tropical plants and citrus and so on in northern climes. These are dug out to the depth where the soil doesn't freeze, and thus citrus and other warm-weather-loving trees can be grown in the ground. They are not 'pretty little greenhouses' for garden dabblers, but serious growing spaces for people who want to grow their own food supply year-round, even when there's snow on the ground. The glass of the greenhouse is only a few feet above the ground, angled to get the winter sun. The walls of the green house are the earth around it. They get plenty of light and stay warm all winter, often with warm air coming in from ducts buried underground at a level where the temperature is stable.
My dream would be a two-level greenhouse: the underground one in front, for growing citrus and other exotics like bananas and pineapples, figs, kiwis, pomegranates and so on (impossible in my latitude outdoors except in July and August) and then behind it, a traditional above-ground greenhouse for potting cuttings and seeds and growing them on before planting in the garden.
I have no idea where to begin with a two-level green house, though there are videos online of underground ones. No idea if greenhouse specialists even exist, who could build one custom (that actually works) to my specifications.
I love the look of the English garden structures. However, to start, I will have a high hoop house once we get moved, to another state, this summer. Then I can get busy planning as hubby will be busy building shelving for me. These are all really beautiful greenhouses tho, for sure!